A Scenic Drive That Spotlights Local Art History Snakes Along The Delaware And Pennsylvania Border

A road trip is one of the best ways to take in unique facets of American history, whether it's a spectacular, cross-country journey through America's most iconic sites or a delightful excursion on a much smaller scale, like a secret two-lane route through North Carolina's moonshine country. Spanning just over 12 miles in Delaware and 25 miles in Pennsylvania, the Brandywine Valley Scenic Byway is a charming drive that spotlights local art history. A road less traveled (by definition), the byway is both an idyllic micro-escape for those who live in the region and worthy of itinerary space for your next visit to the area.

Like all great road trips, the Brandywine Valley Scenic Byway is a choose-your-own-adventure kind of experience. This is not simply a point A to point B excursion, as the Brandywine Scenic Byway meanders along two roads in Delaware, both of which begin in Wilmington and converge at the Pennsylvania border. In Pennsylvania, the route also offers several loops, passing through the small towns of Kennett Square, Longwood, Chadds Ford, and West Chester. The byway's most notable sites in both states include botanical gardens, nature preserves, historical homes, unique museums, libraries, and artisan shops. It's also a brilliant way to explore the local art history of the region.

The logical starting points for the Brandywine Scenic Byway are Wilmington (Delaware) and West Chester (Pennsylvania), both of which are easily accessible from several major northeastern cities. Wilmington is about an hour and 20 minutes by car from Baltimore and 45 minutes from Philadelphia. Beginning the Byway route near its northern boundary, West Chester is about an hour's drive from Philadelphia or about an hour and 45 minutes from Baltimore. Once you've chosen the starting point for your Brandywine Scenic Byway journey, it's time to explore.

In the south, the Brandywine Valley Scenic Byway begins in Wilmington, an affordable, riverfront gem with rolling hills, where you can first take in some urban scenery and visit the Delaware Art Museum. Setting the tone for the importance of local art along the byway, the museum's permanent collection is dedicated to "art that was produced, exhibited, and collected in the area" (as per the website), with exhibits including American Art from 1757 to 1960, American Illustration, and Contemporary Art since 1960. One of the museum's highlighted paintings depicts Elfreth's Alley in nearby Philadelphia, one of the oldest residential streets in the U.S. The museum is open Wednesdays through Sundays from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m., with free, extended hours on Thursdays from April to December.

While the scenery shifts from urban to pastoral along the western fork of the Brandywine on Route 52, the next important stop for American art history is the Winterthur Museum, Garden, and Library. The property is a former residential mansion owned by Henry Francis DuPont, which houses a magnificent collection of America's decorative arts. DuPont was an avid collector, and the museum includes over 90,000 pieces of furniture, ceramics, paintings, glass objects, metalworks, and textiles. The surrounding gardens also demand a visit, doubling down on the bucolic scenery of the byway itself. The waterways and meadows of the Winterthur Gardens meander over 1,000 acres, with nearly 25 miles of walking paths. Winterthur's museum and grounds are open six days a week in the spring, summer, and fall. After the Winterthur Museum, you've passed nearly all 12 miles of the Brandywine in Delaware, so it's time to cross the border into Pennsylvania.

Pennsylvania's scenic corridors along the Brandywine Valley also contain unique opportunities for visitors. With only 25 miles of ground to cover along Route 52 in the Keystone State, anything that tickles your fancy along the byway is only a short jaunt away. To prioritize local art history, the Brandywine Museum of Art is situated on Brandywine Creek in the town of Chadds Ford, less than a 15-minute drive from Delaware's Winterthur Museum. Housed in a former gristmill, the namesake museum of the byway displays various American artworks, particularly paintings from the 19th and 20th centuries. Exhibits frequently center on paintings made by various members of the Wyeth family, whose works were often inspired by the local surroundings. The Brandywine Museum of Art is open Wednesday through Monday from 9:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. 

For those seeking a less structured stop to take in local art and amenities along the Brandywine Scenic Byway, the charming town of Kennett Square has a historic downtown with an abundance of galleries. It also happens to be the Mushroom Capital of the World, so look for variations on that theme throughout the town. Stop for coffee at Philter or lunch at Letty's Tavern, and pass a dreamy day gallery-hopping between local spaces that feature paintings, photography, and glasswork, or take inspiration and try your hand at clay-molding, leaving with a personalized souvenir from your art-inspired journey along the Brandywine Scenic Byway.