The
area abounds in museums and cultural attractions of our nation's founding
and early growth. The Hagley Museum along the historic Brandywine River
exhibits the Du Pont powder mills, a nineteenth-century industrial community
that became the giant chemical company. In downtown Wilmington, on Market
Street Mall, the restored Grand Opera House, built over 100 years ago,
offers concerts, ballets and operas and is Delaware's Center for the Performing
Arts. A short walk from "the Grand," The Playhouse theatre in the lobby
of the Hotel du Pont offers a selection of Broadway productions each season.
The Delaware Art Museum is also nearby.
In neighboring southern Chester County, Pennsylvania, Longwood Gardens yearly draws thousands of visitors from all over the world to view its 20 indoor gardens and stroll its well-tended grounds. The Brandywine River Museum, in Chadds Ford, is home to numerous paintings by members of the Wyeth family and other artists of the Brandywine tradition.