Travel Diary: Two Places Worth Visiting in Wilmington, DE

        In April, I got to check a travel item off from my current 101 in 1001 list: visiting the state of Delaware! Until recently, it was the only East Coast state that I'd never been to. (Note: my definition of "visiting a state" is spending a night there, not just driving or flying through.) When my dad and I used to make our twice annual road trips from my hometown in Maine to Charlotte, NC for my college, we somehow never took routes that lead us through Delaware. It's been on my list of places to visit for quite awhile, but I never would've imagined how I'd finally get to Delaware. I finally got to visit Delaware during my "funemployment road trip" to Maine this spring, which I did shortly after losing my radio job in April. 

     Post-college, I have always flown home to Maine for convenience. But since I was going to be visiting home for a longer period of time, I knew that I needed my car. And that meant making the 11 hour drive from Virginia Beach to my hometown! I knew that 11 hours was too long for me to be in the car alone all in one day. I told my parents that I had selected Wilmington, DE as my overnight stop for the drive to Maine. It ended up being my stop on the road trip back to Virginia, too! So I got to spend two nights total in Delaware.

     I stayed at hotels in different parts of Wilmington on each leg of the trip, but neither of them were the downtown. I would still like to return to Wilmington someday and see that part of the city, as I hear it does have some nice attractions. But despite skipping downtown on these trips, there were two spots I visited in Wilmington that I think are worth sharing about with you here on my blog! The first? Winterthur Museum Garden & Library.

    

    Winterthur is a gigantic former private estate turned museum. It's located on the outskirts of Wilmington, and not far from the Pennsylvania state line. The sprawling mansion on the grounds was the home of Henry Francis du Pont and his family. Many additions were added onto the original mansion, and it currently stands at 175 rooms (!!). The expansive grounds at Winterthur are also home to acres of well-maintained forest and botantical gardens. Winterthur is known today as one of the museums with the largest collection of Americana artifacts in the United States.

     I first learned about Winterthur a few years ago from one of my favorite bloggers, Heather of C'est Bien. I had made a mental note to visit here if I was ever in Delaware... and so this became my first stop of my road trip from Virginia to Maine! I spent a spring afternoon doing a solo tour of Winterthur's gardens and museum galleries. First, some photos from my tour inside of the mansion and some of the museum gallery exhibits.      

     I also spent a good amount of time exploring Winterthur's gardens. Late April was the perfect time to be here! It was in the 60s and sunny on the day that I visited, and so many things were in bloom. I started my visit with some of the gardens, then took a break to see the house and galleries, and then ended my visit with more garden strolling. 

     I even got to catch a glimpse of a Friday evening wedding at Winterthur! Can you imagine getting married in such a stunning and historic venue?! Just beautiful.

      To conclude: I'd highly recommend a visit to Winterthur if you're ever in the Wilmington area! It is open year-round, but I think that visiting in the springtime was truly perfect.

     On my way back to Virginia, I spent the night once again in the greater Wilmington area. This time I was at a different hotel (technically in the suburb of Newark), and I stayed directly off of I-95. I had a delicious solo dinner at Olive Garden. I rarely dine at Olive Garden at home anymore, and I honestly forgot how tasty the unlimited soup, salad and breadsticks was! After leaving Olive Garden, I spotted this intriguing little bakery in a nearby shopping plaza. They appeared to still be open late, so I decided to stop by. Oh my gosh... Moon Star Turkish Bakery might be one of my favorite bakeries that I have ever visited. Let the pictures below of their delicious treats speak for themselves!

     This Turkish bakery was absolutely incredible! Every dessert looked so unique and delicious. If I hadn't been so full from my dinner I would've tried way more things, but I did bring back a nice cookie assortment to Virginia Beach for Ryan and I to enjoy together. This bakery is open everyday of the week, and also stays open late into the evenings! If you're ever driving through the greater Wilmington area, I highly recommend a rest stop here. 

    I'm glad that I finally did get to cross Delaware off my list of states visited! While the circumstance for my trip wasn't the most ideal (job loss), I think my Wilmington adventures were a great way to make lemonade out of the lemons that life handed me. 

      See more of my past Travel Diaries and Travel Guides HERE!

      God Bless,

      xoxo Annaliese