America may be missing monarchs in its heritage, but there are a few places where the wealthy have left us some royal sites. One is the Brandywine Valley near Wilmington, Delaware, a real treasure trove of European-style opulence and higher brow.

The Du Pont Family emigrated from France in 1800 and built a corporate empire as well as gardens and homes along leafy, winding Route 52 out of the city. Today visitors have the family's estates along with art and heritage museums to enjoy. Holiday time only heightens the cultural experiences when seasonal dŽcor, events, and lights embellish the scene.

Particularly dazzling this season is Alfred I. du Pont's Nemours estate. A $39 million three-year restoration of the 47,000 square-foot formal French mansion was unveiled in May, so the 1910 edifice sparkles as it did when Alfred was in residence. Original furnishings and works by artists like James and Charles Willson Peale, J.M.W. Turner, and Frederick Remington adorn the rooms and walls. Other valley Du Pont legacy stops include the Hagley Museum where the family's story began; Longwood Gardens, one of the world's foremost horticultural displays on 1,000 acres; and Winterthur Museum and Country Estate.

Nemours Mansion was designed by architects Carrere and Hastings who also planned the New York Public Library, New York City's Frick Museum, and Henry Flagler's Whitehall mansion in Palm Beach. With its grand entry Russian Gates that once adorned Catherine the Great's St. Petersburg palace, Nemours includes the largest formal French garden in North America, modeled on the Petit Trianon at Versallies.

In its heyday, the estate was self-sufficient with orchards, vegetable gardens, a dairy herd, beef cattle, greenhouses, a power plant and even ice cream making machines. Some of the mansion's interior unexpected treats are a bowling alley with both duck and king pins and Mr. du Pont's fitness machines, including a mechanical riding horse. His personal collection of restored Rolls Royces and other vintage cars are in the Chauffeur's Garage.

Nemours is just one of Alfred du Pont's many life triumphs. Considered a true "Renaissance" man, he succeeded in the business world, politics, and philanthropy. He funded an "old-age pension" for every elderly Delaware citizen long before the government created one, and his Nemours Foundation continues to provide healthcare for thousands of children in Delaware and Florida, his second residence.

The smallest valley visitors have a new treat this holiday season in Longwood Garden's new indoor Children's Garden. More than a decade in the making the 4,000-square-foot horticultural wonderland provides a safe area where the little ones engage with features like a secret rooms, home to the Drooling Dragon; a maze composed of moss and slate covered walls and shooting water jets; and a grotto cave and tunnel activated by water dripping from sculpted snakes coiled overhead. It is handicap accessible and a surrounding walkways allows big visitors to keep an eye on the action.

The Children's Garden is the latest feature in Pierre du Pont's legacy garden, founded in 1906. Once an arboretum dating to the 18th century, Longwood now encompasses 1,500 acres. From late November through mid-January, dazzling floral displays, holiday music, 500,000 lights, dancing fountains, and ice skating under the stars enhance visitor experiences.

There's more family fun at Winterthur Museum & Country Estate, during events like tours for kids between four and twelve. Takers learn about the lifestyles of the Henry Francis du Pont family, while they explore some of the mansion's elegant rooms and garden spaces. Henry was the du Pont who collected Americana before it was fashionable. Over about five decades of his life, he assembled a collection of 85,000 decorative art objects to place inside his home with design inspired by 18th and 19th century European country houses.

The Du Ponts in America story began along the Brandywine River in 1802 when the family began manufacturing gunpowder, and The Hagley Museum & Library is the stop to learn the history. It's a 230-acre site on the river that includes elegant stone buildings with exhibits which tell the important role Wilmington and the valley played in American history — first in milling of grain and creation of textiles and paper, then gunpowder for the American Revolution. Central to the site is the family mansion dating to 1803 with its period paintings, antique furniture, and handmade wallpaper. The home is decorated for the holidays and this year's display will feature a Twelfth Night dessert service in the dining room.

The Brandywine River Museum in Chadds Ford is famed for its collection of Wyeth Family art from three generations, including works by N.C., Andrew, Jamie, Betsy, Caroline, and husband Peter Hurd. Other artists of the Brandywine School represented at the museum include Howard Pyle, Frank Schoonover, and Maxfield Parrish. The collection has grown from 21 pieces in 1971 to over 3,000 works — many of them Wyeth paintings. For the season, Christmas themed paintings will be on display. Tours of two nearby historic properties are worth a look: N.C. Wyeth's House and Studio, and the Kuerner Farm, made famous through nearly 1,000 of Andrew Wyeth's works.

Visitors who take up residence in one of the valley's small lodgings like the Inn at Montchanin Village position for an even larger measure of the valley's unique cultural treats. Montchanin was part of Winterthur estate, and home to workers in the DuPont Gunpowder Co. Comprised of small houses dating from the late 18th into the early 20th centuries, the inn is a serene valley heart spot that was created from homes which once belonged to early DuPont powder mill workers. Guests enter contemporary luxury bedroom suites and conference spaces through private gardens that front on "Privy Lane," a walkway that's still punctuated by former outdoor facilities that evoke life in another era. Inside a former blacksmith shop, Krazy Kats Restaurant, is the spot to enjoy a leisurely repast before or after a day of valley touring. Diners enjoy the gourmand along with the restaurant's whimsical decor, including tiger-print chairs and portraits of military-garbed cats and dogs.

Wilmington is gateway to the Brandywine Valley, and the today urban landscape holds legends and history dating to 1638 when early settlers arrived from Europe.

Touring highlights include Wilmington's revitalized Christina Riverfront, where a Tuesday through Saturday public market lures visitors for a tasty bite. A stroll along the riverwalk or ride on a river taxi open up city views from the water. Delaware Center for the Contemporary Arts also resides in a converted late 1900s railroad car manufacturing facility along the riverfront where several galleries and studios for resident professional artists are the attractions. Wilmington's Little Italy neighborhood gives visitors quaint shops and boutiques along with its eateries that harken to the old country.

There's more culture inside The Delaware Art Museum, with its 12,000 works focusing on American art and illustration from the last couple of centuries. And more yesteryear elegance resides at the venerable 1913 Hotel du Pont, where an ornate lobby, ballroom, and dining rooms echo life in the grand manner.

IF YOU GO

Call 800-489-6664, or visit www.nemoursmansion.org and www.visitwilmingtonde.com. Additional Web resources include www.longwoodgardens.org, www.winterthur.org, and www.montchanin.com.

Ruth A. Hill is a freelance travel writer. To read features by other Creators Syndicate writers and cartoonists, visit the Creators Syndicate website at www.creators.com.

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