Reviews of First State National Historical Park. (Museum) in Wilmington (Delaware).

First State National Historical Park

329 Reviews

167 Comments

Museum

National reserve

211 Delaware St, New Castle, DE 19720, United States

Description

Information of First State National Historical Park, Museum in Wilmington (Delaware)

Discover the opening times, the location, contact, popular times, photos and real reviews by internet users.

This place has a very good rate, they treat their customers well and you’ll feel welcome, super recommended

Map

Open hours of First State National Historical Park

Reviews of First State National Historical Park

Dennis Bagwell

What a lovely little gem of a town next to the beautiful Delaware River. If you're a history nerd like me, you'll love it. If not, you'll still love it. William Penn landed here in the 1600's, a signer of the Declaration and the Constitution lived and died here. It's a beautiful, quaint, little historic river side town.

Rob Shum

nothing short of amazing seeing American history in-person. loved the cobblestone streets(and some walkways) left from many many years ago. despite the weather, it was such a beautiful place to visit. just wish we had gone a day later at least since it seemed a lot of the shops/historical sites were closed(open friday-sunday I guess). still was fun to visit!

Keelan Seabolt

During our visit to Wilmington we wanted to go and see the Delaware Bay and beaches so we stumbled upon the town of New Castle. It was an adorable town full of history and celebrating the Spirit of Christmas. In the center of town was the court house museum which was full of artifacts and historical memorabilia from the first state. There were several guides inside who were very helpful and provided interesting information on the history of New Castle and the courthouse. Would recommend taking the short drive to New Castle and definitely stop by the courthouse!

Deniz Tezcan

It's an honor to finally have this wonderfully historic section of my home state inducted into National Park status. I absolutely love this place. The sunsets here are stunning! There's so much rich history here. you could spend days and days wandering the streets learning about all of the historic figures that have stayed here in the past. I highly recommend spending the day here, wandering around this beautiful park

Lily Dang

First State National Historical Park is actually a series of smaller state parks and historical houses that form up the larger National Historical Park. It was a really interesting concept because each park/ location gave a little bit of history. Each park that has their own visitor center has a place where you can get one of the national park passport stamps. The main address for this park is in historical New Castle. It's got a lot of history and includes the place where William Penn arrived and stayed. Very accessible and depending on which park you want to go, all are fairly close to each other.

Ali Wolff

Loved walking around this Lil town! Lots of history...even the 1st spot where the railroad started!!!

J Pokakaa

This is the only national park site in Delaware. The building and streets are beautiful! The people are nice and friendly. They give you so much ibformation!!

Nick McGrath

Old Town New Castle very nice Town great places to eat.

Kelly Connell

Old New Castle A.K.A. Historic New Castle is an awesome place to visit. My fiancé and I LOVE to go see the water. There's also a trail u can walk. Dog friendly too! And the kiddos have a play area to play in.

Austin Elizabeth Robinson

My mother and I visited there on a quest to hit up as many NPS sites in the New England states in 2 weeks. Extremely nice staff, they let us in even though they should have been getting ready for a school group. The museum is ok, but we also got a rushed tour so maybe it is better with more time. Learned some cool facts!

Charles Grady

Wonderfully preserved courthouse with a fantastic and engaged staff. Recommend the tour. The sheriff's house was under construction and I can't wait for it to open.

Yuezhou Wang

It might be one of the least visited park. I stopped by in New Castle, DE, on the way to Assateague beach. There is one park ranger inside the courthouse, who gave me a short history lecture about DE. The old town well preserved the colonial style with some nice decorated gift shops and dutch and Swedish restaurants.

Gemma Miller

Was closed when we arrived so we could not go inside. But loved walking around this old town! Lots of history and wonderful buildings to look at. What a step back in time.

Julie Gamponia

You won't be disappointed spending time here. The walks on the pier and along the shore are beautiful. Unfortunately, the park office was not open during the hours that the website said it should have been.

Robin Sanchez

There are a lot of sites to visit within this Historic Site. For whatever reason, the steps of the New Castle Courthouse were what left an impression on me.

Freundly Sky

Nice little park along the Brandywine with trails throughout

Xin Chen

This is a great place to learn the history of Delaware and its colonial era.

Tyler DuBry

Neat little place. Not exactly what I had expected but very history filled area

Andre Cotto (Trustdre)

I came here with my son and we brought our bikes to ride around, great view here. It's a nice place to come. I saw runners, fishermen, people enjoying the pier, nice for taking a walk, and also nice to just sit on the grass and enjoy nature. I always love coming here to enjoy the historical town, eat in the restaurant, check out the antique shop, and Historical Museum. Hope you will enjoy it as much as I do.

