First State National Historical Park
Famous as the First State to ratify the Constitution, Delaware was born out of a conflict among three world powers for dominance of the Delaware Valley. From this beginning, the region developed a distinct character that tolerated diversity in religion and national origin and valued independence.
About under an hour from Philadelphia and 1.5 hours from Baltimore by car.
Alerts
- CautionSafety Alert Hazardous Trees in the Brandywine Valley
Numerous trees in the Brandywine Valley are down across the roads and trails due to the recent storm. Please use caution while driving and hiking never walk directly under a tree that is hanging. Park staff is working to improve conditions.
Fees & passes
Free. No entrance fee here.
Hours
| New Castle Court House Museum | Varies by day ▾
|
| Old Swedes Historic Site | Varies by day ▾
|
| Fort Christina | Varies by day ▾
|
| Brandywine Valley | Daily · Sunrise to Sunset |
| The Dover Green | Daily · Sunrise to Sunset |
| John Dickinson Plantation | Varies by day ▾
|
New Castle Court House Museum: hours by date. Standard hours apply on every date not listed.
| Dates | Hours |
|---|---|
| Standard hoursNow |
|
| Nov 26, 2026Thanksgiving Day | Hours not published |
| Nov 26, 2026Closed Thanksgiving Day | Closed |
| Dec 24, 2026Closed December 24th | Closed |
| Dec 25, 2026Closed Christmas Day | Closed |
| Dec 25, 2026Closed Christmas Day | Closed |
| Dec 25, 2026Closed December 25th | Closed |
| Jan 1, 2027Closed New Year's Day | Closed |
| Jan 1, 2027New Years Day | Hours not published |
| Jan 18, 2027Closed Martin Luther King Jr. Day | Closed |
| Jun 19, 2027Juneteenth | Hours not published |
| Jul 4, 2027Closed Independence Day | Closed |
Old Swedes Historic Site: hours by date. Standard hours apply on every date not listed.
| Dates | Hours |
|---|---|
| Standard hoursNow |
|
| Nov 26, 2026Closed Thanksgiving Day | Closed |
| Dec 24, 2026Closed December 24th | Closed |
| Dec 25, 2026Closed December 25th | Closed |
| Jan 1 to Mar 5, 2027Closed January-February | Closed |
| Jan 1, 2027Closed New Year's Day | Closed |
| Jul 4, 2027Closed Independence Day | Closed |
Fort Christina: hours by date. Standard hours apply on every date not listed.
| Dates | Hours |
|---|---|
| Standard hoursNow |
|
| Nov 11, 2026Closed Veterans Day | Closed |
| Nov 26, 2026Closed Thanksgiving Day | Closed |
| Dec 25, 2026Closed Christmas Day | Closed |
| Jan 1, 2027Closed New Year's Day | Closed |
| Jan 1 to Jan 18, 2027Closed MLK | Closed |
| Feb 15, 2027Closed Washington's Birthday | Closed |
| May 29, 2027Memorial Day | 10:00AM - 4:00PM |
| Jun 19, 2027Juneteenth | 10:00AM - 4:00PM |
| Jul 4, 2027Independence Day | 10:00AM - 4:00PM |
| Sep 6, 2027Labor Day |
|
| Oct 12, 2027Closed Columbus Day | Closed |
John Dickinson Plantation: hours by date. Standard hours apply on every date not listed.
| Dates | Hours |
|---|---|
| Standard hoursNow |
|
| Nov 26, 2026Closed Thanksgiving Day | Closed |
| Dec 24, 2026Closed December 24th | Closed |
| Dec 25, 2026Closed December 25th | Closed |
| Jan 1, 2027Closed New Year's Day | Closed |
| Jul 4, 2027Closed Independence Day | Closed |
When to go
October draws the most visits here and January the fewest, averaged over 2023 to 2025.
Visitor centers
- Sheriff's House Welcome Center ↗Passport stamp
The Welcome Center is located in Historic New Castle inside the Sheriff’s House. The center will be open from 9:00 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. Thursday-Saturday. Exhibits in the center share nationally significant stories that shaped the nation’s first state through photos and audio-visual displays.
No campgrounds, no webcams or things to do in Park Service data. What is here comes from the official page. The rest lives there.
Checked nightly. Modules appear as soon as the Park Service publishes the data.
Explore
Films
National Park Service productions, public domain.
Events
- 07:00 PM · runs through Dec 9 · free · registration required340 Kitts Hummock Rd, Dover, DE, United States, Delaware 19901
- Halloween Ghost Ship10/1710:00 AM · free1124 E 7th St, Wilmington, DE 19801
- Sheriff's House Oral History Interview10/1809:00 AM · free · registration required
- 10:00 AM · free43 The Green, Dover, DE, United States, Delaware 19901
News
- National Park Service Proposes Rule to Allow Bicycle Use on Designated Trails at First State National Historical Park ↗2026-07-29
WILMINGTON, Del. — The National Park Service is proposing to allow bicycle use on approximately 25 miles of designated trails within the Brandywine Valley unit of First State National Historical Park and is seeking…
Map
Interactive map by the National Park Service
Historic landmarks nearby
Public land nearby
Distances are approximate. Wilderness Atlas publishes a center point and an acreage for each area rather than a boundary, so each area is treated here as a circle of the same size and the figure is the gap to that circle.
Guidebooks for the Mid-Atlantic
We earn a small commission if you buy through these links. It does not change what we list.
