Parks and Recreation in Delaware County
Glorious gardens
Family Adventure and Wildlife Abounds
The John Heinz Wildlife Refuge is a wonderful place to explore. Meet native porcupines, frogs and lizards, oh my! Bring your fishing gear... go bird-watching... learn wood sculpting by top nature artists…or find out how to tag birds and monitor endangered species. Take a native plant tour or bring the family to their Cradle-of-Birding Festival in September.
The mission of the refuge is to protect and restore the largest remaining freshwater tidal marsh in Pennsylvania, while providing for environmental education and wildlife orientated recreation. It is the perfect haunt for nature lovers!
Get more fresh air at Viking Horse Farms, where visitors fall in love with the small, beautiful Icelandic horses during half or full day rides along gorgeous trails. Several Brandywine golf courses are open to the public and there are local sports centers for working on a golf swing or batting practice.
Ever taken a helicopter ride? Gone ice skating in mid-summer? Ridden a duck? Children of all ages love soaring over the countryside in a hot air balloon. Or get the family’s ‘motor’ revving with a visit to the home of the world's first and only Harley Davidson attraction. Local orchards are perfect for berry-picking, pumpkin-carving or haunted hayrides at Halloween!
And no visit to Brandywine Country is complete without ice skates. That’s right – take the family skating, year round, at Ice Works in Aston. Ice Works features 4 European and American-style ice rinks and hosts hundreds of hockey tournaments and major figure skating competitions each year.
Families who prefer something more relaxing can set sail down the Brandywine River on an inner tube. Train enthusiasts can hop aboard an historic railroad – or a “duck” – Philadelphia's only 80-minute land and water sightseeing vehicle!