I have ridden a cable car into San Francisco's famed Chinatown on a gorgeous, pre-spring night. I have seen leaves turn the most magnificent shades of red and gold during a maple-sugared fall in Vermont. I have washed down sweet beignets with strong, chicory-laced coffee and people-watched on a sticky August morning at the Cafe du Monde in New Orleans. And I have stood with thousands, clutching a dripping white candle in a nighttime vigil of awesome proportions, waiting to pay my respects to the King of Rock and Roll in Memphis, Tenn.
But of all the places I've seen, stretched from the East Coast to the West, there's only one I'll always return to, one I'll always call my home: Delaware.
I spent my entire youth scheming of ways to escape the First State, but I've discovered I can never leave for long. I'm not sure when it happened, but somewhere along the line I lost my heart to the Home of Tax-Free Shopping, and now it looks as if there's no turning back. You can take the girl out of Delaware, but you can't take Delaware out of the girl.
I think of Fourth of July at the stone tower in Wilmington's Rockford Park, and of stretching out on the sloping hills under a fury of fireworks. I think of cautious strolls along the brick-lined sidewalks of Old New Castle, trying not to trip over the patches that have been pushed up by centuries-old tree roots. I think of munching Grotto's pizza amid the buzz of a baseball-hungry crowd at the Blue Rocks stadium; no, they're not the O's, but they're ours, and we love them fiercely. I think of these things, and I am filled with a sense of how wonderful the Small Wonder truly can be.
If you've been to Delaware at all - not just stopped through or passed by but really been to Delaware - you probably came for the beaches. Everyone loves our beaches. And granted, the beaches are nice.
But Northern Delaware - my Delaware - offers sand-less sights inspiring enough to rival nearby tourist traps such as Philadelphia. And you'll rarely need to pay for parking.
Old New Castle: Proof that there's more to Delaware than DuPont
No place is more quaint and comforting to me than historic Old New Castle, a town marked by its old-style architecture, lush foliage and one remaining cobblestone street. Its timeless look has made it an ideal location for shooting period films; "Dead Poet's Society" and the coming adaptation of Toni Morrison's "Beloved" are two.
It's a small spot with only a few crisscrossing streets, but one rife with both history and beauty. Built upon the Delaware River, New Castle was established in 1651 by Peter Stuyvesant, the Dutch governor of New Netherlands, and originally served as a military post. The land changed hands a few times before it was given to William Penn in late 1682. To this day, his Guest House (206 Delaware St.) serves as a charming bed and breakfast.
Cost of lodging aside - the B&Bs; run at least $100 a night - the splendors of Old New Castle can be had for an extraordinarily low price. Start your day by touring the trio of preserved houses open to the public (a combination ticket runs $7 and is well worth the price of admission).
The most humble of the three is the Dutch House (32 E. Third St.), which stands as the oldest structure in Old New Castle. Built in 1700 by early Delaware settlers, the house typifies colonial Dutch architecture. But it's the functional furniture, tools and even decorative objects - along with the animated tour guide's narrative - that tell the story of what life was like for the middle-class family that lived here.
Next, head to the Amstel House (Fourth and Delaware streets), a study in contrasts. Built in the late 17th century, the house began as a two-room brick dwelling. But later owners added on to the property, turning it into a fine example of 18th-century Georgian architecture. And, as the plaque on the side of the building boasts, George Washington attended a wedding there in April 1784.
Make the Read House and Gardens your last stop on the tour. George Read II commissioned construction of the 22-room mansion in 1801, but like today's homeowners, Read's staff didn't know the meaning of the word deadline. That, in addition to Read's sporadic lack of funds, kept the house from full completion for several years.
When Read died in 1836, he was still deep in debt and the contents of his magnificent home were auctioned off. The
furniture now filling the rooms is antique, but not necessarily what was owned by Read.
Nonetheless, the attention to detail is astonishing. All of the woodwork is hand-punched and gauged; the original wall stencils, discovered under layers of paint and paper, have been perfectly re-created.
After your morning history lesson, head back to Delaware Street, where you'll find a variety of antiques stores and mom-and-pop shops. Hungry? On the weekends, the Opera House Antiques Center (308 Delaware St.) turns one corner of its facility into a Victorian tearoom, complete with finger sandwiches and scones.
But if the weather's nice, skip the tea and head straight to the Cellar Gourmet (208 Delaware St.) and get some of its scrumptious sandwiches to go. It's picnic time, and as any respectable northern Delawarean knows, there's no better place dine al fresco than Battery Park.
