Visiting Winterthur in Wilmington, Del.

Winterthur is one of the most popular tourist destinations in Delaware. Part of the legacy of the du Pont family, the estate consists of over 900 acres with 60 acres of naturalistic gardens. A variety of opportunities are available to guests, including a narrated garden tram tour, changing exhibits, organized house tours and the ability to walk through the grounds. Children are welcome and special activities are available for them.

The museum consists of 175 room displays with over 90,000 items. Two hundred years of decorative and fine arts, from 1640 to 1860, tell the story of America. Parts of the house are still set up as a home and it is important to understand that H.F. lived here among his collections right up to the time it became a museum.

A little history

Originally, the land was purchased by E.I. du Pont in the early 19th century. When he died, it passed to his children and his daughter Evelina bought out her siblings so that she and her husband, Jacques Antoine Bidermann, could build their home. They named it after Antoine’s hometown in Switzerland, Winterthur.

After the death of the elder Bidermanns, Evelina’s brother, General Henry du Pont, bought the house from the heir and it then passed into his family. Eventually, Henry Francis du Pont, the grandson of General Henry, became the owner and it is through his management and expansion that we see the Winterthur that exists today.

In 1951 H.F du Pont created a museum in the mansion that had been his home and opened it to the public. He moved to a cottage on the property. Calling it a cottage is a bit of a misnomer, it is over 20,000 square feet.

What to do here

A variety of tours is offered. With the basic entrance fee, visitors can take a narrated tram tour of the gardens, visit the galleries and, when available, take an introductory tour of floors 5 and 6 of the house.  

For an additional fee, several other tours are available which must be reserved in advance. The full list is shown on their website but it includes both one and two hour tours. Some are family-friendly, others are not. There are however, many family-friendly activities offered at Winterthur including the Touch It Room.

The estate offers the opportunity to spend just a few hours or a full day visiting. The website offers suggestions for everything from a two-hour visit to a full day. It also has suggestions for family activities.

The Campbell Soup Tureen Collection is on display in the Dorrance Gallery, it has been a popular exhibit since 1997. The grounds are extensive, over 900 acres with more than 60 acres of gardens. Several stops on the garden tram tour are available for visitors to get off and explore, including a fairy garden which is a favorite with children.

Several gift shops are located throughout the property including a magnificent one outside the mansion and another in the visitor center. A cafeteria in the visitor center serves very high-quality food and is a perfect place to grab lunch or just a snack.

After just one visit, there will be no doubt why this is such a popular destination for visitors and locals alike. You will also understand why Bride’s Magazine named it one of the 50 most romantic wedding venues.

To learn more about the roots of the DuPont  family, I recommend you visit Hagley Museum. 

Warther Museum Dover, Ohio

To call Ernest “Mooney” Warther a carver is equivalent to calling Rembrandt a painter. Both of them are masters of their trade and in a category of their own. After a visit to the Warther Museum in Dover, Ohio you will feel quite comfortable calling “Mooney” the Rembrandt of carvers.

Ernest Warther was born in 1885 to parents who had emigrated from Switzerland to Dover, Ohio. His father died when he was only 3 years old. His family struggled to make ends meet which meant he was only able to attend school through the second grade. He went to work herding cows to pasture for a penny a day. It was during this time that he got his nickname “Mooney” which is short for the Swiss word “moonay” which means “Bull of the herd”.

His interest in carving was also born during these years. He met a hobo who carved a pair of pliers for him in 10 cuts and this along with the penknife that he found began a career that would span his entire life and lead to incredible works of art. He was offered vast amounts of money for his works which he refused; he enjoyed his life and felt he had everything that he needed without selling his works.

As he grew older he went to work in the local mill. His interest in carving remained but since he never sold his art, he also needed to make a living. He worked in the mill for 23. At the age of 25, he married Freida Richard and together they would raise 5 children in the house that you can still tour today.

#warthermuse

The visitor center at the Warther Museum is connected to Mooney’s workshop and if your group is small, you should be able to actually go into it and see where he created some of his most famous masterpieces. Visiting the museum is on a guided tour and if the next tour is not scheduled too soon, you should be able to go and tour the family home.

