Enjoy a day full of visual delights on the Private Tour of Brandywine Valley from Philadelphia. The package includes round-trip transportation and you will be picked up from your Philadelphia hotel by your personal driver /cum guide. As this is a private tour, you can arrange the start time to suit your schedule and should fix this with the activity operator when you reserve the tour.
You will enjoy a drive through attractive countryside to the scenic Brandywine Valley, nestled in the rolling hills of southeast Pennsylvania. The valley is brim-full of historic interest plus art, antiques, mansions and delightful gardens.
The region has nurtured two of America’s foremost families – the Du Ponts and the Wyeths. It was here that the Du Ponts made their fortunes and built their mansions, and where three generations of Wyeths lived and painted the landscapes and people. Your tour will explore the role of these famous families in defining this charming region.
The Wyeths are a family of prodigious artistic talent. They include the grandfather N.C. Wyeth, one of America’s greatest book illustrators, his son Andrew Wyeth, America’s foremost realist, and grandson James Wyeth, who is among the country’s most popular painters. The family also includes two brilliant women artists – Carolyn Wyeth and Henriette Wyeth.
You will visit the Brandywine River Museum, housed in a converted 19th-century grist mill on the banks of the Brandywine. It boasts an extensive collection of works by the Wyeth family as well as paintings by Howard Pyle and Maxfield Parrish, and works by American illustrators Charles Dana Gibson, Rockwell Kent and others. You will tour the collection with Victoria Wyeth, granddaughter of Andrew Wyeth. You'll also have the opportunity to visit N.C. Wyeth's home and studio.
Next, you'll enjoy lunch at an historic private club, The Owl's Nest, set amid the rolling countryside of northern Delaware. The imposing main building was built in 1916 as the private estate of Eugene du Pont, and was the setting for the wedding of Eugene's daughter, Ethel, to Franklin D. Roosevelt, Jr. in 1937.
Your final stop is a private guided tour of Longwood Gardens, one of the world's premier horticultural displays. Founded by Pierre du Pont in 1906, Longwood combines horticulture, architecture, theatre, and music into a unique garden experience. You'll see over 1,050 acres of formal gardens, majestic trees, sparkling fountains, idea gardens, meadows, woodlands, and an extravagant Conservatory.
The story of Longwood begins in 1700, when a Quaker family named Peirce purchased the property from William Penn and established a working farm. Joshua and Samuel Peirce began planting an arboretum on the farm in 1798. The farm was purchased in 1906 by Pierre du Pont so he could preserve the trees, and from 1907 until the 1930s Mr. du Pont created most of what is enjoyed today.
This is a private tour so you can spend as long as you like at the various attractions. The tour normally ends around 06:00pm and you will be dropped off back at your hotel in Philadelphia.