antiques, sculpture, tapes-tries and furniture dating back to the 15th Century. The surrounding 222-acres includes a mix of woodland areas and formal gardens with reflecting ponds, fountains, parterres and a huge fleur-de-lis jardin. Nemours is a landscape jewel and arguably the finest formal French garden in North America. See for yourself. Reservations recommended. nemoursmansion.org.
generation, Sergio Assad has composed a concerto for the L. A. Guitar Quartet. Falla, Three Cornered Hat Suite No. 2; Rodrigo, Concierto Andaluz; Assad, Interchange for Guitar Quartet and Orchestra. The season concludes with Ravel’s beloved Bolero. David Amado, conductor. May 15-16. 800-37-GRAND; delawaresymphony.org.
Self taught: “Ancestry and Innovation: African-American Art from the American Folk Art Museum.” This exhibit features textiles, paintings, works on paper and sculpture by contemporary African-American artists, and explores the expressions of self-taught artists from the rural South and the urban North. Featuring works by an elder generation of creators, contemporary masters and emerging artists like Kevin Sampson and Willie LeRoy Elliot. Delaware Art Museum. May 9-July 12. delart.org.
For the boys: All-new event at Winterthur Museum & Country Estate: “It’s a Boy’s Life: Father & Son Outdoor Fun.” Make your own kites and watch them take flight; construct bluebird boxes for birds to nest; enjoy old-fashioned marble shooting and more! Three-week series for boys 8-11. Registration required by June 1. Members free; $15 nonmember child with one free adult. June 13 and 27 and July 11. winterthur.org.
Discover the many great museums, galleries and gardens just blocks from Amtrak stations along the Northeast Corridor. A few blocks from the Wilmington station is Old Swedes Church, constructed in 1698. Together with its burial grounds and the 1690 Hendrickson House, it holds the rich history of the area’s Swedish, Dutch and English settlers. The grounds may be enjoyed anytime and tours are offered for $2 Wednesday through Saturday— what a bargain! Two of the best secrets are just up Charles Street from the Baltimore Amtrak station. The Johns Hopkins Homewood Campus holds two homes of distinction. Charles Carroll Jr., son of a signer of the Declaration of Independence, spared no expense in building Homewood as a Federal Period expression of his family’s political, social and financial stature. The Evergreen Museum and Library was once the home of Baltimore’s railroad magnates, the Garrett family. Tour 48 opulent rooms and 26 landscaped acres for a superb example of Gilded Age architecture. Closed Mondays, tickets are $6 before discounts. These are just a few of the great museum secrets along the Amtrak trail. MuseumsUSA.org.
Antiques Show: Thirty-one nationally known antiques dealers return to the Brandywine River Museum Memorial Day weekend, May 23-25. Booth talks Sunday and Monday as well as a special exhibition of 17th- to 19th-century pewter. Preview Party Friday,
May 22. Breakfast and tour of exhibit May 23. brandywinemuseum.org.
A symphonic event: Delaware Symphony Orchestra and L.A. Guitar Quartet. Considered one of the finest guitarists of his
Wilmington & Western Railroad since October 1972. Most weekends, you can climb aboard and enjoy the line’s beautiful 10-mile route, from Greenbank Station to Hockessin, Del. Greenbank Station is a 15-minute drive from the Wilmington Amtrak Station (car rentals are available). wwrr.com.
The work of folk artist David Butler is on view at Delaware Art Museum.
Full steam ahead:
Once upon a time a gallop-
ing horse or sailboat was
the only means for speed—
what a difference the loco-
motive made. This year, the
only regularly operating
4-4-0 (four pilot wheels,
four driving wheels and no
trailing wheels) east
of the Mississippi
hits the century
mark. Built in 1909
for the Mississippi
Central Railroad at
American Locomotive
Works in Schenectady,
N. Y., this fine old
engine has been in
service at the
For the Delaware events, save 40 percent on the best available rail fare for one companion traveling in coach with a paid regular (full) adult rail fare ticket on Amtrak travel to Wilmington, DE. Valid for sale through Dec. 13, 2009, and for travel through Dec. 16, 2009. Request discount code V256 by booking online at Amtrak.com or calling 800-USA-RAIL. See page 82 for blackout dates and other restrictions.
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