Wilmington and New Castle Delaware Culture Trails

family entertainment underground railroad house museum wineries and breweries

Wilmington is strategically positioned to reach other points of interest in the middle Atlantic region of the United States. Located midway between New York City and Washington, D.C., this city is:
30 minutes from Philadelphia
90 minutes to downtown Baltimore, Maryland
60 minutes from Lancaster, South Central Pennsylvania and Amish Country
less than 2 hours away from Delaware's Atlantic Ocean beaches

Founded by the Swedes and Finns in 1638, and later acquired by the Dutch in 1655 and the British in 1739, today Wilmington offers a rich performing arts scene including theater, symphony, opera, ballet, rock, jazz, folk and family entertainment. It is also home to many celebrated ethnic events, music festivals and special performances at local wineries and breweries.

The Christina Riverfront is one of many reasons for making Wilmington your home away from home while exploring the culture trail; cruise in a water taxis or stroll the landscaped Riverwalk. Wilmington was the last stop to freedom on the Underground Railroad; the Tubman-Garrett Riverfront Park is named for Railroad Conductor Harriett Tubman and Stationmaster Thomas Garrett. The Riverfront Market offers delicious specialty foods, fresh produce, flowers and much more from a variety of vendors.

shopping, dining and entertainment are tax free here!

The First Stop along the Culture Trail focuses on the History of the First State!

The Delaware History Museum is located in a renovated art-deco Woolworth store in the historic district and features three galleries of changing interactive exhibits on Delaware history, including displays of rare items of everyday life, costumes, children's toys, regional decorative arts, and paintings.

Old Town Hall built in 1798-1800, it functioned as a center of political and social activities in Wilmington's mercantile-milling economy. Today it is owned by the Delaware Historical Society and is used for exhibits and special events. The Delaware Historical Society is celebrating its 150^th Anniversary in 2014.

Visit
 Wilmington, New Castle 
and the Delaware Culture Trails

Knowledge Tourism

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Willingtown Square consists of six historic houses relocated into an urban park in 1976.Not far away are the Tubman-Garrett Riverfront Park, the First USA Riverfront Arts Center, and the Wilmington train station.

The Research Library is tasked with collecting and preserving Delaware materials for over 135 years, the Society has a rich and varied collection of books, ephemera, newspapers, serials, maps, manuscripts and photographs relating to the history of Delaware and its people. 

Read House is in nearby historic New Castle, one of the oldest towns and a National Historic Landmark District. The 22 room, 14,000 square-foot, mansion features new technologies of the time including elaborate hot-air roasting ovens and steam tables in the kitchen. Carefully restored and furnished in 1986 using extensive documentation, Read House ranks among the best house museums in the country. In addition, a tour may include: costumed interpreters, open-hearth cooking demonstrations, walking tours of New Castle. Read House & Gardens was named an American Treasure by the National Trust for Historic Preservation and the National Park Service.

Philadelphia the Brandywine Valley and Wilmington Delaware

Cultural Itineraries Sustainability Wine Ale and Water Trails

Water Trails and Sustainability

In Philadelphia, the waterfront is now a walking and biking destination which covers 6 miles. Trail features include streetscape improvements along the entire waterfront trail, a bi-directional bikeway, pedestrian walkway and rain gardens that will collect the first inch of storm water, relieving the city sewer system during major weather events, as well as benches and bike racks, decorative street pavers, and innovative solar trail lighting read more

The Christina Riverfront is one of many reasons for making Wilmington your home away from home while exploring the Delaware culture trail; cruise in a water taxis or stroll the landscaped Riverwalk. Wilmington was the "last stop to freedom" on the Underground Railroad; the Tubman-Garrett Riverfront Park is named for Underground Railroad Conductor Harriett Tubman and Stationmaster Thomas Garrett. The Riverfront Market offers delicious specialty foods, fresh produce, flowers and much more from a variety of vendors. And: shopping, dining and entertainment are tax free here!

Brandywine Creek is a tributary of the Christina River in southeastern Pennsylvania and northern Delaware. The 20.4 mile Lower Brandywine is a designated Pennsylvania Scenic River with several tributary streams.

