Philly Escapes: New Hope, the Brandywine Valley, and Winterthur
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One lesser-known area attraction that deserves far more attention than it receives is the Wharton Esherick Studio, the fascinating home and workspace of esteemed 20th-century wood-cut artist, furniture designer, and sculptor Wharton Esherick. His wonderfully peculiar home is a now a museum, set on a wooded hillside near Valley Forge National Historic Park. The place is filled with Esherick's distinctive artwork and furnishings - this is a must for any fan of the Mid-Century Modern, Arts and Crafts, and Art Nouveau movements.

For accommodations, a good, centrally located, and contemporary option is the Crowne Plaza Valley Forge, which is just across the street from the vast shopping center, King of Prussia Mall. Right in Chadds Ford, the gay-friendly and exceptionally comfy Pennsbury Inn dates to 1714 and contains seven warmly furnished rooms.

Winterthur and Wilmington, Delaware
The Brandywine River continues south from Pennsylvania across the border into northern Delaware, where you'll find still more regal mansions and noteworthy sites, including one of the nation's truly great museum estates, Winterthur, formerly the home of eminent horticulturist and antiques collector, Henry Francis du Pont. The property comprises some 1,000 acres of beautifully kept grounds, including more than 60 acres of fragrant, colorful gardens. You can tour the 175-room mansion, glimpsing just a few of its 85,000 paintings, antiques, decorative items, and collectibles. The museum shop is one of the best you'll ever find, and there's also a nice cafe for lunching.

A nearby and related attraction of note is the Hagley Museum & Library, a 235-acre estate on the Brandywine River that was the site of the original du Pont gunpowder factory. It now contains restored mill-worker homes, the ancestral home of the du Pont family, and more lovely gardens. In downtown Wilmington, the Delaware Art Museum has earned justifiable acclaim for its outstanding collection, including works by gay painters Marsden Hartley and Thomas Eakins.

Downtown Wilmington has plenty of places to stay, mostly chain hotels, but there is one highly distinctive lodging: the prestigious and quite cushy Hotel du Pont, a magnificently restored grande dame that's nearly a century old. Check out the spectacular art collection in the public areas. A meal in the hotel's Green Room (consider the decadent brunch on Sundays) is an affair to remember. If you're keen on a more scenic setting, opt for a room at the elegant Inn at Montchanin Village, a discerning historic compound comprising 11 buildings, just minutes from Winterthur. In fact, the 28-room property is named for the grandmother of the original du Pont mogul, Pierre. Many of the accommodations here have fireplaces, deep soaking tubs, and fine antiques - it's quite an enjoyable place to spend the night after a day of touring the region's many stunning mansions and gardens.

Andrew Collins is the author of Fodor's Gay Guide to the USA and as well as numerous other guidebooks.