Freida’s button collection is located in a small building behind the house. Freida was also an artist. She created amazing works of art from the over 70,000 buttons that she collected. The garden is also lovely and depending on what time of year you visit, will offer a wide variety of flowers and colors. All of these are worth visiting but of course, the main attraction is the museum itself.

You can watch several films at different points during your visit. You may also get a visit from Mooney’s grandson who will carve a set of the iconic pliers for you. It is amazing to watch and I still carry those cute little pliers in my purse to impress people.

In all honesty, until I saw the first of his carvings, I wasn’t sure what all the fuss was about. It’s just wood carving after all. I was so wrong, this is not wood carving, this is Art. In 1923 he began carving The History of Steam. This is a series of trains carved mostly from ebony and ivory and the detail is extraordinary. To say that our mouths were hung open through most of this tour is not an exaggeration. It is beyond anything you can even imagine. It is a gorgeous history lesson that every member of the family will find fascinating.

The trains are so detailed you will be in awe. In the Lincoln Funeral Train, you can see the face of Lincoln in his coffin inside the train car, it is unbelievable. All of the trains are working models, the wheels turn and the trains move. When I say you have never seen anything like this, I am not exaggerating.

This is a museum that should not be missed by history lovers, train lovers, carving lovers and just anyone who want to tour a really interesting museum that is one of a kind. I have been to hundreds of museums and guess what; this one is in the top 10 ever. I was so impressed by this man who I had never heard of before I went here that I feel compelled to share this with everyone. 

I want to thank the couple that we met in Indianapolis who recommended it because otherwise I might have missed it and that would really have been too bad because it was amazing and I don’t use that term to refer to a museum often.

After you finish your visit to the museum you will see the family knife making business which is how Mooney supported his family since he did not sell his art. He could not find a knife of the quality that he needed to carve so he created one. His philosophy that products should last forever is evident in the quality of his knives. The knives are still handmade today and are of the finest quality. You will get a chance to purchase some of them when you visit the gift shop.

I can’t stress enough how special this museum is and if you are going to be anywhere where near Dover, Ohio please visit here and find out why the name Mooney Warther is so well known in this little town. With so much to see here, one visit may just not be enough, plan accordingly.

We did stay at a hotel near the Warther Museum, we were traveling between Dayton and Canton. We actually stayed in Hartville, Ohio at Quail's Covey B&B.  It is 37 miles so could easily be a daytrip. 

Maine: Seal Cove Auto Museum

The Seal Cove Auto Museum is not exactly on the beaten track. As a matter of fact, unless you are in Bar Harbor, Maine and looking for something unusual to do, it is unlikely that you would ever hear of this museum. It is located on Mount Desert Island in the town of Seal Cove, which these days is an enclave of wealth and status. This is where Martha Stewart and Susan Sarandon have their summer homes. It is where the wealthy went when Bar Harbor became too bourgeoisie.

The museum was a wonderfully unexpected but delightful surprise. The vehicles here, the autos, bicycles and motorcycles are mostly from the “Brass Era” 1895-1917. This is not the first auto museum we have been to. As a matter of fact, we have been to some of the finest in the world and I really thing that this one deserves to be included among them. I was impressed from the moment we entered the door. I even paid to see it which if you know me you realize is a big deal.

The Seal Cove Auto Museum is housed in a simple building, you would never guess the treasures that it holds. The collection began as the private collection of Richard Paine. According to the museum website “The Paine collection represents not only one man’s love of automobiles, it also reflects an aesthetic wrapped in Richard’s love of Maine and his roots in New England, coincidentally the birthplace of the American automobile industry. Born near Boston in one of New England’s patrician families, his eye—rather than his modest fortune—created his world famous collection. “

Allow at least an hour to visit here, if you have more than a casual interest allow more. The collection is quite amazing and there are often other exhibits and events happening at the museum. Among the treasures that they have on display are Indian motorcycles, Model T Fords and many very rare cars created in towns all over New England from manufacturers that we have never heard of including Pope from Hartford, Conn.