The postcard-esque park overlooks the Delaware River, but the real view is the never-ending stream of in-line skaters, dog-walkers and kite-fliers who trail along the 2 1/2-mile-long walking path that runs parallel to the water. To watch the action, grab a seat on one of the many peeling green benches sprinkled throughout what most locals feel is Old New Castle's crown jewel.
But don't get too comfortable. Once the sun goes down, Battery Park belongs to the teen-agers, who use the parking spots at the Wharf as their modern version of Lover's Lane.
The Brandywine Valley: Proof that there's more to DuPont than Teflon
Fifteen miles north of New Castle lies a delta of Delaware attractions, many of which take you through a time warp to centuries past. As one visitor from New Jersey remarked, "You can look out the window and almost pretend it was a hundred years ago."
The Hagley Museum (state Route 141 north) bills itself as the place 'where the du Pont story begins,' and rightfully so. The site of the original DuPont gunpowder mills, the museum is located along the Brandywine River. It's this geographical feature that led the du Ponts to bring their company to Delaware, as the mills were first powered by the water.
Visiting Hagley can take as little as 90 minutes or as long as an entire day - you tailor the visit to your own interests. After purchasing your ticket, watch the brief introductory video shown in the lobby to hear your options.
If you have the time, take advantage of all Hagley has to offer. Start out in the Henry Clay Mill, the main building, and walk through the elaborate dioramas. They tell the story of the Lenni Lenape, or Delaware Indians, and how their land came into the possession of the du Ponts.
The second floor features an elaborate scale model of the Hagley land, complete with miniature train that winds through the flock-covered miniature hills. Be sure to tear yourself away from the model long enough to breeze through the Lewis W. Hine photo exhibit, a fascinating look at the history of child labor in heartbreaking black and white.
There's a shuttle that will take you to the next three museum areas, but if the weather permits, grab a walking map and hike the quarter mile instead. That way you can see the abandoned mills and storehouses. There are informational plaques by each structure, painting an even more complete picture.
Make your way to the Millwright and Machine Shop, home of the second site of dioramas. This set illustrates how gunpowder was made at the mills, in exquisite detail. If you time it just right, you'll be able to stay for a live demonstration in the still-working machine shop. Many of the guides who give demonstrations are retired DuPonters themselves, and they spin fabulous yarns about the 140 men who worked in the mills when they were in operation, from 1802 to 1921.
Blacksmith Hill offers a glimpse into the private lives of the workers. The Gibbons House, erected in the mid-1800s, has been restored to look as it would have for a millworker and his family, as does the Sunday School, where the worker's children learned to read and write.
Now's the time to catch that shuttle, which will transport your far up the road to Eleutherian Mills, the first du Pont family home. Built in 1802 by Eleuthere Irenee du Pont, the magnificent Georgian-style mansion is furnished with antiques from five generations of du Ponts associated with the home.
A few blocks down the street from Hagley is the Delaware Toy & Miniature Museum, an expansive collection of, well, toys and miniatures. And dolls, tons of dolls. It's a great stop for families with children; youngsters are fascinated by the displays trapped behind glass cases; adults will be interested to learn the history of the collection, as tour guides speak at some length about the social significance of dolls through the ages. (Note: If you do decide to tour, make sure you go there second, because Hagley will give you a coupon on adult admission.)
Those day-tripping to Delaware should skip all of the above attractions and head straight to Winterthur Museum and gardens, located on Route 52.
If you only have time for one sight, this is the one. It is situated on 985 acres, land also purchased by E. I. du Pont, beginning in 1810. Eventually, it came into the possession of his great-grandson, Henry Francis du Pont, who was born at Winterthur in 1880 and made the estate his life's work.
An avid collector of American decorative arts before it was chic, H. F. du Pont filled each of the mansion's 175 rooms with more than 90,000 objects. His collection grew so massive, he began construction of a large addition to the house in 1929 for the sole purpose of displaying his treasures. He opened what he called his "country place museum" to the public in 1951.
From the minute you arrive, you'll be enveloped in a sweet cloud of naturally perfumed air. Even the path from the parking lot to the visitor's center is lined with vegetation so verdant a heavily overcast day can't dull its brilliant color.
Like Hagley's, Winterthur's tour is divided into several parts. Unlike Hagley's, Winterthur's tour is extremely regimented. House tours run constantly, but in small groups staggered four minutes apart to allow maximum viewing.
As beautiful as the interiors of the house may seem, its beauty pales in comparison with the naturalistic gardens. Save your tour of these until after you've gone through the galleries (an informative look at the psychology of decorative objects) and grabbed a bite to eat. You'll need your strength.
