DuPont Environmental Education Center

Nature Center Of The Delaware Nature Society On The Edge Of The Russell W. Peterson Urban Wildlife Refuge, A Freshwater Tidal Marsh On The Christina River · Wilmington, Delaware

The DuPont Environmental Education Center is a modern four-story nature center at the south end of the Wilmington Riverwalk, built on the edge of the Russell W. Peterson Urban Wildlife Refuge, a freshwater tidal marsh of roughly two hundred acres along the Christina River. The refuge is named for the former Delaware governor who pushed through the state's Coastal Zone Act, and the marsh around it was restored after decades of damage from the industrial riverfront. The Delaware Nature Society runs the center, which opened around 2009 with exhibits, classrooms and upper-level decks that look across the cattails and open water to the Wilmington skyline. From the building a boardwalk loop and a bridge carry you out over the marsh, where herons, egrets, ospreys, bald eagles and marsh wrens feed and muskrats and turtles work the channels as the tide rises and falls. It is a city-edge marsh: the port, rail lines and I-495 are in view and within earshot. Entry has generally been free, the building keeps limited days, and the Jack A. Markell Trail passes by on its way south to New Castle.

1400 Delmarva Lane, Wilmington, Delaware, 19801, United States

The building and the outdoor paths keep different hours, so plan around the building. The center itself - exhibits, restrooms, the upper decks and the elevator - has kept limited days, often Tuesday to Sunday with daytime hours and shorter hours on Sunday, and it is usually closed on Mondays and major holidays; those days have changed over the years, so confirm before you go. The marsh boardwalk loop and the bridge have generally been open for longer, daylight hours, and the Jack A. Markell Trail that runs past is a public path open from roughly dawn to dusk. Arrive on a closed day and you can still walk the trail and part of the boardwalk, but there are no restrooms and no view from the decks. Parts of the boardwalk or trail can close for storm damage, high tides, ice or repairs, and the building can close early or fully for private events, school groups and bad weather. Paid programs, camps and guided walks run on their own schedule and usually need registration. Confirm current days, hours and any closures first.

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