Castle

Even though we were the only coue there we got to here all about the state history. The best musuem we went to in Delaware.

Sabina Giovanna

Always a breathtaking to go around there looking at the water view.

Robin Foraker

I love this old charming town it just gives a great feeling when I go down there for a day.

star ship

Very nice place, the man working there is very nice, you can look to the pictures watch a video about new castle and buy some souvenirs

Jill Greenstein

Lovely little town square well preserved and nicely signed. Peaceful and quiet; quite relaxing after a day on the road. Highly recommend a stop when you are driving on 95.

Mark Hopkins

Old New Castle is a great place to walk around. Lots of history to see. Wear good shoes, the sidewalks are very uneven.

Michael Nash

Great site and a wonderful guided tour of the courthouse! Learned a lot about the formation of the state of Delaware. The site is also growing and is a great place walk around and see all the historical buildings. Make sure you reserve your tour time during COVID

Brian Kerr

We have been to New Castle several times. It is beautiful, historical, friendly, interesting and OUTSTANDING for walkers, such as ourselves, to exercise along the water's edge. The town is quite elegant and very clean and tidy. The traffic flow can be rather problematic on weekends, especially, so be advised. There are many eating places in the town and nearby as well as excellent hotels/motels if you choose to stay.

Marie

Well, in my opinion this could be a more appealing tourist and local attraction. Besides the few restaurants they have, there really isn't much to capture your interest. I've been told businesses are discouraged from opening there. It could be great...it is a little unknown part of our great history due to the restrictions held by the city council. Let go...put in shops and other appealing attractions.

Eddie Kang

To find and visit a small historic town near large city is really a joy. New Castle is about two hours from Washington DC area and from New York. It's a nice place for parents to show their kids about American history.

Vtrainers Personal Training

Cute little town to visit if you live within 30 minutes for sure. Cute shops and dining options and the river walk are within walking distance. Vtrainers Personal Training

Adventure Krewe

If you are looking for national park Cancellation Stamps you will find one at the first State visitor center. Or if like history this little square will work you away to colonial times.. parking on the weekend in Sept was easy and close. They have a little 8 min movie and some local artifacts including a little walking tour of the area. #AdventureKrewe tip: take a photo of the walking tour sign and use it to navigate the streets, then use Google to look up each location. Your own mini history tour. Give us things up if you like American history. Two thumbs up if you don't.

K D

Popped into the courthouse for a quick look around and ended up getting a very informative private tour. The bearded gentleman (can't remember his name) giving the tour was quite knowledgeable and seemed happy to answer all of my questions. Went in knowing absolutely nothing about the state of Delaware and left with a pretty good history of the first settlers, the workings of the English court/trial process, and the courthouse's role in the Underground Railroad.

Emily Reed

The best small historical town in Delaware. Wonderful historical houses with the huge Battery Park on the banks of the Delaware River. A little jewel amidst the clutter of surrounding businesses, shopping centers, strip malls. Once you see it, you will fall in love with it. Quaint historical restaurants, small shops, eye candy everywhere.

G Aquino

The "park" is actually a collection of 7 historic sites found throughout Delaware and the only federal historical park in the state. Interestingly enough, despite Delaware being the first US state, it was the last one to get a historical park. If you're determined, you can visit all 7 sites in a single day. Four of them are clustered around the Wilmington metro area, which should make things a little easier. We visited 3 of these 4 sites for free - Fort Christina and Old Swedes Church in Wilmington and the Court House in New Castle. That took five hours. The farthest site from us at the time (called Ryves Holt House) was another 1.5 hours by car and it would've been closed by the time we arrived. We'll have to do another trip to complete the tour. But this was a good experience overall and we highly recommend it!

Richard Gates

This historical park is a collection of 7 sites around the state of Delaware. Taken collectively, they give a tremendous insight into the history of the founding of the state and its part in the early history of the country. You need a couple of days to see everything but it is well worth it.

Wendy Reverdito

Beautiful place in the First State. A great place to visit any time but especially when they have events. Check their website for events. Also a good place for children, plenty of space to run around and a nice playground.

Nachuan Xu

Really love here when dusk

Valerie Alder

My entire family loved this stop. We were the only family there and the tour guide did an amazing job. We learned so much during our short visit. It was well worth our detour to visit.

Rick Oliver

Great experience, even on a busy day. Very friendly docents, eager to tell their story. We hung back after the group went through, and they were very willing to give us interesting tidbits of information.

Brian Blackwell

It's is a good place to visit and walk around and see things.

