Winterthur Museum, Garden & Library in
Winterthur (DE)

A stunningly beautiful and atmospheric place! And the Christmas trees are simply gorgeous, made with such love and taste. This magnificent place is definitely worth visiting!

An amazing place with an awesome collection of American Antiques and decor. Not our first visit and definitely not our last.

Winterthur is huge and it’s a great option for a less crowded space than Longwood. Wonderful walking paths & kid garden area where they can let their imagination grow. The cafe has wonderful options for all diets. The house and museum are gems to check out for new exhibits, collection of things, and the seasonal decorations.

“The moment I walked in, I felt something was off… At first, it seemed like a small issue—slow service, a crowded line, and no clear direction. But after a few minutes, the real problem became obvious: poor organization. People were confused, frustrated, and unsure of what to expect.” “You could literally feel the tension rising around me— ‘Why is it taking so long?’ ‘Who’s next?’ ‘Why doesn’t anyone seem to care?’ For a moment, it felt like the entire experience was heading toward a disaster.” “But then something unexpected happened… A manager stepped forward, acknowledged the chaos, and took control. He reorganized the line, guided the team, and apologized to everyone with genuine professionalism. Within minutes, the atmosphere completely transformed.” “Suddenly: – Service got faster – Staff became more focused – The whole place felt calm, organized, and welcoming” “What started as a stressful visit turned into a real demonstration of leadership and problem-solving. They didn’t ignore the issue—they fixed it, fast.” ⭐ Final Verdict: 5 Stars A place that knows how to turn problems into solutions. Highly recommended for anyone looking for real quality service. By Elattar Reviews

? ? ? ? ? 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+++

Wonderful to see during the Christmas season. Helpful staff in the house and gallery, lovely gift shop, a shuttle to transport you from the visitors center to the house, and much to see. They controlled the flow of people thru the home by allowing no more than ten people thru the door at a time and this was very helpful. Don't miss the gallery either. It has great artifacts. Definitely well worth the ticket price.

The grounds and the house are beautiful. The tram ride is quite informative and is a fun way to experience the premises. I also like to hike on the paths, which are all well maintained. It is a relaxing and informative environment. The views are great, too.

After a quick tour of the house, I aimlessly strolled the surrounding grounds and was delighted by one wonderful view after another. The autumn colors and low sun complemented each other as the strong breeze kept leaves flying. I look forward to returning in another season to enjoy the changing views.

Great place and lots to see! Highly recommended taking the bus immediately when the park opens (weekdays preferably) to the Enchanted Woods. Hopefully, you will then have this area all to yourself. Bonus if it’s a cloudy day… Magical!

In all honesty, I haven’t even been to the museum yet. My kids and I LOVE going to the Enchanted Woods, and Terrific Tuesdays. It’s simply magical. Someday I will make it to the rest of the gardens ?

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.

Beautiful gardens and mansion with quite a variety to see. The docents in the home are knowledgeable and friendly. The Enchanted Garden is a nice spot for kids and the guided tram tour that runs hourly (30 min long appx) allows those with mobility issues a chance to see much of the estate easily.

While we toured the museum, we were more focused on the gardens and walking around outside. Such a cute spot! Very beautiful and well-maintained. There are some spots uphill and unshaded if it's sunny, so just wear good shoes and sunscreen. Side note - My fiance proposed by the koi pond, so if you're looking for a beautiful location and an isolated and private spot to propose to a partner, the koi pond at Winterthur is perfect!

Highly recommend. Such a beautiful place to explore and learn at the museum and grounds for children & adults. Only $5/person if you have a DE or PA access card for you and up to 3 guests. Fairy garden was cute.

First visited the lush ground and wooded areas of Winterthur during regional cross country track meet. Was fortunate to finally experience the house and current exhibit. It was a great experience. The staff was helpful and the tram and bus ran even more frequently during my visit due to higher temperatures. I love the idea of breaking up the visit over two days. We spent much time on the cafe (yes they have wine) and house that we have to return to visit more of the gardens! Highly recommend

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!

One of the best museums I have ever been to! Loved the art, furniture, dishes, the history. Only found the place because it was listed in a used book that I bought called “1,000 Places to See Before You Die.”

If you enjoy gardens and glorious homes you simply cannot leave this off your list of places to visit. One of my favorite things about Winterthur is how attentive the property is to attending to guest comfort. Its a massive, sprawling property so the tram tour to see the gardens and shuttle to the house are perfect and included with your entrance. Tram runs on half hour and is narrated. The narration is quite good. Just enough to explain the landscape architectural concepts without being boring. Our narrator told us...the gardens are beautiful from the tram (and easy to photograph this way as well) however nothing beats getting out and walking through these beautiful areas and Louise was correct! Such good advice. You can walk much of it without hills...do it...its too beautiful to not be experienced first hand. Natural garden concept is stunning. Highlights include the Enchanted Forest children's fairy garden, the reflective pool area where the koi are gorgeous, the March Bank, and the Sundial Garden but truly you cant go wrong with any of it. 1,000 acres and a 175 room mansion, whats not to love. Gift shop is a must see. We broke our visit into two days. 3 afternoon hours of garden on day one and then 3 morning hours of home (as rain was expected). This was JUST right! Well, well worth the price of admission. I want to come back for yuletide later in the year. Thank you!

