Winterthur Museum, Garden & Library DE 19735

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Dutch S.

? ? ? ? ? Just WOW!!! I have been wanting to visit here for awhile, always heard that it was one of many mansions owned by the DuPont family and featured decorative arts and gardens but had no idea that it’s basically like spending the day at a posh family member’s estate where you get to roam around, gaze at beautiful trees, all hundreds of years old and learn about art/antiques from a staff that’s not only welcoming a warm but completely in love with art & design (?️Shout out to Katie)!!! My day at Winterthur was great from start to finish - an easy Amtrak ride from NYC + an uber ride to the modern visitors center, staffed by a great team who clearly LOVE their jobs at Winterthur! While there’s a shuttle van that’ll take you to the DuPont Mansion, I decided to “get some steps in”, it’s only a 6 minute walk and if you are able bodied, highly recommended - you’ll be richly rewarded by views - hillsides of towering trees and being awed by nature and…the expansiveness of this astounding property! You’ll breathe deeper and even a Scrooge of a person would only feel GRATITUDE in moments like this. ? My first stop was the gift ? shop, which is set up like it’s own mini house with various rooms. I had a wonderful time chatting up with Red-headed Robin and Eve ✨ who travels to far flung places with the shop’s Buyer - finding items that are unique and distinctive in a way that surpasses all other museum gift shops you’ve ever been to!!! This shop is in a category unto itself ? ..don’t expect logo sweatshirts or lollypops shaped like the Winterthur Mansion, INSTEAD there are ceramic Staffordshire Dog ornaments (!), paper placemats patterned after Chinese porcelain (!) and one of a kind wooden bowls carved from trees on the property that met their demise due to storms. There’s something for everyone and surprisingly, at every price point. The entrance to the store dazzles and thought is put into every detail, it’s an emotional experience from top to bottom…like entering a Genie’s Bottle! Be sure to stop in the room set up like a Living Room, in it you’ll see extraordinary art and design books, horticulture too as Henry DuPont was all about Forestry throughout his life. Visiting the gift shop was a great way to whet my appetite for what I was about to experience inside the Winterthur Museum with its 90,000 objects on display! ✨ If you’re wild about learning at a scholarly level, I’d highly recommend adding the private tour for an extra $10 to see floors of the mansion that are normally off-limits. I had a blast with Tyler, a likeable history and design expert, like two peas in a pod we shared our love for marquetry, porcelain, and design that speaks to its admirer with a “wink and a smile”. I did this before the “self guided” tour which is hardly self-guided as experts are positioned in each room to answer your questions about any of the items on display in their area! I’ve never seen this done anywhere and frankly, every museum would be wise to emulate this system. Go Team!!! (?️Shout out to Nicki the Coroner/Yogi/Guide). The Yuletide display was something I was gonna skip, at Tyler’s insistence, I gave it a go, glad I did! Inside stood an Xmas tree display made up of THOUSANDS of dried flowers that had once bloomed on the property! The creativity here is off the charts! Everywhere you turn something dazzles the eye, the staff just could not be more professional, knowledgeable, and eager to have you enjoy your visit and leave with a boatload of knowledge and a big fat smile. Of course I stayed until they closed and took the shuttle back…the shuttle driver was playing the most beautiful music as a full moon wished us farewell. Surely this was one of the most glorious days of my life. So it was a no brainer to put my $30 dollar ticket toward their $85 year long membership (bringing the cost to only $55/year with two free guest passes) . With it, I can come here as much as I’d like between 10AM-5PM, even just simply to enjoy nature on the property. I plan to do that a lot. Thank you, Winterthur. Grade: A+++

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Tom Aquilone

My family had so much fun at Winterthur Museum and Gardens today. The admission was reasonable and the facilities are really nice. Beautiful buildings, exhibits and gardens. The free guided tram ride really give you a great way to get to know what you’d like to spend your time doing while you’re there. The cafe has great food, too or bring your own.

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Sharon

So beautiful!!! Gorgeous rolling hills, woods, gardens and hidden gems all worthy of a long afternoon stroll. We did the self-guided house tour (170 rooms - not all open to the public but a large part of them are) very beautiful and interesting and the guides were very friendly, knowledgeable and helpful) and wandered the wooded hills and paths. (There are trams and buses throughout the day to transport people around the gardens and to the house and museum from the visitor center.) The museum is wonderful and impressive. Ours was a premier client company event and we all enjoyed a delicious - and let me tell you, it was delicious! - buffet of chicken tarragon, braised short ribs with mashed potatoes and gravy, a wonderful salad, and their famous (and rightly so) mushroom soup! It was a delightful day and I highly recommend a nice leisurely visit!