Make some history this weekend.

You can’t toss a rock in his historic hamlet without hitting a battlefield or historic home.

• Get your day started with a Kennett Square Mushroom & Cheese Omelet at Hank’s Place, 1625 Creek Road in historic Chadds Ford, Pa.

• Some 30,000 American and British troops clashed in the Battle of Brandywine on September 11, 1777—the largest land battle of the Revolutionary War. Visit the Brandywine Battlefield Historic Site at 1491 Baltimore Pike in historic Chadds Ford, Pa., and learn all about this British victory that resulted in the capture of Philadelphia.

• The Chadds Ford Historical Society gives tours at its three 18th century houses, including the c. 1725 John Chads House and Springhouse. The society is housed at the Barn Visitors Center at 1736 Creek Road.

• See 200 years of American history in one man’s amazing collection of more than 3,000 artifacts at the country home of the Christian C. Sanderson Museum at 1755 Creek Road in Chadds Ford.

• Tour the Brinton 1704 House, one of the oldest historic houses in America. It’s at 21 Oakland Road, West Chester, Pa., and is open Saturdays and Sundays from May 1 to October 31.

• The Hagley Museum is the site of the gunpowder factory founded by E. I. du Pont in 1802 and featured restored mills, a workers’ community and the ancestral home and garden of the du Pont family.

• The Winterthur Museum, Garden & Library at 5105 Kennett Pike in Winterthur, Del., the former du Pont estate, boasts an unrivalled collection of American furniture and decorative arts as well as hundreds of acres of gardens and a world-class research library.

Don’t leave your family out of the fun! From trampolines to hiking and art, your children won’t have a dull moment.

• Slam dunk basketballs from sky-high heights at Sky Zone indoor trampoline park at 10 Conchester Road in nearby Glen Mills, Pa.

• Bring the whole family as you hike through history following Generals Washington and Howe to explore the region’s Revolutionary War past with this interactive map created by the Brandywine Conservancy. More than 25 popular parks and preserves offer local trails are also included, from interpretive park locations such as the Brandywine Battlefield Park in Chadds Ford to Fort Mifflin

• Book a workshop and learn woodworking skills without having to buy supplies and tools at the Board & Brush Creative Studio at 331 Wilmington Pike in Glen Mills. 

• Turn the kids loose at Grand Slam U.S.A. at 11 Lancaster Avenue in Malvern, Pa., which boasts more than 30,000 square feet of indoor family fun, including laser tag, batting cages, glow-in-the-dark mini golf, arcade games and much more.

• Book your stay at the moderately priced Brandywine River Hotel at 1609 Baltimore Pike and grab a free hot breakfast. You can bring your pet here, too. 

• Located just 10 miles south of the Brandywine Battlefield, the Delaware Art Museum at 2301 Kentmere Parkway in Wilmington features more than 12,000 works of art.

From antiques, cafes, and books, we’ve pulled together a plan for historical fun and lasting memories.

• Have a steaming cup of coffee at Oso Sweet Bakery Cafe before checking out the various fine arts and gift stores at the Chadds Ford Barn Shops, 1609 Baltimore Pike.
• Baldwin’s Book Barn is an institution in West Chester, pulling in readers for decades to the cozy nooks and relaxed atmosphere of a five-story brick building built in 1822.
• Satisfy your antique-hunting itch at the Pennsbury-Chadds Ford Antique Mall, with more than 100 dealers on two floors at 640 Baltimore Pike or the Brandywine River Antiques Market in the White Barn at 878 Baltimore Pike, both in Chadds Ford.
• Shop your heart away in the boutiques, studios, shops and emporiums at Historic Kennett Square, Pa., just seven miles west of Chadds Ford.
• Take some history home by raiding the Chadds Ford Historical Society gift shop!

Share a glass of wine or a decadent meal before stolling the Longwood Gardens with your sweetheart. All of this and more make Chadds Ford a perfect romantic getaway!

• Explore the Brandywine River Museum of Art, comfortably placed in the renovated Hoffman’s Mill, a former gristmill built in 1864 along beautiful Brandywine Creek.
• Dig into jumbo bacon shrimp and tavern roast beef at lively Chadd’s Ford Tavern, just a stone’s throw down Baltimore Pike from the battlefield at 1400 Baltimore Pike. 
• Schedule a couples photoshoot at the picturesque Brandywine battlefield. With backdrops of rolling green hills, huge trees, and General Lafayette's Headquarters you won’t be disappointed. 
• Founded in 1982, the Chaddsford Winery is one of Pennsylvania’s largest, producing more than 30,000 cases a year. Its main facility is in a charming 17th century dairy barn. 
• Located just 10 miles south of the Brandywine Battlefield, the Delaware Art Museum at 2301 Kentmere Parkway in Wilmington features more than 12,000 works of art.
• Be dazzled by the finest examples of American horticulture at Longwood Gardens, which features more than 1,000 acres of gardens, woodlands and meadows at 1001 Longwood Road, Kennett Square, Pa.
• Try the prime rib at Brandywine Prime Seafood & Chops in the historic Chadds Ford Inn, established as a tavern in 1736, at 1617 Baltimore Pike.
• After a busy day of sightseeing, relax in the spring-fed pool and Jacuzzi beside the 1700s farmhouse at the Inn at Whitewing Farm bed and breakfast, 370 Valley Road, West Chester, Pa.

Before you go

We’ve got some tips and advice for prepping for a visit to Chadds Ford including hours, weather, accommodations, and directions – everything you need to make your visit a comfortable and memorable one! 

• Check the local weather.

• Learn all about the Battle of Brandywine here and here.

• Discover more places to visit and stay at Chester County, Pennsylvania’s comprehensive Brandywine Valley website.