Field Trip: Wilmington, Delaware (FULL)
Sun, Apr 26, 1:05 PM - 11:50 PM GMT
Moynihan Hall at Penn Station, West 33rd Street, New York, NY, USA
We will meet at 8:40 AM under the big clock in the main concourse of Moynihan Train Hall. Please account for weekend subway delays and err on the side of arriving early. We don't want you missing the train.
Hosts
About
3/23/26: this field trip is full.
Update (3/4/26): Amtrak prices have increased significantly, but have no fear. Host Joel has locked in extra tickets at $42 round trip. Reach out to him if you'd like him to set one aside for you.
Note: Field trips are an extension of the books we read and our discussion sessions. If this is your very first time joining us on a field trip, you must already be a regular at our book discussions.
Come with us to Wilmington, Delaware! We’ll spend the day walking Wilmington’s riverfront, exploring its contemporary art museum, visiting the industrial birthplace of the DuPont empire, touring the Versailles-inspired Nemours Gardens and mansion, stopping inside the historic Hotel du Pont, and finishing with local seafood at Banks’ before taking the evening train back to New York.
Stop 1: RIverwalk 11:00 AM
Our first stop will be along Wilmington’s famed Riverwalk. The Riverwalk follows the Christina River, named after Queen Christina of Sweden, and the views we will see are surprisingly beautiful for an urban waterfront, with broad open water framed by marsh grasses, reflections of sleek modern buildings, long boardwalk stretches, and wide skies that make the whole riverfront feel airy and expansive. The places we will pass include landscaped promenades, bold public art pieces, restored wetlands, and the lively Riverfront district with its mix of waterfront cafes, piers, and modern architecture, all leading us straight to our next stop, The Delaware Contemporary.
Stop 2: The Delaware Contemporary 11:30
Our second stop is The Delaware Contemporary. This museum is best known for its constantly changing exhibitions and its role as one of the Mid Atlantic’s major hubs for contemporary art. Unlike traditional museums filled with historic collections, this one focuses on what artists are creating right now, with new work, experimental installations, emerging voices, and bold rotating shows that change several times a year. The space also features active artist studios where visitors can sometimes see artists at work, and its industrial style architecture gives the entire museum a raw, creative, modern energy.
The DuPont Family:
Before we go on to our next stop a ware about the du Pont family. The du Pont family became one of the wealthiest families in American history, especially during the late 1800s and early 1900s. Their company, DuPont, grew from a small gunpowder mill into a global industrial powerhouse worth billions of dollars in today’s terms. They are famous for developing products that reshaped everyday life, including nylon, Kevlar, Teflon, neoprene, and countless other materials that ended up in clothing, safety gear, cookware, cars, and modern technology. Individual family members ranked among the richest Americans, often compared to the Rockefellers, Carnegies, and Mellons. Their collective wealth, spread across many branches, was immense enough to build a network of palatial estates, fund major cultural and scientific institutions, and shape Delaware’s economic and political life for generations. In short, this was top-tier Gilded Age and early twentieth century wealth, the kind of wealth that produced estates like Nemours, Winterthur, and Hagley.
Stop 3: Hagley Museum 12:30 PM
For our next stop we will take a short rideshare to Hagley Museum, a Smithsonian Affiliate known for being one of the most important early American industrial sites. Located along the Brandywine River where the DuPont Company began its manufacturing operations in the early 1800s, Hagley is known for its restored mill buildings and its original water powered equipment and millraces, which are the channels that directed river water to turn large wheels and run the factory systems. This setup was an early form of hydropower, using the force of the river to operate the mills long before electricity. Hagley is also known for its preserved 1800s workers’ community and its extensive collection of early industrial tools and machines, offering a rare look at how manufacturing, labor, and river power operated together during the early nineteenth century.
Stop 4: Nemours Gardens 2:30 pm
Nemours Gardens is known for being one of the largest French style gardens in North America, and they were created by Alfred I. du Pont as part of the estate he built for his wife, Jessie Ball du Pont. The landscape was deliberately modeled after the work of André Le Nôtre, the landscape architect who designed the gardens of Versailles. Because of this design lineage and its scale, Nemours is often called the “Versailles of America.” The gardens feature a 157,000 gallon reflecting pool that anchors the central vista, more than 100 marble fountains and jets, long tree lined allées (straight pathways lined with evenly spaced trees), terraces, classical statues, and a layout built with the same symmetry used at Versailles. These gardens are also the part of the estate that offers guided tours, which explain the engineering, design choices, and early twentieth century innovations behind the landscape, including a rare Jeffersonian style greenhouse, an early irrigation system, and the alignment techniques that keep the terraces perfectly matched to the mansion’s façade.
We will take the 3pm guided tour of the Nemours Gardens.
Stop 4: Nemours Mansion 3:30 PM
Our fourth stop is the Nemours Mansion, the 77 room residence Alfred I. du Pont built for his wife alongside the gardens. The mansion is known for its Louis XVI inspired interiors, modeled after French aristocratic homes of the late 1700s. Inside, it contains original period furnishings, marble halls, gilded detailing, crystal chandeliers, and formal rooms that display the scale of early twentieth century DuPont wealth. Notable features include a hand carved marble staircase, a music room designed for live performances, and one of the earliest Otis household elevators installed on the East Coast. The visit is self guided, with staff available in many rooms to answer questions as we explore the house. It's a short rideshare away from our previous stop.
