Nemours Estate
Wilmington, DE · 1 hour 16 minutes from Reading · $20 to $50 a person
Open for the season through December 30. The Sunken Garden is closed for renovation and reopens in spring 2027; the rest of the estate is open. Closed Sunday, October 18, 2026 for a private event.
Plan the day
Nemours Estate is the 77-room mansion, chauffeur's garage and 200 acres of French-inspired formal gardens built for Alfred I. duPont in Wilmington, DE.
The Mansion, 47,000 square feet built in 1910 by the architects Carrère and Hastings, holds the duPonts' art, furniture and household technology, and the 1914 Chauffeur's Garage keeps the family's Rolls-Royces and Cadillacs. Outside, gardens modeled on Versailles run through fountains, mazes, towers and nature trails, and picnics are encouraged. There is no timed entry, so stay as long as the day allows.
Before you go
No reservations and no timed entry; buy online ahead or at the Ticket House on arrival. Wear comfortable walking shoes: the Mansion and paved roads are ADA-accessible, the gardens and grounds are not. Picnics are encouraged, alcohol is not. No pets. Parking lots cannot take buses.
Coming up
Halloween trick-or-treat is October 31, noon to 4 p.m. (ticketed; adults must bring a child; regular admission is not sold that day). Guided Mansion Tours leave at 9:30 a.m. on October 10, 17 and 24 and November 7, and a Behind the Ropes tour runs October 25, 9 to 11 a.m. The estate is closed Sunday, October 18.
Checked October 8, 2026 on the official site. Hours, prices and seasons change, so confirm there before a long drive.