Titles come from Open Library's catalog, matched by subject.
Reference
Wildlife
Seen this monthBald Eagle 38× · Osprey 16× · Red Fox 10× · Peregrine Falcon 9× · Great Horned Owl 3× · Belted Kingfisher 2× · Common Loon 1×Research-grade observations within 25 km, last 30 days, via iNaturalist
Full checklist: 141 birds, 7 mammalsHide
Raptors & owlsAmerican Kestrel · Bald Eagle · Barred Owl · Black Vulture · Broad-winged Hawk · Cooper's Hawk · Eastern Screech Owl · Great Horned Owl · Merlin · Northern Harrier · Osprey · Red-shouldered Hawk · Red-tailed Hawk · Sharp-shinned Hawk · Turkey Vulture
Waterfowl & wadersCanada Goose · Common Loon · Common Merganser · Great Blue Heron · Great Egret · Green Heron · Hooded Merganser · Snow Goose · Wood Duck
Shorebirds & seabirdsAmerican Woodcock · Killdeer · Laughing Gull · Ring-billed Gull · Solitary Sandpiper · Spotted Sandpiper
Gamebirds & dovesMourning Dove · Rock Dove
WoodpeckersDowny Woodpecker · Hairy Woodpecker · Northern Flicker · Pileated Woodpecker · Red-bellied Woodpecker · Yellow-bellied Sapsucker
Hummingbirds & swiftsChimney Swift · Ruby-throated Hummingbird
Also on the checklistAcadian Flycatcher · American Crow · American Goldfinch · American Redstart · American Robin · American Tree Sparrow · Baltimore Oriole · Barn Swallow · Bay-breasted Warbler · Belted Kingfisher · Black and White Warbler · Black-billed Cuckoo · Black-capped Chickadee · Black-throated Blue Warbler · Black-throated Green Warbler · Blackburnian Warbler · Blackpoll Warbler · Blue Grosbeak · Blue Jay · Blue-gray Gnatcatcher · Blue-headed Vireo · Blue-winged Warbler · Bobolink · Brown Creeper · Brown Thrasher · Brown-headed Cowbird · Canada Warbler · Cape May Warbler · Carolina Chickadee · Carolina Wren · Cedar Waxwings · Chestnut-sided Warbler · Chipping Sparrow · Common Grackle · Common Nighthawk · Common Yellowthroat · Connecticut Warbler · Dark-eyed Junco · Eastern Bluebird · Eastern Kingbird · Eastern Phoebe · Eastern Towhee · Eastern Wood-Pewee · Field Sparrow · Fish Crow · Fox Sparrow · Golden-crowned Kinglet · Gray Catbird · Great Crested Flycatcher · Hermit Thrush · House Finch · House Sparrow · House Wren · Indigo Bunting · Louisiana Waterthrush · Magnolia Warbler · Mallard · Mourning Warbler · Nashville Warbler · North.Rough-winged Swallow · Northern Cardinal · Northern Mockingbird · Northern Parula · Northern Waterthrush · Orchard Oriole · Ovenbird · Palm Warbler · Pine Siskin · Pine Warbler · Prairie Warbler · Prothonotary Warbler · Purple Finch · Purple Martin · Red-breasted Nuthatch · Red-eyed Vireo · Red-winged Blackbird · Rose-breasted Grosbeak · Ruby-crowned Kinglet · Rusty Blackbird · Savannah Sparrow · Scarlet Tanager · Song Sparrow · Swainson's Thrush · Swamp Sparrow · Tennessee Warbler · Tree Swallow · Tufted Titmouse · Veery · Warbling Vireo · White-breasted Nuthatch · White-crowned Sparrow · White-eyed Vireo · White-throated Sparrow · Willow Flycatcher · Wilson's Warbler · Winter Wren · Wood Thrush · Yellow Breasted Chat · Yellow Warbler · Yellow-billed Cuckoo · Yellow-rumped Warbler
Small mammalsEastern Chipmunk · Eastern Gray Squirrel
PredatorsCross Fox · common raccoon
Hoofed mammalsWhite tailed deer
Also on the checklistVirginia Opossum · Woodchuck
Activities
Activity guides for this park Fishing in the national parks · Hiking in the national parks · Horseback riding in the national parks
All 13 activitiesHide
Weather & climate
For details and information, visit, http://www.nps.gov/frst/index.htm.
Questions people ask
Does First State charge an entrance fee?
No. First State is free to enter.
Source: National Park Service
What are the hours at First State?
Hours differ by day of the week. The full schedule is under Hours on this page. Dated exceptions are listed under Hours.
Source: National Park Service
Is anything closed at First State right now?
1 active alert as of October 14, 2026: Safety Alert Hazardous Trees in the Brandywine Valley.
Source: Alerts
How busy is First State?
200,173 recreation visits in 2025, number 175 of 387 units that report visitation.
Source: Most visited parks
Is there cell service at First State?
At the park's reference point, FCC coverage maps show Verizon 4G LTE, AT&T 5G, and T-Mobile 5G. Coverage inside the park varies by location.
Source: FCC Broadband Map
Follow this park
- Alerts feed (RSS)
- Every active Park Service alert for this unit, one item each, rebuilt with the nightly data refresh.
- Add dates to your calendar (.ics file)
- Fee-free entrance days that apply here and each published hours exception, as all-day events.
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