Fabulous museum and naturalistic gardens. You cannot see everything in one day... I would recommend doing the house tour and galleries on one visit and the gardens and grounds on another. There is a lot to learn and explore!

An excellent house surrounded by a heavily wooded naturalist garden estate. One of the best & most interesting house/museums in the USA. The sight-seeing bus tour through the grounds always has trees shrubs & flowers that are unique, or tell a history. The house was extended downhill with additional floors underneath the original property to add on the museum & storage floors. The house tours are always informative & always cover different events & items of interest. An annual membership is well worth theoney, & includes one of the private tours of lower floors not normally shown to the public.

This place is beautiful! There is so much to see from the grounds, to the ponds, the museum, library and the cafe at the visitors center. The stay are beyond nice and very knowledgeable about the history of the estate. The trams are very nice to get around the massive garden. The house (museum) is so beautiful inside. My favorite part was the Koi Ponds. I could have sat there all day. Carina was our driver for the tram and she was so friendly and knowledgeable. We will be back at a different time to see the flowers bloom!

Let me start by saying this place would get five stars if it weren't for the ticket price. I understand that money goes towards keeping the place how it is, but buying a ticket without the house tour should be possible. I say this because going around the garden and hiking should be a separate ticketed attraction. However, taking this matter out, this place is stunning. The gardens are well-preserved, and there is much to explore. You need at least a whole day to see every inch of the place. Use your hiking shoes as you will be doing lots of walking. Yet, there is always the option to take the bus, which will take you around with a narrated tour. The house is the low point of the tour, with little to see - I believe Nemours has a better home. Pass by the gift shop, which holds so many nice things.

While at Winterthur one may enjoy touring the mansion, grounds, and visit the museum. The grounds are vast and there is a shuttle that runs from the Visitor Center to the museum and mansion throughout the day. There is also a shuttle that does a garden tour around the grounds and wooded areas. We enjoyed walking around different areas seeing the flowers in bloom. The Museum & Galleries house many items from duPont's collections. On the self-guided tour of the mansion one will see rooms on the fourth and fifth floors of the nine floor mansion. So pack a picnic and spend the day exploring.

It’s hard to imagine a better place to spend an afternoon. The property is magnificently maintained. The gardens are stunning. The Enchanted Woods (fairy garden) is as mystifying and engaging for children as a trip to Disney World. The deep commitment of the people who manage the property, especially the shuttle drivers, was evident, and they spoke with great passion about the history of the estate. Even the cafe is standout with some of the most delicious Indian food we’ve had in awhile, but everything was very tasty. What an absolute gem. Our experience at Winterthur quite frankly took my breath away, as I was in awe of both the beauty of the estate, but also the care that has been taken to create something magical for everyone to enjoy.

One of the great mansion, gallery, garden and museum spots on the north east coast. Taking the tram and walking the paths were both wonderful. Enchanted Forest was lovely and looked fun for the littles. Great monthly guide to blooms and knowledgeable guides. Self guided house tour and galleries were lovey as was the gift shop. Will definitely be coming back.

Winterthur is a day long visit and requires a lot of walking stairs and hills. You should be fit for it or do it over two days. If you drive there and have people who cannot walk a lot drive to the visitor center and drop them off. From there they can take the shuttle to the house. Parking lot is a bit far and is a bit of a challenging walk for people who can’t walk far and steadily to get to the visitor center where you must go first to check in whether or not you have tickets. Best way is buy general admission get there about 10:30 for the self guided house tour and a gallery tour on the upper floors of the house. Take the shuttle from the house to the cafe and Eat lunch take the shuttle back to the house and do the more to explore tour and the closer look tour. These enhance your visit and you get to see floors not available for general admission. If you want to tour the grounds then this is a two day tour. The guides are conservationist students and knowledgeable docents and well versed in the many artifacts kept in this house. This house only exists now as a repository for the collections of Henry DuPont. This is a terrific way to explore American collections of furniture and art and crafts. Well worth the price, do consider being a member if you have a family going and are buying the general admission tour the more to explore tour and the closer look tour. I strongly recommend both the More to Explore and Closer Look tours for the most rewarding visit.

What a delightful place to visit! I suggest taking the thirty minute guided tram tour through the property in order to have a better idea of all that Winterthur offers. I didn’t have the opportunity to tour the home as it was a last minute trip and so no reservations were available, but will return another day. The grounds were absolutely beautiful and gave my husband and I a workout as we walked through the various gardens. My favorite was the whimsical Enchanted Woods. Visited the museum and the Jacqueline Kennedy exhibit. You can bring a picnic lunch or dine at the on-property cafe. Overall a wonderful place to spend the afternoon and prices were reasonable ($22) Adults, ($20) Seniors and Students, ($8) children (under 2) free. We were told that during the spring season, various flowers and bushes are in full bloom. Will be back!