Jose Razo

This is a hidden jewel with a long history everything we preserve. A place I plan on returning for separation day. Although I was only able to visit for about an hour I would recommend for people to stop by if they are in the neighborhood.

Melissa Curry

Quaint little town with lots of history. Beautiful landscapes and hardscapes.

Aaron Shoun

This place is as historic as can be to me. Growing up in New Castle left an impression on me ever since I was 5 years old and took a field trip from Carrie Downie school to Battery park. Later, in Middle School, we took another field trip to Battery Part and what is now known as First State National Park - or the town square. We even went inside the Post Office. Then, much later, I stood near the the William Penn statue and kissed a new girlfriend, for quite a while. This place has it all - Nora Lee's, Jessop's Tavern - why would I ever want to live anywhere else? ✌️

Lovely Lacey

Great place. Awesome accesible waterfront close to historic New Castle. Cafés and Restaurants nearby. Minimal trash along the shore and runner and dog friendly trails.

Gars Lenni

It is a place with a lot of history, very good to spend the day and learn

Kimberly E. Wolfe

Great tour and beautiful park

Kim Rose

I went to Penn's Place Coffee & Jewerly. The coffee is excellent & the Jewelry is so incredibly beautiful! Awesome gift shopping for Old New Castle!!

Angela Allemang

It was like a miniature, but more authentic Williamsburg. The tour of the court house was very informative.

Nick Davis

It is so nice here and quite. You can walk to the water a block from here and see beautiful view. There is a park area, so I got food and went there with my kids, we had nice lunch.

Bryce Caster

This park is actually a collection of 7 sites scattered around the state. Combined, they will give you incredible insight into the state's early history. Interestingly, none of the sites are actually managed by the Park Service at this time.

Dawn Gaddis

Great place for American history. New Castle history audio tour is very informative.

Amy Toman

This is a very nice small area that is very well-documented. There are tons of handouts, and the docents who are around are very helpful. We really enjoyed walking around this small area and will definitely come back.

Felicia Leverett

Very small national park but beautiful! Located in an adorable town with a beautiful waterfront

Rick Vanden Heuvel

The Day on Old New Castle each May brings the history of this very early settlement town to life. The reenactment of the trial of the Fin is great!

geoff steck

You can always count on an excellent, informative experience at a National Park site. Good job here with Brian sharing the earliest history of the First State.

Mark Geisthardt

We had a wonderful and extremely informative time as our guide spent a lot of time with us and shared lots of great and detailed history with us all the time putting it into context. Thank you Joan!

Jeffrey McDermott

Lots of great Delaware history we weren't aware of, and historic New Castle is charming!

R Wasley

Great history, I like how you can look down the old rock roads and imagine the houses and buggy's going down the street. Also gotta see the small train station and the small police station near the water

Gary Griffith

A real treasure in a beautiful little town

Sandra Bonsu

Call ahead of time for tour! Due to covid they're giving tours specific times throughout the day!

Jim Dymond

Point beautiful little town with a ton of History great place to spend the day walking around also nice shops and food venues

Joseph Ruff

This park has the best scenic waterway walking area. I love going here, especially in the spring and fall.

Mik Scheper

Cute town. It's a trip to be somewhere that feels kinda Dutch, in the US.

John Olshefski

I highly recommend a trip to historic New Castle!! Beautiful place, so much history!!

Aracelis Torres

Such a beautiful area. Love the view, the history, its cafes and antique shops.

rich meudt

Outstanding performance trails for biking or walking. Great scenery and great job of clearing the trails.

Christopher M. Burns Ozz

Great, quaint, antiquate.. Historic.. Ice cream, beer, pizza nearby, kid-friendly park, POKEMON.. Cobblestones tho..

John Boone

Wonderful place to visit lots of beautiful scenery and interesting things to see..

Kendrick Wee

Not exactly a park but made up of series of buildings. Nice walk and plenty of nearby shops as well.

Bonnie Mauloni

Wonderful day in Old New Castle with dinner at Jessop's Tavern, visit to waterfront, and the Arsenal.

angela alton

Love this park for exercise or just a long stroll or bike ride on the paved trail.

Mark Melson

Had no Idea William Penn owned so much land...lol

Jana Bel

Harder to find (not signed very well ) but once again the people were wonderful and gave us our own private tour!

Diana Mchenry

Really nice place to walk and to sit on a bench and relax.

Rose Davalos

Love old New Castle. Grew up here and moved away 25 yrs ago . This will always be in my 💓 …

Douglas Anderson

Wonderful storyline. Very interesting, much more so than I had hoped for.

