The Delaware Art Museum’s Tiffany Exhibit is just the start of elegant adventures in and around Wilmington, a city that happily embraces the legacy of the DuPont family’s "Golden Age” of refinement. Get started on your elevated experience today with these ideas for a weekend adventure:
Louis Comfort Tiffany: Treasures from the Driehaus Collection was organized by the Richard H. Driehaus Museum and is toured by International Arts & Artists, Washington, DC.
DAY 1:
Morning: Head for cappuccino and a pastry at Spark’d, the cute café tucked into the regal Hotel DuPont. Step out for some browsing at the exclusive boutiques and galleries of nearby Greenville and Centreville, stopping by Janssen’s Market for rare French cheese, then discovering a hard-to-find wine at Greenville Wine & Spirit Co.
Lunch: While you’re in the area, consider a stop for a gourmet creation at Pizza by Elizabeths, quite possibly the most elegant pizza experience in the state (don’t miss their artichoke and crab dip, or the yummy cream of tomato soup with grilled cheese).
Afternoon: Just up the road in the rolling hills of Chateau Country, you’ll find yourself awe-struck by the grandeur of Winterthur Museum, a 175-room former DuPont mansion filled with rare antiques and surrounded by acres of blossoms. Climb aboard for a tram tour to see spectacular garden highlights like Azalea Woods, Magnolia Bend, and an Enchanted Woods right out of a fairy tale.
Afterward, check in to one of Northern Delaware’s most sophisticated hotels: The gilded and regal Hotel DuPont offers top-notch accommodations in the heart of the city; while the Inn and Spa at Montchanin Village is a cozy and secluded destination just outside of town with hunt-country charm.
At the Hotel DuPont, everyone can meet for cocktails at the elegant bar inside Le Cavalier, one of the state’s most regal dining destinations for the past 100 years. Order a signature Hotel DuPont Cocktail (made with V.S.O.P, sherry, bitters, and vermouth), accompanied by an icy plate of fresh oysters with cucumber mignonette and fresh horseradish.
Dinner: By now, you sense that a full dinner at “Le Cav” is a must. Fans rave about the chicken tagine, but that “Le Big Cav Burger” is surely tempting.
Nighttime: It’s time to head off for a show: Perhaps an off-broadway play at The Playhouse on Rodney Square (also located within the Hotel DuPont). Or, catch a live performance at such landmark venues as The Queen, and, just up the street, The Grand Opera House, a landmark for 135 years. Time your visit well, and you can enjoy a performance by the First State Ballet Theatre, or the Delaware Symphony Orchestra.
DAY 2:
Morning: Rising early, everyone senses that some cheery awakenings are in order before heading over to the Delaware Art Museum: Grab a coffee at the fun and lively DE.CO food court just around the corner from the Hotel DuPont, or stick with the hotel’s restaurant for an over-the-top Sunday Brunch at Le Cav.
Afternoon: At the museum itself, it’s best to arrive with a strategy in mind: You can enjoy a guided tour of the exhibit every Sunday at 2:15 p.m. Or, if you visit on May 1, consider signing up for some hands-on fun: The museum is hosting a “Flowers with Tiffany” class on the art of glassblowing that includes a tour, lunch, and lessons on using heat, movement, and gravity to shape molten glass into a beautiful flower. Be sure to stop by the new boutique cafe, Kaffeina Cafe, located inside the museum. Here you can enjoy creatively curated food and drink to compliment your artsy day. Before you head out stop to the Museum Store to get your own take-home Tiffany splendor, including Murano glass from Italy, scarves, Tiffany-inspired merchandise, and an exhibition catalogue.
Dinner: It's time to consider some of Wilmington’s other buzz-worthy dining favorites: La Fia Bistro, Bardea Food & Drink and Eclipse Bistro win raves up and down the East Coast.
And down the road...
More glorious glass adventures await in Wilmington even after your Tiffany experience is done: Later this year, at The Delaware Contemporary art museum on the vibrant Riverfront Wilmington, an exhibit called “Through a Glass, Darkly” will explore modern pieces by artists working with glass. The curators say the 6,000-square-foot exhibit will explore the “historical promise and power of glass to reveal and to bring clarity” (Sept. 2 – Dec. 31, 2022).
And still, so many elevated experiences await right now, whether it’s the sumptuous spa treatments available at the Inn and Spa at Montchanin Village, the royal French grandeur of Nemours Estate, or the wisteria blossoms that spread their purple glory across the mansion at Hagley Museum and Library (blooms peak in mid-May). On April 24, more gourmet moments are in store at Wilmington’s Celebrity Chef’s Brunch at the DuPont Country Club, and on April 29-May 1, the Mt. Cuba Center will bloom into spring with the Annual Wildflower Weekend, featuring live music, garden activities and more (April 29-30).