Development & Conservancy Issues In the 1960s, Chadds Ford, Pennsylvania in historic Brandywine Valley, faced a possible massive industrial development that would impact a largely rural community.  Also, development plans in floodplain areas threatened to devastate water supplies for numerous communities in southeastern Pennsylvania and northern Delaware. A group of local residents bought endangered land and founded the Brandywine Conservancy in 1967.  The first conservation easements, protecting more than five and one-half miles along the Brandywine, were granted in 1969. In 1971, the Conservancy opened a museum in the renovated Hoffman’s Mill, a former gristmill built in 1864, part of the Conservancy’s first preservation efforts.  It contains an unparalleled collection of American art with emphasis on the art of the Brandywine region, illustration, still life and landscape painting, and the work of the Wyeth family. read more

TEMA’s Professional Enrichment Tours focus suburban sprawl, declining water quality, diminishing water supplies, vanishing agricultural land, loss of historic character, wildlife habitat degradation, and threatened biological resources. Learn to:

Protect and conserve land and water, natural, cultural and scenic resources;

Create and strengthen local government efforts that support resource conservation;

Improve site planning and design to support resource conservation;

Plan and conserve of natural and cultural resources;

Enhance awareness and knowledge of conservation approaches.

If you are in local government, are a developer, landowner or in business and are interested in expanding your skills in these areas, please contact us for a no obligation travel and/or training plan.

Wine and Ale Trails

Some of Pennsylvania’s vineyards are at the highest elevation east of the Rocky Mountains, while others are in the river valleys of the southeast corner of the state and is one of the top grape-growing states and consistently ranks in the top 10 for wine production, including whites - Chardonnay, Riesling, Pinot Gris and Vidal Blanc – and reds - Cabernet Sauvingon, Pinot Noir and Chambourcin.

Philadelphia Wine Country The southeast corner of Pennsylvania is known as the Philadelphia Countryside Region. It stretches from Philadelphia to the north, west and southwest with scenery filled with rich, lush farmland and river valleys. Three wine trails are located in this region:

Montgomery County - three wineries between Philadelphia and Allentown

Bucks County and its nine wineries

Brandywine - west and south of historic Philadelphia and the Amish countryside, with eight wineries within a 50 mile radius.

The Brandywine Valley is Home to several Craft Breweries that have gained significant popularity in recent years, due to a receptive craft-brewing culture. Also, water from the Brandywine Valley is

chlorine and fluoride free, and abundant with minerals that leave the beer with a refreshing taste.

Following the Colonial tradition, the beer is un-pasteurized and unfiltered with four ingredients: water, whole flour hops, grains, and cultured brewer yeast. It is also canned sustainably with recyclable aluminum.

Delaware Wine Trail The local climate benefits from the moderating effects of Delaware Bay and the Atlantic Ocean. Inland, the state becomes quite rural and agriculturally based, particularly in the south. Grape-growing and wine production consists of three wineries, with adjacent vineyards growing Merlot, Chardonnay and Cabernet Sauvignon.

Cultural Itineraries

Wilmington is strategically positioned to reach other points of interest in the middle Atlantic region of the United States. Located midway between New York City and Washington, D.C., this city is 30 minutes from Philadelphia, 90 minutes to downtown Baltimore, MD, 60 minutes from Lancaster, South Central Pennsylvania and Amish Country, less than 2 hours away from Delaware's Atlantic Ocean beaches.

Originally founded by the Swedes and Finns in 1638, and later acquired by the Dutch in 1655 and the British in 1739, today Wilmington offers a rich performing arts scene including theater, symphony, opera, ballet, rock, jazz, folk and family entertainment. It is also home to many celebrated ethnic events, music festivals and special performances at local wineries and breweries.

The Delaware History Museum located in a renovated art-deco Woolworth store in the historic district, features three galleries of changing interactive exhibits on Delaware history, including displays of rare items of everyday life, costumes, children's toys, regional decorative arts, and paintings.

Old Town Hall Built in 1798-1800, it functioned as a center of political and social activities in Wilmington's mercantile-milling economy. Today it is owned by the Delaware Historical Society and is used for exhibitions and special events read more

 

Planning Your Trip assumes uniquely local dimensions wherever you go; the activities that you, the visitor – local, or global –  select and irrespective of the length of your stay, are unique of the community you are visiting and rooted into the local economy, history and traditions.

TEMA develops personalized travel itineraries based on client interests by leveraging an in-depth knowledge of your destination, superior client service in the planning stages and throughout the trip or event as well as logistics expertise to reduce accommodations andtransport costs and transfer times.

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for Itineraries in Philadelphia the Brandywine Valley and Delaware

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