The museum is open from May 1 through October 31 daily from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Check their website for the latest entrance fees and schedule of events.  

Quebec: Huron Traditional Site ONHOÜA CHETEK8E

Located on the Wendat Huron reservation, Onhoua Chetek8e is a unique opportunity for visitors to learn about the history of the Huron, past and present.

Guided tours are offered in French, English, and Spanish at specified times. When you enter the village and pay, you will make several choices. You can go for the complete experience that also includes food and a performance or a more standard entrance fee which includes the guided tour. They will tell you when the next tour in your language will be offered and where to meet the guide.

The tour takes about 45 minutes was very informative. You move around through the village to different locations to actually see what your guide is talking about. We sat in a canoe at one point as we talked about the many ways that the Huron got around.

Since we have a little Micmac in our DNA this was very interesting for us in particular. They definitely showed up on the map of where the Huron can be found in the Province of Quebec.

While we were waiting for the tour to start, we enjoyed a short performance by two young dancers.

After your tour is over you can walk about the village at your leisure to spend more time at any of the displays that were of particular interest to you.

Amie went back to look at the "three sisters" the way that Native American plant their gardens. 

Allow about an hour and a half to visit here if you are not taking the full experience. The restaurant here serves so really interesting Native American food if you are adventurous.

Onhoua Chetek8e is a very interesting place to visit and I really liked that we learned about the current life of the Wendat as well as the past. Our tour was small, just our 6 family members and one person from Switzerland. The French tour was huge. 

The gift shop is quite large and the prices were okay so be sure to visit. 

Costa Rico: Planning a trip

Did you know that 28 percent of Costa Rica is preserved in National Parks? It has become one of the go-to places in the Americas especially if you are interested in sustainable or green tourism. Whether you want to lounge on pristine beaches or hike into the jungle, Costa Rica has what you are looking for

Visit Costa Rica is the official site of Costa Rican Tourism. Costa Rica is all about the outdoors and the environment and their tourism website highlights that. The site is easy to navigate and has loads of information. The first set of tabs includes Menu, Home, About Costa Rica, Sustainability, Planning your vacation, Multimedia, Maps and Press Room. There are also photos that take you to airlines, rental cars, hotels and travel agencies. If however you click on Planning Your Vacation it includes all the previous mentioned thing as well as requirements for entry into Costa Rico and exchange information for money.

A second set of tabs includes:

• ·          Sun and Beaches
• ·          Culture
• ·          Adventure
• ·          Ecotourism
• ·          Families
• ·          Cruises
• ·          Meetings & Incentives
• ·          Wellness
• ·          Honeymoon
• ·          Rural Tourism

Three-quarters of the way down the home page is another “Planning Your Vacation” section with six boxes that you can click. One of them is maps and it includes:

• ·          Tourist Zones
• ·          SanJosé (city map)
• ·          Main cities and towns
• ·          Best areas for surfing
• ·          Beaches with the Blue Ecologic Flag
• ·          Mains places for diving
• ·          Coco Island
• ·          Map of Incentives and conferences

When you click this box it changes the site and a photo appears at the top of the site and a list of links to all the main categories down the right side. It allows you to search for places to stay by type of accommodation and region that it is located in.

This is an interesting and comprehensive site but it does have a lot of duplication. So, if you can’t find something you are looking for, just click another tab or link, it probably will show up.

Tourism.co.cr is a very good site loaded with helpful information. The links to all the good information are right on the home page, you don’t have to go looking for it. The Tourism Center has links to valuable information about things like eco-tourism and Costa Rican volcanoes and beaches.

The volcanoes article is very useful and at the end there are links to other articles about similar topics. This is a site where you will want to be printing out some of the articles after you read them.

Tourism Costa Rica is the perfect site if you are looking for brochures to print out about Costa Rica, at the top of the homepage there are some tabs and one of the is brochures. When you click it, you go to another page where there is a list of brochures to choose from. One of them is Costa Rica Honeymoons and it is a very slick brochure that really makes Costa Rica look like the perfect romantic honeymoon destination. This brochure is provided by the Costa Rican Tourism Board. Another tab is safety tips and this is always an important one to read.

