A day trip to Winterthur, Delaware
Winterthur is the 175 room mansion which was the home for Henry Francis DuPont and his family. It has the original furniture as it was when the DuPonts lived there, with all the beautiful pieces of furniture, paintings and numerous pieces of American decorative arts. It also has a beautiful gardens, which we did not get to fully enjoy because we visited in December; it must be awesome in the spring. The grounds have an exhibition center which when we visited was hosting a dress collection by the fabulous Ann Lowe who designed Jacqueline Kennedy’s 1953 wedding dress (to John F. Kennedy); it was delightful to see examples of her designs and learn about her life. We did not make it to the library, which we heard is remarkable. We also did not get to see the smaller house the Mr. DuPont later moved to when he got older, downsizing to mere 60 rooms. December was not the busiest time to visit, but we still were happy that we purchased the tickets to the exhibit and to the house in advance (you should too). There was a line to enter the house, as only a certain few number of people are allowed to be inside at the same time. There was a model train exhibit when we visited, which delighted many children (and adults); admission to this one was free but I am not sure off it is a permanent feature or seasonal. Many beautifully decorated Christmas trees were also at display. There is a small rest/information area at the entrance where you could buy tickets, get information, buy souvenirs and buy coffee, drinks, and food (and use the restrooms).
https://www.winterthur.org/ann-lowe-american-couturier/
For staying the night we chose Hotel DuPont in nearby Wilmington, which is more than 100 years old and used to be the headquarters for the DuPont Company. It is beautifully decorated; our room was large and had a large update bathroom. The hotel restaurant, Le Cavalier, is gorgeously decorated, and the food is very tasty. We would definitely eat there again if we are ever in Wilmington for any reason (service by the way was excellent).
The house
Inside the house
The model trains
Le Cavalier restaurant at Hotel DuPont