Garden tram rides last 30 minutes and depart every 20 minutes or so. Take advantage of this overview, and then do the tour on foot. Make sure you pick up the complimentary sheets at the front desk - they tell you how to identify everything from trees to wildflowers.
What's so remarkable about these luscious gardens is that they look as if they sprouted up on their own. And that's exactly how H. F. du Pont wanted them to look. This hand-crafted chaos of plant life is utterly breathtaking, and words cannot do it justice. Like Concord's Walden Woods, the gardens are the sort of place you need to experience for yourself to comprehend how magnificent they truly are.
A word of caution: Be sure to make reservations in advance; this time of year, tours sell out quickly, especially on the weekends. Your best bet is to purchase the highlights ticket, which includes roughly a dozen rooms in the house, the gardens and the galleries.
Make a run for the border
Point your car north another five miles or so and cross the state line to Chadds Ford and the Pennsylvania side of the Brandywine Valley. There you'll find the Brandywine River Museum (U.S. Route 1), home to one of the largest and most comprehensive collections of works by N.C., Andrew and Jamie Wyeth. Kennett Square, Pa.'s Longwood Gardens, another du Pont venture, boasts an amazing arboretum widely considered one of the finest in the country.
The Chadds Ford Winery, a mile or so past the Brandywine River Museum, is a charming local winery with an extraordinarily knowledgeable staff. Buy a $5 glass and take advantage of the unlimited tasting bar. Winery neophytes will be comforted by the bartender's detailed description of each selection.
An Ideal Day
9 a.m. Wake up at Old New Castle's Armitage Inn (2 The Strand) and head downstairs for the complimentary breakfast, which includes its famed cheese fingers (the recipe for which was featured in the November 1996 issue of Bon Appetite).
10 a.m. Buy some peanuts at O'Donald's Ice Cream and Sandwich Shop, then head over to Battery Park to walk off breakfast and feed some squirrels.
11:30 a.m. Arrive at Winterthur. Tour the house and breeze through the galleries.
12:45 p.m. Lunch time. Grab something light in the cafe.
1:15 p.m. Take the garden tram ride, then hike through the gardens until you think your feet will fall off. Believe me, it's worth it.
4:30 p.m. Exit the time warp and head over to Fat Rick's Blues Bar in Branmar Shopping Plaza for an early dinner. More blues than bar, Fat Rick's is home of Miz Walt's fried chicken, the best you'll find this side of the Mason-Dixon line. Undo the top button on your pants and eat up. Chase the chicken with a cold glass of lemonade and let out a sweet sigh of contentment.
6 p.m. Complete your return to modern civilization with a stop at the 1-year-old Funscape, off U.S. Route 202. Kids will go cuckoo for the motion theater and indoor miniature golf course and go-kart track. Or take in a movie at one of the 13 movie theaters. Try to get one with stadium seating and reclining chairs.
9 p.m. Return to Old New Castle. Do a once-around in your car, then return to the B&B; for a little R&R.;
When You Go ...
Getting there: Take Interstate 95 north and follow the signs. Old New Castle is a little tricky to find; be sure to call for specific directions. Brandywine Valley attractions are accessible directly off the interstate; look for the purple signs to guide you.
Weather: It rains a lot in Delaware. Bring an umbrella and some waterproof shoes. Don't forget the decongestant - the state's known for its ability to heighten seasonal allergies.
Famous connections: Old New Castle has been featured in several movies and TV miniseries; "Dead Poet's Society" and the coming "Beloved" are two. Oh, and William Penn once owned the land. North Wilmington is all about DuPont. 'Nough said.
Kid stuff: Several local museums, like the Delaware Toy & Miniature Museum, cater to children. The Delaware Museum of Natural History, two miles from the Winterthur Museum, has lots of hands-on exhibits.
Rainy-day option: Most attractions have both indoor and outdoor features. If you simply can't bear to venture outside, head to the Delaware Art Museum (2301 Kentmere Parkway) and try to wait out the wet.
Accommodations: If money's no option, grab a room in one of the area's B&Bs.; Call the New Castle Visitor's Bureau at 800-758-1550 for complete listings. Otherwise, a motor lodge is your best bet.
Restaurants: Delawareans love food, as the wide array of dining establishments proves. Skip the restaurant chains and seek out local hot spots like Cafe Bellissimo on Kirkwood Highway. The Italian selections cost about as much as its Olive Garden counterparts, but the taste is far superior. Try the eggplant Florentine - it's well worth the fat grams.
Retail: Remember, this is the Home of Tax-Free Shopping. Take advantage of the savings and splurge.
Information: Call the Greater Wilmington Convention and Visitors Bureau at 800-422-1181.
Pub Date: 8/23/98