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Delaware County
The heart of Brandywine Country
Delaware County’s Brandywine Country is a perfect blend of lush countryside, urban river communities and Main Street USA towns that together, host hundreds of art shows, jazz festivals, river-fests, sporting events, theatrical and concert extravaganzas and food festivals.
Visitors move easily between bustling downtown neighborhoods at the Philadelphia International Airport, and historic waterfront towns along the Delaware River – prestigious Main Line Communities – and the history-rich Brandywine countryside where thousands tour our battlefields, canoe on our rivers and visit nationally renowned museums and gardens.
Our location at the heart of Brandywine Country ensures that a visitor staying at any fine hotel in Delaware County is rarely more than 30 minutes from any major attraction or event.
People are struck silent as they stand before the newly saved Lazaretto Quarantine Station where, for 100 years, European immigrants too sick for entry into the country were held until they recovered…or died. Graves can be found on this historic site that will soon petition for National Historic Landmark status.
Brandywine Country is also renowned for its Wine Trail as well as its award-winning theaters featuring Broadway entertainment, Vegas variety shows, ice shows, dance extravaganzas, concerts, and cutting edge theatricals.
Delaware County’s River Towns Roll Out the Red Carpet
Riverfront Ramble is just one of many events that draw visitors to Brandywine Country. This 14-mile long festival is a celebration of Delaware County’s waterfront communities from Marcus Hook to Tinicum Township. These towns roll out a welcome mat for visitors from all over the Mid-Atlantic region, inviting them to come down to the Delaware River for a family day that mingles old memories with beautiful new recreational areas that are changing the face of Brandywine’s waterfront. The region is rich in history and brimming with development of beautiful waterfront parks. Environmental initiatives include participation in a new coastal zone program for the creation of a bike trail that will span the entire eastern coastline.
Family Adventure and Wildlife Abounds
The John Heinz Wildlife Refuge is a wonderful place to explore. Meet native porcupines, frogs and lizards, oh my! Bring your fishing gear…go bird-watching…learn wood sculpting by top nature artists…or find out how to tag birds and monitor endangered species. Take a native plant tour or bring the family to their Cradle-of-Birding Festival in September. The mission of the refuge is to protect and restore the largest remaining freshwater tidal marsh in Pennsylvania, while providing for environmental education and wildlife orientated recreation. It is the perfect haunt for nature lovers!
Get more fresh air at Viking Horse Farms, where visitors fall in love with the small, beautiful Icelandic horses during half or full day rides along gorgeous trails. Several Brandywine golf courses are open to the public and there are local sports centers for working on a golf swing or batting practice.
Ever taken a helicopter ride? Gone ice skating in mid-summer? Ridden a duck? Children of all ages love soaring over the countryside in a hot air balloon. Or get the family’s ‘motor’ revving with a visit to the home of the world's first and only Harley Davidson attraction. Local orchards are perfect for berry-picking, pumpkin-carving or haunted hayrides at Halloween! And no visit to Brandywine Country is complete without ice skates. That’s right – take the family skating, year round, at Ice Works in Aston. Ice Works features 4 European and American-style ice rinks and hosts hundreds of hockey tournaments and major figure skating competitions each year.
Families who prefer something more relaxing can set sail down the Brandywine River on an inner tube. Train enthusiasts can hop aboard an historic railroad – or a “duck” – Philadelphia's only 80-minute land and water sightseeing vehicle!
Glorious Gardens
Brandywine Valley blooms year round, indoors and out. From delicious secret gardens to beautiful arboretums and nationally acclaimed exhibits – our native, ornamental and rare flora are a huge attraction for the region. Longwood Gardens offers more than 1000 acres of indoor and outdoor gardens. While Chanticleer was recently featured in National Geographic Traveler, as being one of the best Secret Gardens in North America. It was also featured in a new book, Ghosts of the Garden.
Native plant life is also on display at our parks and museums. Enjoy the wildflower gardens at the Brandywine River Museum or take the family bird watching at the John Heinz Wildlife Refuge on the Delaware River. Enjoy a lazy afternoon of fly fishing at Ridley Creek State Park or take a butterfly hike at one of our outstanding arboretums. If you like a little music with your nature, grab a blanket or beach chair and enjoy one of 45 free twilight concerts at Rose Tree Park, every June through August.
Make Historic Memories
Those who love pouring over rare books, visiting famous battle sites or filling summer weekends with trips to colonial homesteads will be charmed by Brandywine’s many historic gems, large and small.
Stand on the Brandywine Battlefield where George Washington and Lafayette stood. Feel the emotional tug as the distant drumbeat of Revolutionary War re-enactors whisks you back in time. Visit a working colonial plantation with 'back-bred' Belgian horses or tour the log cabin homestead of a signer of the Declaration of Independence. Visit the Chester Courthouse, the oldest public building in continuous use in the United States or the Newlin Grist Mill, one of the oldest grist mills in the country. No history buff should miss Historic Yellow Springs, an 18th and 19th Century Village, and the site of the only Revolutionary War hospital commissioned by the Continental Congress.