Costa Rica has a lot of offer to anyone looking for an eco-friendly nature vacation. These three websites will get you off to a good start when it comes to planning your trip.

Quebec: Vacation in our neighbor

We just returned from a short vacation to Quebec. While it was only a few days, we managed to cram quite a bit of fun into that time. 

The iconic Quebec Bridge

Native Wendat dancers

Cas Cous stairs

Fruits of summer at farmers market

Isle d'Orleans Bridge

The power of Montmorency Falls

Got to love maple dip!!

Our ancestral home

Jeanne d'Arc garden

poutine

Belgium: Planning a visit to Belgium

Belgium is a small country in the northwest section of continental Europe. It is the home of more battlefields than any other country in Europe. Beyond that, it is home to some of the best chocolate in the world and is a wonderful mix of French and Flemish culture. When you are planning to travel to Belgium, you will want to check the best websites for Belgium travel information. Here are a few to get you started.

Country Sites

Visit Belgium is a beautiful website that will entice you with great pictures of things to see and especially great food, the mussels in their bucket look particularly succulent. If you ever had any doubts about travel to Belgium, this site will make you wonder why you waited so long. Belgian Bites takes you to the best of beer, chocolate, and restaurants. Our Cities will introduce you to the cities you may have been considering and maybe even some that are new to you.

Visit Belgium is the official website of the Belgium Tourist Office and is certainly one of the best Belgium travel websites available. For a comprehensive look at what Belgium has to offer, it is hard to beat.

Region sites

Belgium the Place to Be covers Brussels and Wallonia and is another official tourism site. It has lots of practical information about area codes for calls, airports and transfer information, and currency exchange. While not as exciting as Visit Belgium, this website has lots of good information. Under destinations, it offers some wonderful cities in Wallonia which include of course Waterloo.

If you are visiting Wallonia, the French-speaking portion of Belgium, Belgium Tourism is another official website to use for the best travel information. If you click on either Brussels or Wallonia you can then choose the type of travel you are doing. Are you traveling as a family, a couple or with the girls? Under Brussels suggestions will be offered for all of these Under Wallonia it is has couples and families but also cities and forests etc. An excellent way to find out all the options that are available.

If however, your trip includes Flanders, Visit Flanders.com is the official guide for the Flemish speaking part of Belgium. It starts by asking you where you are from and then makes sure the information is geared to our country of origin. You can sign up to receive their online e-newsletter. There are suggestions for what to do, what to see and where to stay. You can also order brochures and they have a very nice selection of both guides and maps. This is the ultimate website for travel to Flanders, I have personally used it and loved it.

City Sites

Visit Brussels is the official site of the Brussels Tourism Bureau. While just about every website has some information on Brussels, this is the definitive one. Learn about the Brussels Card, nightlife, and exciting happenings and of course the best in food and accommodations. The latest information on what is happening in the city is here at your fingertips. It is a particularly good looking site with lots of magnificent pictures. If you want to get a sneak peak at things to see, this site offers that in spades.

Pick your language and enter Visit Gent to learn about the exciting Belgian city of Ghent or as the Belgian spell it Gent. The home page jumps right in with articles about the Adoration of the Mystic Lamb and the Castle of the Counts. It also tells you that Gent is the veggie capital of Europe. You decide if that is helpful information or not.

Visit Bruges is a great website n if you want specific information about Bruges. It includes all the practical information you will need to make your visit to this amazing World Heritage City just perfect. Beyond just the listing of places to stay and the more obvious places to see and things to do, it allows you to find out what will be on during your visit. There is a section about the museums and also the current and future exhibits.

The site offers brochures that you can print to help you with whatever information will make your visit just perfect.

When you are planning a vacation in Belgium, there are a lot of resources at your fingertips. Use one of these sites or use them all to plan your perfect Belgian vacation. These are among the best Belgium travel websites.