Visitor Information

Information on Wilmington, the Brandywine Valley, and New Castle is available from the Greater Wilmington Convention and Visitors Bureau, 100 W. 10th St., Suite 20 (tel. 800/489-6664, 800/422-1181, or 302/652-4088). It's open Monday through Friday from 9am to 5pm. For motorists, there's a visitor center at the I-95 Delaware Travel Plaza, south of town between exits 1 and 3 (tel. 302/737-4059), open daily from 8am to 8pm; it also has an automatic hotel reservations system.

Special Events

For 10 days in June, music lovers turn out for free jazz at the DuPont Clifford Brown Jazz Festival. Visit their website for a schedule. On the second weekend in July, the Rockwood Ice Cream Festival (tel. 302/761-4340) features hot-air balloons, baby parades, and, of course, ice cream.

City Layout

Three rivers surround Wilmington: the Brandywine, the Christina (formerly called the Christiana), and the Delaware. The downtown business area, wedged between the Brandywine and Christina, is laid out in a grid system, less than 20 blocks wide and long. Note: Though the downtown area is relatively small, the attractions, restaurants, and hotels are spread out, with most either south of downtown or in the northern suburbs. Aside from a few museums and shops along the Market Street Mall, you can't or wouldn't want to walk between major attractions.

Two parts of Wilmington that aren't downtown are worth a visit: the revitalized Riverfront area and the more suburban north side. The Riverfront is about a 5-minute drive south of downtown between I-95 and the Christina River. Home to outlet shops, an arts center, and other attractions, it can be tricky to get to from downtown (take Martin Luther King, Jr. Blvd. to Madison St. and follow the signs). Or head back to I-95 and take Exit 6. Riverfront has lots of free parking.

The north side of Wilmington (north of Rte. 52 and northwest of I-95) features modest to lavish brick houses, parks, the trendy Trolley Square neighborhood, and tiny Little Italy, with plenty of restaurants -- including Luigi Vitrone's Pastabilities, 415 N. Lincoln St. (tel. 302/656-9822), featured on the Food Network. The main thoroughfares are Route 52 and Delaware Avenue; as you drive out Route 52, the city gives way to rolling hills and the Brandywine Valley. You'll be surprised how close all these wonderful attractions are.

Main Arteries & Streets -- Market Street runs north-south in downtown Wilmington. The east-west cross streets are numbered from 1st to 16th, with the lowest number on the southern end. The north-south streets bear the names of presidents and local heroes west of Market, and trees east of Market. Most streets are one-way, except for Fourth Street. I-95 enters Wilmington via two main avenues: Delaware Avenue (Rte. 52) on the north end of the city, and Martin Luther King, Jr. Boulevard on the south.

From I-95 and downtown, approach Wilmington's north side by using Route 52, which splits into Pennsylvania Avenue (Rte. 52) and Delaware Avenue about 2 blocks north of I-95. Take Route 52 out of the city for Brandywine Valley sites.

Maps -- Greater Wilmington and Brandywine Valley: America's Cultural Gem, a booklet produced by the Greater Wilmington Convention and Visitors Bureau, has detailed maps of downtown and the Wilmington region with all the major attractions marked.