Nemours Estate
Front of the DuPont Family Nemours Estate
Visiting My Home From a Previous Life
Plan Your Visit | Destinations | Beautiful Buildings
I swear the Nemours Estate (pronounced nuh-MOOR) was my home in a previous life. It’s true. I have no evidence to give you, of course, but it’s still true. Just trust me. I am, to my core, a wealthy princess who appreciates balance between financial wealth, beauty, and a life well-lived.
Initially, I thought The Breakers in Newport, RI was my home from a previous life. However, when my first thought entering was, “Tax the Rich!” because of the wasteful opulence, I knew I was a bit hasty, and thus the search continued.
Then I found it!
The Nemours Estate in Wilmington, DE has a very different vibe. Yes, it’s massive. But it was more of a beloved family home than showpiece. I’m a millionaire at heart, but I also love homes you can live in.
It took me about 2.5 hours to enjoy the 200-acre gardens and 77-room mansion. I did not visit the garage because I had to get back on the road, but this does give me an excuse to return later.
Brief History
The neighboring Nemours Children’s Hospital, Delaware was built thanks to a charitable trust created after Alfred DuPont’s death in 1935. Born into wealth, du Pont left most of his fortune to charity and wanted the money used to provide health care to special needs children. The Nemours Foundation runs the estate and Nemours Children’s Health. You must drive by the hospital before arriving at the Nemours Estate Visitors Center.
The estate and hospital are named after Nemours, France. Through a letters patent granted by King Louis XVI, Pierre du Pont de Nemours was elevated to nobility and allowed him to add the honorable “de Nemours” suffix to his name to reflect his residence.
He and his son, Éleuthère (French for “Luther”), migrated to the United States during the Reign of Terror after narrowly escaping execution. His son started the du Pont corporation in Delaware.
Du Pont descendant Alfred du Pont built the Nemours Estate after marrying his second wife (after an ugly divorce from his first wife that resulted in estrangement from his children).
After his second wife died, he married his third wife, Jessie du Pont, who was responsible for reuniting him with his estranged children. Given his ugly history, I suspect she was the person who made Nemours Estate a home. Read Alfred’s entry in Wikipedia and judge for yourself. Annie All Around is a travelogue, not a moral authority.
Download the Nemours Estate Map (PDF) for a detailed guide to garden attractions and mansion room floor-by-floor.
Gardens
The Visitor Center parking lot is some distance away from the house itself, so exploring the stunning gardens is the logical starting point since they are closer to the Visitor Center.
Once you get to the gardens from the Visitor Center walkway, make a right if you want to walk most of the gardens before arriving at the house. If you don’t want to walk much or want to get straight to the house, turn left.
I do think, though, that you really want to see the gardens. They are modeled after the Gardens of Versailles and feature a maze, colonnade, and acres of amazing natural beauty. There are benches if you need to rest.
I decided to walk around the grounds, which allowed me to enjoy the amazing beauty while getting some exercise.
The Nemours Estate encourages picnics, so if the weather is nice, bring a lunch to enjoy in the gardens.
The Mansion
The Nemour Estate mansion is three floors. The reception hall that welcomes visitors is on the second floor. I recommend heading down to the basement first and working your way up.
The basement was the entertainment center of the estate. The family could enjoy fitness and entertainment without leaving the estate. It has an indoor bowling alley, billiard room, shuffleboard room, and exercise room.
Back on the second floor, the du Ponts’ commitment to entertaining is apparent. Alfred du Pont loved music, so he built a music room that included a Steinway piano and other instruments for evening entertainment. Before becoming deaf due to a progressive congenital condition, he was an avid musician who played multiple instruments. The music club he started eventually developed into the Delaware Symphony Orchestra.
My favorite Nemours Estate room is the Conservatory, a beautiful, naturally lit room. Standing there, I could easily envision enjoying my morning coffee and breakfast in my previous life.
There is also a large kitchen outfitted with the best kitchen equipment at that time. I admit I mentally remodeled it to include modern kitchen toys I use today plus added counter and freezer space. But the present kitchen is a solid start.
On the third floor were the family and guest bedrooms. As beautiful as they are, they are also livable, and I could imagine me…oops…the du Ponts spending most of their family time there since they are surprisingly cozy. The du Ponts shared a bedroom, but they each had their own sitting and bathrooms. The du Pont children and overnight guests also slept there.
Delaware has no sales tax, so definitely stop by the estate’s gift shop before you leave. If you want to do some other tax-free shopping before leaving Delaware, head to Christiana Mall nearby.
