The Inn at Montchanin Village
Leaving Longwood, head for U.S. Rte. 52/Kennett Pike, the National Scenic Byway that meanders through the heart of the Brandywine Valley, providing glimpses of country estates hidden in the trees. After seven miles (11 kilometers), turn left on Kirk Road. Check in at the big gray barn at the Inn at Montchanin Village (www.montchanin.com). Eleven structures, some stucco-and-frame, were built between 1799 and 1910; they once housed workers of the DuPont Black Powder Mills. Now 28 rooms pamper guests with four-poster beds, gas fireplaces, and private gardens filled with lilies.
Hagley Museum
Learn all about where the du Pont story began at the stately Hagley Museum (www.hagley.lib.de.us), less than a mile away from Montchanin. Take Rte. 100 south and turn left on Rte. 141 to the spot where E. I. du Pont built his gunpowder mill. After seeing DuPont innovations from nylon stockings to NASCAR race cars in the museum, you may wander on your own or tour in a bus with a guide to see the small stone buildings of this early American industry. Eleutherian Mills, the first du Pont home in America, sits on the cliff above the powder works. The three-story Georgian home reflects family life through memorabilia of five generations of du Ponts. Its barn shelters old vehicles, including the 1928 roadster manufactured by E. Paul du Pont. Employees' homes and a schoolhouse provide a view of 19th-century life.
Nemours Mansion & Gardens
Back on Rte. 141, take a 3-mile (4.8-kilometer) jaunt to the new visitors center for Nemours Mansion & Gardens. Alfred I. du Pont, the great-grandson of E. I., built the 70-plus room Nemours in 1910. The Louis XVI style of architecture and Versailles-like gardens emphasize the family's French roots.
Winterthur
Head north on Rte. 52 to the nearby Winterthur (www.winterthur.org)—the country estate so big that it has its own post office address (Winterthur, Del.). It takes a full day to take in the wonders of this 982-acre (397-hectare) family residence that Henry du Pont turned into a museum. Architectural details, borrowed from historic houses that he dismantled, surround the premier collection of American furniture and decor. A trained horticulturist, Henry also designed the gardens surrounding the mansion, choosing the location of each bulb in the hillside known as March Bank.
