ROAD SORTIES Scenic Roads

Brandywine Valley Scenic Byway

Chrysanthemum displays in the Longwood Gardens conservatory
Chrysanthemum displays in the Longwood Gardens conservatoryPhoto: America's Byways (FHWA) / Public domain

Brandywine Valley Scenic Byway is a National Scenic Byway in Pennsylvania. The map below shows its route. Use “Plan a drive” to open it in the Road Sorties route planner — already routing along Brandywine Valley Scenic Byway with scenic roads turned on, ready to add your own stops.

The Brandywine Valley Scenic Byway winds 25 miles through Chester and Delaware counties, tracing Route 52 north to Route 162 and returning via Creek Road to the Delaware state line. It crosses the rolling hills and creek valleys where the Brandywine River shaped early American history. The Federal Highway Administration and PennDOT designated it a National Scenic Byway on February 16, 2021, elevating a corridor that Pennsylvania's own byway program, created in 2001, had already recognized. