Visit to Winterthur

This past Wednesday, Claire and I packed up into my Aunt Debbie's car and took a road trip to Winterthur, Delaware. Winterthur, pronounced "Winter Tour" is a country estate of the du Pont family. It is a historic site as well as a garden. It would take multiple day trips to see everything at Winterthur, but what we saw during our trip was wonderful.

Upon our arrival at Winterthur, we boarded a tram (with a high-spirited tour guide) that traveled through the gardens. The view of the "Azalea Woods" (recently featured on the Martha Stewart Show) was breathtaking, as the azaleas were blooming at about their peak.



Our first stop was the Enchanted Woods, featuring a Faerie Cottage, Tulip Tree House, and more...

Faerie Cottage

Tulip Tree House

Fairy Ring (Circle of Toadstool statues/seats that spray mist into the center of the circle. Claire wanted to dance in the middle of it all day!)

Fairy Tea Party

Labyrinth (Claire enjoyed this, too. Debbie and I enjoyed it, but got a little dizzy!)

Debbie & Claire by the Giant Bird's Nest

After seeing all there was to see in the Enchanted Woods, we walked through the gardens to the reflecting pool, which was behind the mansion (containing 175 rooms, by the way).

Claire and I standing up on the waterfalls that flow into the reflecting pool (used to be the family's swimming pool)

On the other side of the reflecting pool and leading into the mansion/museum, there is a Handkerchief Tree (a.k.a. Dove Tree). Apparently a rare tree in the U.S., the flower on this tree resembles a Hankie.





We really enjoyed our trip with Aunt Debbie. We always love spending time with her, and this was such a beautiful day with beautiful surroundings.