Delaware Art Museum
Wilmington, Delaware · Museum · Accessibility score 4.4/5
Address: Wilmington, DE
Phone: (302) 571-9590
About
The Delaware Art Museum opened in 1912 as the Wilmington Society of the Fine Arts and now holds more than 12,000 objects at 2301 Kentmere Parkway, on the Brandywine Creek side of Wilmington rather than downtown. Two collections anchor the place. The Samuel Bancroft collection of British Pre-Raphaelite art is the largest in the United States, and Rossetti's Lady Lilith (finished in 1873) is its best-known canvas. The other pillar is American illustration built around Howard Pyle and his students, including Frank Schoonover and N.C. Wyeth. Helen Farr Sloan's gift of about 5,000 objects adds the work of her husband, John Sloan.
Inside, you move through galleries on more than one floor, with two elevators linking them. Seating is set out in the galleries, in Fusco Hall, the East Court and the Museum Store, so you can rest between rooms without hunting for a bench. The museum runs a store and a cafe (the site lists them under Eat and Shop but publishes no menu or store hours). The Helen Farr Sloan Library holds more than 30,000 volumes and 1,000 boxes of archives on the artists in the collection.
Outside, the nine-acre Copeland Sculpture Garden spreads across the wooded areas and lawns of the old Bancroft estate. It holds 20 sculptures by nationally recognized artists, among them kinetic pieces by George Rickey and work by Tom Otterness, planted with native species. At the back, an 80-foot labyrinth made from seven tons of Delaware River rock sits in the former Anthony N. Fusco Reservoir and is used for meditative walking. A paved path runs through the garden, though the labyrinth itself is not wheelchair accessible.
Hours as published for 2026 are Wednesday through Sunday, 10 am to 4 pm, closed Monday and Tuesday, with Thursday evenings open until 8 pm from April through December. General admission in 2026 is $18 for adults, $16 for seniors 65 and over, $7 for students with ID, $6 for youth 7 to 18, and free for children 6 and under. Admission is free on Thursdays from 4 to 8 pm, April through December. On-site parking behind the museum is free. The museum does not publish a typical visit length; the galleries plus a loop of the garden path fill a comfortable half day.
Accessibility
The Delaware Art Museum is wheelchair accessible in its galleries and main building, with one clear exception: the Studio Wing parking area and path, and the labyrinth at the back of the sculpture garden, are not.
Parking is free and sits behind the museum. A limited number of spaces reserved for disability placard holders are at the main entrance, at the Studio Wing, and in lots A and B. Skip the Studio Wing spaces if you use a wheelchair, because the museum says the path from there is obstructed and cannot take a chair. Drop-off is available at the North Side entrance.
The South Side entrance is the designated wheelchair entrance. The North Side entrance opens onto a flat, paved terrace. Automated doors serve the Fusco Grand Hall, the North and South entrances, and the Studio Wing entrance.
Inside, two elevators with braille buttons connect all floors, and the museum states that all galleries are wheelchair accessible with plenty of seating. Wheelchair accessible restrooms are on every floor, but their doors are not automated, so a companion may need to hold one. Accessible water fountains are on the first and lower floors, and gender-neutral restrooms are on the second floor.
The museum keeps three wheelchairs and a supply of lightweight folding stools, free of charge, at the desk. Call 302-571-9590 or 866-232-3714 to reserve a wheelchair ahead of a busy day. Service animals are welcome; check in at the Visitor Services Desk. Personal care attendants get free admission.
In the Copeland Sculpture Garden, stay on the paved pathway. Parts of the walkway toward the labyrinth, and the labyrinth itself, are not wheelchair accessible. The museum publishes nothing about ASL interpretation, assistive listening, captioning, audio description, large print, sensory bags or sensory-friendly hours, so ask by phone before relying on any of those.
Checked by Accessible America, August 2026. Report a change
How we checked this
We checked these details against official information from the venue and public agencies:
- delart.org (9 details, checked 2026-08-27)
More accessible places in Delaware
- Delaware Museum of Nature and Science (Wilmington)
- Longwood Gardens (across PA but major draw) (Wilmington)
- Nemours Estate (Wilmington)
- Brandywine Creek State Park & Russell W. Peterson Refuge (Wilmington)
- Brandywine Zoo (Wilmington)
- Winterthur Museum & Gardens (Wilmington)