Megan Metcalf

Well kept area with lots of signage to help explain facts from early American history

margaret bello

The walking trail in Old New Castle is wonderful! :)

Sandra Sewell

Park has great night tours. Historical and interactive

Eye of the Beholder

Go here often with the family to walk around the city. Or just enjoy the park.

JK Schwehm

Large park with lots of space to walk, read about history, or sit and relax.

James Huninghake

Talk about feeling like you have been hurled back in time! You'll have the feeling of being part of colonial times.

Hugh G Wrection

great place great food and the best Belgium beer list ever

Kris Krawczyk

Love coming to work here. I'm the church lady at New Castle Presbyterian

John Barbizzi

Great place to visit and walk around

Ryan Stofko

Nice park and good for Pokemon Go hunting as well!

Gary Shunk

Wonderful old historic town for history buffs.

Zack Tyler

Cute exterior but there isn't really much to do

Ben Greenplate

To hike and spend time with family. Its perfect

Cyber Terrapin

Good walk. Interesting architecture.

Lucas Odinson

This was a pleasant little are, nothing huge but there was a bit to see.

Michael Ortiz

Was a neat experience and some good history to be learned.

Lisa Drabic

Loved it!!! Was blown away by how much we loved it.

Bill Dukes

Very nice old style Italian restaurant.

Valerie DeMarco-Ruggiero

Best place In New Castle to live

Clarence Emerson

Beautiful place to visit, see history at its finest

Desiree B

Beautiful place to have wedding photos.

Saundra Ferrara

Historic!

Marie Hanna

Wonderful little historic town worth seeing

Curt Cole

Great place to visit history in Delaware

corey fox

Very informative and a good way to spend the day

Julian Camacho

Great place to enjoy open spaces

Marion Maurmann

That Place was sooo intressting wow Love it

George Schuler

Good for a day out, lots of history.

SkyDome VIZE

Very quiet and cool history.

Tanya Simpson

The festival was going on that day.

Ryan lovett

Very cool you will learn something

Kenneth Kreider

Some very cool shops there

Curt Kimmel

Lots of New Castle history here

Anonymouss S.

Great place. Always has been.

Jenny K

Interesting and always a pleasure to visit.

William Baker

Alot of history, cool place.

Crystal Williams

Nice place to go and walk the park

Andrew Robbins

Knowledgable people working at the old courthouse

Luciana Barletta

Love it

Tia Ingleton

One of my favorite places.

John Kaminski (quarkgent)

Nice somewhat unknown historical area

Chris Rockey

Always worth a visit.

Lizette Ramírez

Delaware's first national park!

Danny

Another hidden gem in Delaware no less

Megumi Suenaga

Good place to learn the American history

Melanie Taylor

Beautiful and well kept

Michael Gerhold

Beautiful historical section

Pat Perouty

Very historic, nicely preserved.

Sav Murr

Just don't go at night 😂💯 …

Edward Joslin

Great place lots of history

Miguel A Montañez

Full of history; interesting place.

Susan C

Beautiful historic town.

David Russell

Very awesome experience

Charles Walls

Historic New Castle, Home Sweet Home

michelle thompson

Free informative tour...

Renee Crews

Things were great!!!

Wade Carey

Good for walking.

Adam Riell

Nice town to walk around in

Mario Lopez

Beautiful

Ruben Kelly

You can't miss it.

tom dahlke

The history here is awesome

0_o uwu

It cool

Jennifer Mason

Beautiful

Brandon Dougherty

Love this Park!

Nora Bobb

What a beautiful place.

H T

Nice historic area.

Ang Hegel

Great history lesson

Scrumpy Mcgrumpy

Interesting

Salina Sweeten

Was here for separation day

M Dale

Beautiful location.

Tom Shoemaker

Nice place to walk

Robin Cooper

Peaceful

Fiery Irish Sparkle

Pretty

Deb Franzen

Very interesting

Sandy Walters

Beautiful

Jacob Smith

Neat place!

Leo Alvarado

Love this park

delia ocasio

History

aseem saurabh

amazing place

Nicholas Dopler

Beautiful place

James Davis

Good place

Christine Janvier

Historical education

Tony Knight

Pokemon go

Kyle Milbrand

Awesome, historical tour! I learned a lot from a very enthusiastic and friendly tour guide.

Rebecca Trapp

Free tour of old multipurposed building. Small museum to roam.

Ceci “MONA” Guerrero

A quiet place with a lot of history and peace. I liked its architecture is spectacular.

Thomas Hurd

Susana Becerra

Beautiful to walk for a while and enjoy the history of Delaware and therefore of the United States

Afettin Baltacı

A magnificent historical place preserved houses

Artem Abramyan

Lisa Xie

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