Bellevue State Park & Bellevue Hall

A du Pont Estate Hidden in Suburban Wilmington

Horse Tracks, a Neoclassical Mansion, an Arboretum, Concerts Under the Stars, and 331 Acres of Green Space Just Off I-95

Tucked between the suburbs and the Delaware River in northern Wilmington, Bellevue State Park is one of the region’s most successfully repurposed private estates — a 331-acre former du Pont family property that has been a Delaware State Park since 1976, offering everything from fitness trails to disc golf to summer concerts to scheduled tours of Bellevue Hall, the elegant neoclassical mansion at the park’s heart. It is the kind of place that regular Wilmington visitors take entirely for granted and out-of-town visitors can’t quite believe exists.

The park is open daily, 8:00 a.m. to sunset. Entrance fees are in effect from March 1 through November 30: Delaware residents $4, out-of-state visitors $8. Delaware State Parks Annual Passes are accepted. Bellevue Hall and the neighboring arboretum are open for scheduled tours — check destateparks.com for current tour schedules and any construction or seasonal closures.

The History of Bellevue: From Gothic Revival Castle to du Pont Showpiece

The land that is now Bellevue State Park has a layered history that begins long before the du Pont family arrived.

The Hanson Robinson Estate (1855)

In 1855, Philadelphia wool merchant Hanson Robinson purchased the property and built Woolton Hall — an elaborate Gothic Revival castle with multiple towers that provided scenic views of the Delaware River. Robinson also established a small Swedish agricultural community on the land, adding a schoolhouse, meetinghouse, cemetery, and quarry that represented the early stages of Delaware’s industrial era.

William du Pont Sr. and the Transformation (1893)

William du Pont Sr. purchased the property in 1893 and began an extensive program of construction and landscaping, adding the facilities and infrastructure that would define the estate’s character.

William du Pont Jr. and the Creation of Bellevue Hall

The estate’s current form is largely the creation of William du Pont Jr. (1896–1965), son of the first du Pont owner and one of America’s most celebrated equestrians. Du Pont Jr. was passionate about thoroughbred horse racing and transformed the property accordingly — constructing a 1⅛-mile horse-racing track, equestrian stables, indoor horse-training facilities, and the full infrastructure of a serious racing establishment.

He also transformed the mansion itself. Woolton Hall’s Gothic Revival exterior was replaced with the current neoclassical style — specifically modeled on Montpelier, President James Madison’s Virginia estate. The result, now called Bellevue Hall, is a handsome neoclassical country house that has anchored the park’s visual identity since its completion.

Du Pont Jr. was also notable for his marriage (1919–1941) to equestrian Jean Liseter Austin, during which the horse facilities were significantly expanded, and for his role as a founder of the Delaware Park thoroughbred racing facility. He died in 1965, and the State of Delaware acquired the estate in 1976.

Trivia: William du Pont Jr. modeled Bellevue Hall on Montpelier, James Madison’s home, which makes it the only structure in Delaware intentionally designed as a tribute to a presidential residence. Somehow, this is not more widely known.

What to Do at Bellevue State Park

Bellevue Hall Mansion Tours

Guided tours of the nearly 200-year-old mansion provide access to Bellevue Hall’s interior, where visitors can explore the neoclassical architecture, the stories of the du Pont family, and the park’s full history from Hanson Robinson’s Gothic castle to William du Pont Jr.’s racing establishment. Check the Delaware State Parks website for current tour dates and times.

The Arboretum

Surrounding Bellevue Hall, the arboretum contains an extensive collection of native and exotic trees and plants accumulated over the estate’s long history. For tree enthusiasts, the arboretum is one of the least-visited genuinely excellent collections in the Wilmington area.

The Fitness Track and Fishing Pond

The former 1⅛-mile horse-racing track is now paved and features more than 20 exercise stations, circling a catch-and-release fishing pond stocked with bass, catfish, and sunfish. The combination of an active fitness track surrounding a peaceful fishing pond in a parkland setting is quietly perfect.

Multi-Use Trails

Paved and unpaved trails wind through the park’s meadows, woodlands, and historic structures — connecting to the Northern Delaware Greenway trail system for longer excursions toward Rockwood Park and beyond.

Disc Golf

An 18-hole disc golf course is woven through the park’s landscape — popular with regulars and an unexpected discovery for first-time visitors.

Wellspring Farm

The equestrian facilities du Pont Jr. built are still active as Wellspring Farm — a horse-training facility with indoor and outdoor capabilities, offering riding lessons and therapeutic riding programs. The horses are still here, just now working for different purposes.

Historic Structures

The park contains several historically significant structures beyond Bellevue Hall:

• Mount Pleasant Methodist Episcopal Church and Parsonage (1838) — listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1998
• Cauffiel House — a historic home near Stoney Creek, on a hilltop overlooking the Delaware River
• Percheron Barn — once essential to the estate’s horse operations, now surrounded by community gardens

The Summer Concert Series

Bellevue State Park’s Annual Summer Concert Series — held June through August at the park’s bandshell — is one of the most popular free or low-cost summer events in the Wilmington area. Genres range from bluegrass and blues to Big Band and rock, with additional performances in the Music Garden’s Lunchtime Concert Series. Bring a chair, bring a picnic, and enjoy a summer evening in what feels like a private estate, open to everyone. Because that’s exactly what it is.

Bellevue State Park in the Northern Delaware Context

Bellevue sits just north of downtown Wilmington via Carr Road, accessible from I-95 Exit 9 (Marsh Road) and conveniently close to Rockwood Park & Museum — another former private estate turned public park, just two miles south. Together they represent two distinct chapters of 19th-century Delaware wealth and taste preserved in adjacent parkland. Combining a Bellevue Hall tour, a walk on the fitness track, and an evening concert makes for one of the most complete and least expensive days out that Wilmington has to offer.