While the mansion itself is self-guided, there are staff stationed throughout the rooms who explain the history, architecture, and furnishings at each stop as we walk through.
Stop 6: Hotel du Pont 5:00PM
Our next stop is a short rideshare to Hotel du Pont, Wilmington’s most historic and architecturally significant hotel. Opened in 1913, it is known for its grand public spaces, including carved wood paneling, gilded and hand painted ceilings, crystal chandeliers, and marble floors that showcase early twentieth century craftsmanship. The lobby and corridors are often compared to European luxury hotels from the same era, and walking through the building gives a clear sense of Wilmington’s cultural and economic height during the DuPont era. The hotel is also known for hosting decades of political figures, performers, and visiting dignitaries, making it one of the city’s most important historic landmarks. After exploring the interior, we will continue to our final stop for dinner.
Stop 7: Banks’ Seafood Kitchen 5:30 PM
Delaware cuisine is especially known for its crab dishes, including local style crab cakes and crab soup, and Banks’ Seafood Kitchen is known as Wilmington’s top destination for trying these regional staples. The restaurant is also known for its high quality non crab seafood, offering well prepared fish such as salmon, halibut, and seasonal whitefish, along with scallops and oysters from its raw bar. Its location on the riverfront makes it one of the city’s most recognizable and frequently recommended restaurants and a fitting final stop before we head back to New York.
Check out the menu at
https://maps.app.goo.gl/7v6QpuWtoRF6gKc6A
Logistics:
We will be taking the 9:05 a.m. Amtrak, arriving in Wilmington at 10:58 a.m., and the 7:43 p.m. train back to New York, arriving at 9:45 p.m. Amtrak tickets are currently $38 round trip, but you should book as soon as possible because prices will rise quickly. You must purchase Amtrak tickets before registering for this event.
Nemours Estate costs $25 and includes the guided garden tour. Hagley Museum is $22. The Delaware Contemporary is $7. Amtrak is about $38 round trip if booked early, and those tickets should be booked as soon as possible. Rideshares should run no more than $20–25 per person. Dinner price varies. Tickets for Nemours, Hagley, and The Delaware Contemporary must be booked directly with each site, and links will be shared closer to the departure date.
Everyone is responsible for their own costs and participates at their own risk.
Going
Register to see all event details
Where your group belongs
Field Trip: Wilmington, Delaware (FULL)
Sun, Apr 26, 1:05 PM - 11:50 PM GMT
Moynihan Hall at Penn Station, West 33rd Street, New York, NY, USA
We will meet at 8:40 AM under the big clock in the main concourse of Moynihan Train Hall. Please account for weekend subway delays and err on the side of arriving early. We don't want you missing the train.
Hosts
About
3/23/26: this field trip is full.
Update (3/4/26): Amtrak prices have increased significantly, but have no fear. Host Joel has locked in extra tickets at $42 round trip. Reach out to him if you'd like him to set one aside for you.
Note: Field trips are an extension of the books we read and our discussion sessions. If this is your very first time joining us on a field trip, you must already be a regular at our book discussions.
Come with us to Wilmington, Delaware! We’ll spend the day walking Wilmington’s riverfront, exploring its contemporary art museum, visiting the industrial birthplace of the DuPont empire, touring the Versailles-inspired Nemours Gardens and mansion, stopping inside the historic Hotel du Pont, and finishing with local seafood at Banks’ before taking the evening train back to New York.
Stop 1: RIverwalk 11:00 AM
Our first stop will be along Wilmington’s famed Riverwalk. The Riverwalk follows the Christina River, named after Queen Christina of Sweden, and the views we will see are surprisingly beautiful for an urban waterfront, with broad open water framed by marsh grasses, reflections of sleek modern buildings, long boardwalk stretches, and wide skies that make the whole riverfront feel airy and expansive. The places we will pass include landscaped promenades, bold public art pieces, restored wetlands, and the lively Riverfront district with its mix of waterfront cafes, piers, and modern architecture, all leading us straight to our next stop, The Delaware Contemporary.
Stop 2: The Delaware Contemporary 11:30
Our second stop is The Delaware Contemporary. This museum is best known for its constantly changing exhibitions and its role as one of the Mid Atlantic’s major hubs for contemporary art. Unlike traditional museums filled with historic collections, this one focuses on what artists are creating right now, with new work, experimental installations, emerging voices, and bold rotating shows that change several times a year. The space also features active artist studios where visitors can sometimes see artists at work, and its industrial style architecture gives the entire museum a raw, creative, modern energy.
