Museums

• The Delaware Children's Museum is one of several kid-friendly museums in Wilmington. It offers seven interactive exhibits that allow young patrons to explore mathematical, scientific and technological concepts. The Delaware Museum of Natural History, the only such museum in the state, is also located in Wilmington. Its permanent exhibits include dinosaur, bird and mammal galleries, as well as a butterfly garden and more than 2 million seashells. In addition, the Delaware Museum of Art offers programs for children, including story readings, arts and craft workshops and holiday celebrations.
  
  

Nature and Wildlife

• Nature enthusiasts of all ages can observe the region's native fauna and flora at Wilmington's DuPont Environmental Education Center, located at the Russell W. Peterson Urban Wildlife Refuge. Another option for a children's outing is the 13-acre Brandywine Zoo, which is open seven days a week and houses approximately 150 animals from Asia's temperate regions and the Americas.
  
  

Historic Sites

• Dubbed "Delaware's Operating Railroad Museum," the Wilmington & Western Railroad, which dates back to 1867 and once transported passengers and freight, is now a nonprofit tourist attraction. Trains depart from Wilmington's Greenbank Station and traverse the countryside along the Red Clay Creek, which can only be seen from the train.
  
  Children can learn about another means of transportation at the Kalmar Nyckel Foundation, which offers sails on a re-creation of the ship that transported the settlers from Sweden that established the first European settlement in the Delaware Valley in 1638.
  
  Also intertwined with Wilmington lore is the Hagley Museum and Library, which encompasses the estate and gun powder mills that belonged to the famous, corporate du Pont family. It offers programming for children throughout the year, in addition to transient and permanent exhibits that depict the history and influence of the du Pont enterprises.
  
  

Performing Arts

• The Delaware Children's Theater in Wilmington offers live performances for children throughout the year, as well as acting workshops. Another local institution, the Dupont Theater, hosts several Broadway shows and offers a children's series which includes a number of shows based on classic children's tales.