Imagine Indians, scouts and soldiers arriving at Fort Mifflin on the Delaware River …some arriving in the dark of night with information on troop movements, while others were trapped inside during the seven-week siege by the British Navy in 1777. The Fort also served as a both a Confederate and Union Prison during the Civil War.
With help from historical agencies, State Congressmen and the Governor’s office, Tinicum Township recently won a major battle with land developers to save the Lazaretto Quarantine Station where, for 100 years, European immigrants too sick for entry into the country were held until they recovered…or died. Graves can be found on this historic site that will soon petition for National Historic Landmark status.
Theater and Nightlife
Nothing is more electric than live entertainment. Local theaters and performing arts centers feature musical theater, dance revues, Vegas dinner theater, speakeasy entertainment, ballet, Broadway shows, concerts, holiday extravaganzas, children's shows and ice shows. Several local universities offer superb musical and dramatic series plus thrilling concerts and light operettas throughout the school year. The talent level will amaze and astound even the toughest critic.
Brandywine Country residents also enjoy 45 nights of free summer concerts at Rosetree Park and the Lagoon Nightclub on the Delaware River offers dancing in the moonlight. Several local wineries offer an ‘intoxicating’ summer concert series blending wine tasting with live music served under a blanket of stars.
An Enclave for Artisans
One of America’s most famous art families found their inspiration among the hills and rivers of the Brandywine. The famed artwork and studios of three generations of Wyeths head an impressive list of local museums and boutique art galleries. The Main Line towns of Radnor and Wayne offer clusters of unique art galleries specializing in both traditional and contemporary art. West Chester, Media and Chadds Ford are also enclaves for artisans and crafts people, making Brandywine Country the perfect place to come for a weekend of art touring and shopping.
Treasure Hunting
Like Pirates of the Caribbean, visitors can chart a variety of courses in search of special gifts, clothes, trinkets and jewels. There are mega-malls for marathon shoppers, as well as traditional malls and high-end designer outdoor malls. Those who have shopped QVC, can tour its lavish headquarters in West Chester, and quaint shopping villages boast specialty stores for beading, scrap booking, wine making and stenciling. Antique lovers haunt literally dozens of great shops and the downtown districts of our small cities have undergone a renaissance, bustling with cutting-edge theater, art galleries, craft boutiques, gift stores and specialty stores.
Wining, Dining and Parties Galore
“Grape” Expectations are high in Brandywine Country! Seven boutique wineries make up the Brandywine Valley Wine Trail which follows the Route 1 Corridor, within easy driving distance of Philadelphia, New Jersey and Wilmington, DE. Each winery is within 30 minutes of each other and many famous attractions are located nearby. Our winemakers invite visitors to 4 major annual events a year: The Mushroom Festival (Sunday after Labor Day); the Harvest Festival (last weekend in September); the Vintners Post-Harvest Celebration (last Saturday in October); and “Barrels on the Brandywine” (entire month of March).
And nothing goes better with wine and spirits than great food. Cut into a juicy steak…crack open a sweet Maine lobster…bite into the best crab cakes on the east coast…or warm up your taste buds at a Mexican hot spot. Brandywine restaurants serve outstanding food for every taste and budget. Choose an old favorite or a trendy new eatery, but be sure to add a great local wine, and don't skip dessert. Our pastry and dessert chefs create the most amazing cakes, pies and torts you will ever taste.
Chester’s Wharf at Rivertown is one of the most dynamic, eye catching structures on the waterfront, and is home to tenants that include the newly opened Turbine Hall. This event center is one of the newest and grandest spaces in the Philadelphia region, with start-of-the-art audio-video technology, catering facilities, and a ceiling over 100 feet high. This stunningly beautiful space overlooks the Delaware River, and will seat 400 for dinner or hold 1000 for a meeting.
Brandywine Country also features many unusual sites that are perfect for product launches, gala dinners, fund-raising events, and cocktail parties. Consider a dinner dance amid a spectacular indoor garden setting...launch your new product line on the Battleship New Jersey...plan a corporate retreat at the Brandywine Battlefield, where top generals developed critical strategies in the battle for independence. Hold a charity event at a local vineyard; with entertainment under the stars...the possibilities are endless!
Accommodations
From award-winning bed & breakfasts to four star hotels, visitors can slumber in limitless fashion and comfort. Corporate travelers will find outstanding hotels in all price ranges, many offering business centers and express breakfast options. Our conference centers offer state of the art technology and meeting facilities for 10 people or 1000 – plus there are dozens of family-friendly hotels with pools, cookies at the front desk, laundry facilities and more.
Weekend Packages
Our slogan says it best – Minutes Away for a Weekend or a Day. Many of our hotels offer unique and exciting weekend packages created specifically for couples, families and groups. Whether you are coming for a spa weekend, an historic re-enactment at the Brandywine Battlefield, for a museum tour or just to escape into our magical countryside – consider one the special overnight packages listed on our web site, www.brandywinecountry.org
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