The DuPont Family:
Before we go on to our next stop a ware about the du Pont family. The du Pont family became one of the wealthiest families in American history, especially during the late 1800s and early 1900s. Their company, DuPont, grew from a small gunpowder mill into a global industrial powerhouse worth billions of dollars in today’s terms. They are famous for developing products that reshaped everyday life, including nylon, Kevlar, Teflon, neoprene, and countless other materials that ended up in clothing, safety gear, cookware, cars, and modern technology. Individual family members ranked among the richest Americans, often compared to the Rockefellers, Carnegies, and Mellons. Their collective wealth, spread across many branches, was immense enough to build a network of palatial estates, fund major cultural and scientific institutions, and shape Delaware’s economic and political life for generations. In short, this was top-tier Gilded Age and early twentieth century wealth, the kind of wealth that produced estates like Nemours, Winterthur, and Hagley.
Stop 3: Hagley Museum 12:30 PM
For our next stop we will take a short rideshare to Hagley Museum, a Smithsonian Affiliate known for being one of the most important early American industrial sites. Located along the Brandywine River where the DuPont Company began its manufacturing operations in the early 1800s, Hagley is known for its restored mill buildings and its original water powered equipment and millraces, which are the channels that directed river water to turn large wheels and run the factory systems. This setup was an early form of hydropower, using the force of the river to operate the mills long before electricity. Hagley is also known for its preserved 1800s workers’ community and its extensive collection of early industrial tools and machines, offering a rare look at how manufacturing, labor, and river power operated together during the early nineteenth century.
Stop 4: Nemours Gardens 2:30 pm
Nemours Gardens is known for being one of the largest French style gardens in North America, and they were created by Alfred I. du Pont as part of the estate he built for his wife, Jessie Ball du Pont. The landscape was deliberately modeled after the work of André Le Nôtre, the landscape architect who designed the gardens of Versailles. Because of this design lineage and its scale, Nemours is often called the “Versailles of America.” The gardens feature a 157,000 gallon reflecting pool that anchors the central vista, more than 100 marble fountains and jets, long tree lined allées (straight pathways lined with evenly spaced trees), terraces, classical statues, and a layout built with the same symmetry used at Versailles. These gardens are also the part of the estate that offers guided tours, which explain the engineering, design choices, and early twentieth century innovations behind the landscape, including a rare Jeffersonian style greenhouse, an early irrigation system, and the alignment techniques that keep the terraces perfectly matched to the mansion’s façade.
We will take the 3pm guided tour of the Nemours Gardens.
Stop 4: Nemours Mansion 3:30 PM
Our fourth stop is the Nemours Mansion, the 77 room residence Alfred I. du Pont built for his wife alongside the gardens. The mansion is known for its Louis XVI inspired interiors, modeled after French aristocratic homes of the late 1700s. Inside, it contains original period furnishings, marble halls, gilded detailing, crystal chandeliers, and formal rooms that display the scale of early twentieth century DuPont wealth. Notable features include a hand carved marble staircase, a music room designed for live performances, and one of the earliest Otis household elevators installed on the East Coast. The visit is self guided, with staff available in many rooms to answer questions as we explore the house. It's a short rideshare away from our previous stop.
While the mansion itself is self-guided, there are staff stationed throughout the rooms who explain the history, architecture, and furnishings at each stop as we walk through.
Stop 6: Hotel du Pont 5:00PM
Our next stop is a short rideshare to Hotel du Pont, Wilmington’s most historic and architecturally significant hotel. Opened in 1913, it is known for its grand public spaces, including carved wood paneling, gilded and hand painted ceilings, crystal chandeliers, and marble floors that showcase early twentieth century craftsmanship. The lobby and corridors are often compared to European luxury hotels from the same era, and walking through the building gives a clear sense of Wilmington’s cultural and economic height during the DuPont era. The hotel is also known for hosting decades of political figures, performers, and visiting dignitaries, making it one of the city’s most important historic landmarks. After exploring the interior, we will continue to our final stop for dinner.
Stop 7: Banks’ Seafood Kitchen 5:30 PM
Delaware cuisine is especially known for its crab dishes, including local style crab cakes and crab soup, and Banks’ Seafood Kitchen is known as Wilmington’s top destination for trying these regional staples. The restaurant is also known for its high quality non crab seafood, offering well prepared fish such as salmon, halibut, and seasonal whitefish, along with scallops and oysters from its raw bar. Its location on the riverfront makes it one of the city’s most recognizable and frequently recommended restaurants and a fitting final stop before we head back to New York.
Check out the menu at
https://maps.app.goo.gl/7v6QpuWtoRF6gKc6A
Logistics:
We will be taking the 9:05 a.m. Amtrak, arriving in Wilmington at 10:58 a.m., and the 7:43 p.m. train back to New York, arriving at 9:45 p.m. Amtrak tickets are currently $38 round trip, but you should book as soon as possible because prices will rise quickly. You must purchase Amtrak tickets before registering for this event.
Nemours Estate costs $25 and includes the guided garden tour. Hagley Museum is $22. The Delaware Contemporary is $7. Amtrak is about $38 round trip if booked early, and those tickets should be booked as soon as possible. Rideshares should run no more than $20–25 per person. Dinner price varies. Tickets for Nemours, Hagley, and The Delaware Contemporary must be booked directly with each site, and links will be shared closer to the departure date.
Everyone is responsible for their own costs and participates at their own risk.
Going
Register to see all event details
Where your group belongs