The Dupont Environmental Education Center is one of four Delaware Nature Society sites. Located on the Riverfront in Wilmington, it’s tucked away the corner, easily overlooked. Unless you know what you’re looking for, that is. It’s open year round and is FREE!
The four story center can be viewed from I95 and is quite the juxtaposition of modern lines against the soft wetland grasses. A 1/4 mile boardwalk loop through the marsh gives you a closer view of the wildlife that call the area home, as well as the Christina river. The DEEC is where many weekly events listed on my calendar are held, including Lunch with Live Animals, Dipnetting in the Marsh and Binocular Walks.
We started our visit inside the small nature center where D met a black rat snake and some of the fish that are native to the wetlands.
After that, we walked the boardwalk loop and visited the gardens which, as a horticulturalist and landscape designer, I can tell will be gorgeous in the Spring and Summer months. Even though the plants were dormant and the waterfall was off for the season, the stone work and sculptures really stood out.
I saved the best for last on this visit because I knew D would love this tree sculpture/climbing structure in the center of the parking lot. Luckily for him, there were two little boys who were frequent visitors that showed him to ropes and gave him some climbing tips. Even then, this structure is enough to give even the most relaxed mom a panic attack as their kid wobbles across a “branch” 8 feet off the (stone) ground. I did my best to not say “be careful!!” too many times and he had a blast. It was definitely a confidence booster for him to navigate this thing, but I would recommend it for ages 5 and up. We look forward to going back to dip net in the Spring!
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