Read House & Gardens

Read House & Gardens A National Historic Landmark in Old New Castle, Delaware, celebrating 225 years of inspired design Tours begin on the hour; last tour departs at 3 p.m. daily.

Closed major holidays.

Thanks to our friends at Delaware Humanities for including us on their team-building trip to Old New Castle!
06/18/2026

Thanks to our friends at Delaware Humanities for including us on their team-building trip to Old New Castle!

Read House Ambassador Laura MacKelcan showed up in style this weekend! A member of the DAR, Laura stopped by the House a...
06/16/2026

Read House Ambassador Laura MacKelcan showed up in style this weekend! A member of the DAR, Laura stopped by the House after participating in the Separation Day Parade in New Castle on Saturday.

Separation Day celebrates Delaware’s independence from Pennsylvania and the British Crown. If you missed the festivities this weekend, you can still learn more about the history of the occasion in tomorrow's virtual talk, Not Today, PA, presented with Delaware Public Archives!

Sign up here: https://dhs.givecloud.co/not-today-pa

UPDATE -- This Saturday, June 13, is Separation Day, commemorating the anniversary of Delaware declaring independence fr...
06/11/2026

UPDATE --
This Saturday, June 13, is Separation Day, commemorating the anniversary of Delaware declaring independence from Pennsylvania.

We hope you'll stop by the Read House if you're in New Castle for the Separation Day Festival. In addition to our regular tours, we'll also have family-friendly crafts on Saturday!

Please note: We will be closed during the parade, from 12-1 p.m.

It's almost time to make a toast to the 250th!Join us on Friday, June 26 for Revolutionary Spirits, where you'll learn a...
06/11/2026

It's almost time to make a toast to the 250th!
Join us on Friday, June 26 for Revolutionary Spirits, where you'll learn about -- and sample -- some of the libations popular with our Founding Fathers and others of their time.

Tickets include tastings, light bites, and a discussion about the history of Revolutionary Spirits by Derrick Kelley, owner of Bin 66 Wine & Spirits in Rehoboth. This event is for guests 21 and up.

$25 Members / $30 Non-members
Purchase tickets here: https://dhs.givecloud.co/revolutionary-spirits

Before the American Revolution, tea was the drink of choice for many people living in what is now the United States, but...
06/09/2026

Before the American Revolution, tea was the drink of choice for many people living in what is now the United States, but the events that led to independence also had a lasting impact on Americans' attitudes about tea!

Join us at the Read House on July 3 at 10 a.m. to learn about the history of tea, boycotts during the American Revolution, and how buying local made a difference. Aaron Vederman and Dwayne Foster, co-owners of The Mercury Cafe and Teahouse, will join us to discuss their tea blending process, and participants can enjoy their tea in the Read House.

$15/person. Ticket price includes admission to a house tour.
Register here: https://dhs.givecloud.co/brewing-change-usa250

It’s First Friday! On the First Friday of each month, we share a favorite from the Read House & Gardens. This month’s fa...
06/05/2026

It’s First Friday! On the First Friday of each month, we share a favorite from the Read House & Gardens. This month’s favorite thing is presented by Noel Ank, a Read House ambassador and graduate student at the University of Delaware:

They can be easy to overlook, but if you peer into some of the bookcases throughout the Read House, you can spy some of the books that Philip and Lydia Laird owned and read.

These books, known as the Laird book collection, consist of over one hundred volumes of various genres, including gardening, history, novels, romances, short stories, travel, poetry, essays, and humor. The publication dates of these books range from 1684 to 1963, making the ages of the volumes range between 342 to 63 years old.

As Colonial Revivalists, Philip and Lydia were interested in preserving history not only through places and objects but with texts, as well. Many of the books the Lairds collected were in fact history books, demonstrating their specific interests in the American past. They also collected works of fiction, poetry, travel, and gardening, which are also useful in historic analysis of literature. As Philip and Lydia collected books according to their taste, they also left a record of the art that made an impact on them and possibly helped to shape their perspectives.

In many ways, the Laird book collection provides us with another window to peer into lives of the past. They can speak to and with the objects and the home that Philip and Lydia curated to give us a more complete picture of this family.

The Read House is celebrating 50 years as a museum, but for most of its existence, it was a family home full of activity...
06/03/2026

The Read House is celebrating 50 years as a museum, but for most of its existence, it was a family home full of activity and life. It's always a joy to welcome people into the house, and we especially love sharing the history, architecture, and great views with inquisitive young guests!

We welcomed more than 500 children to the house on school trips in May, and this lucky group of first-graders, pictured with Lead Ambassador Pam Mansfield, even got to watch the Kalmar Nyckel sailing by during their visit.

For more information about scheduling field trips or adult group tours, visit readhouseandgardens.org

If you're planning to visit the Read House & Gardens this week, please note our modified hours: Thursday, May 28 -- We w...
05/27/2026

If you're planning to visit the Read House & Gardens this week, please note our modified hours:

Thursday, May 28 -- We will open to the public for tours at 2 p.m.
Friday, May 29 -- Regular hours, 11 a.m. - 4 p.m.
Saturday, May 30 -- The last tour will begin at 2 p.m.
Sunday, May 31 -- Regular hours, 11 a.m. - 4 p.m.

We had a beautiful day for A Day in Old New Castle on Saturday! It's always wonderful to welcome first-time visitors and...
05/20/2026

We had a beautiful day for A Day in Old New Castle on Saturday! It's always wonderful to welcome first-time visitors and long-time friends to explore and learn about the Read House, and we loved seeing so many people getting into the spirit of the day in costume!

If you didn't make it last weekend, we'd love to see you soon! We will open for public tours at 2 p.m. tomorrow, Thursday, May 21. We will return to regular operating hours this weekend, 11 a.m. - 4 p.m. Friday through Sunday.

Visiting the Read House this week? Please be advised that we will open to the public for tours at 2 p.m. this Thursday, ...
05/20/2026

Visiting the Read House this week? Please be advised that we will open to the public for tours at 2 p.m. this Thursday, May 21 and next Thursday, May 28.
We are open regular hours Friday through Sunday, 11 a.m. - 4 p.m.

Address

42 The Strand
New Castle, DE
19720

Opening Hours

Thursday 11am - 4pm
Friday 11am - 4pm
Saturday 11am - 4pm
Sunday 11am - 4pm

Telephone

(302) 322-8411

Website

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