Winterthur Museum, Garden & Library will be free Saturday, Sept. 30. Photo by Becca Mathias
Winterthur Museum, Garden & Library will open its gates for free Saturday, Sept. 30, for Discover Winterthur, a program designed to make the former du Pont estate available to everybody.
In addition to being able to tour a part of the 175-room mansion or see the beautifully elegant exhibition “Ann Lowe” American Couturier” about the heralded Black fashion desiger, the estate will offer a variety of first-come, first-served activities, including a hayride.
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Children’s activities, live performances, beekeeping demonstrations, and more will add to the day’s festivities on the nearly 1,000-acre former estate of Henry Francis du Pont. He was acclaimed as being one of the first to champion American antiques and crafts and used them to decorate his country home.
For the general public, the event will be from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m.
Those with sensory issues may explore at their own pace from 9 a.m. until 10 a.m., when guests can expect reduced crowds and noise, quiet spaces for
respite, and on-hand support from skilled and friendly volunteers.
Guests at Discover Winterthur may bring a picnic or buy food at several locations around the estate. Photo by Becca Mathias
Winterthur activities
On that Saturday, guests may:
- Tour a portion of the house where the du Pont family lived.
- Take a narrated tram tour of the garden.
- Let children romp through Enchanted Woods children’s garden.
- Enjoy a guided garden walk.
- Stroll through two floors of galleries, including the largest-ever exhibition of the work of Lowe, an undersung American couturier who was denied the prominence given to other designers of her time, such as Christian Dior and Coco Chanel.
- Register for New Castle County library cards (Delaware residents).
- Watch a performance by the Wilmington Ballet and I AM Art N Motion.
- Receive new and gently used books for children up to age 18.
- Participate in many more activities for children.
Guests are welcome to bring a picnic to enjoy in the garden, or to buy food at locations around Winterthur.
The event is sponsored by Wilmington Trust.
Partners for activities include Books, Balls and Blocks; Brandywine Hundred Library; Delaware Museum of Nature and Science; Food Bank of Delaware; Forgotten Cats; I AM Art N Motion; J.
Lewis Crozer Library; New Directions Early Head Start; Read Aloud Delaware; and Wilmington Ballet.
Betsy Price is a Wilmington freelance writer who has 40 years of experience, including 15 at The News Journal in Delaware.
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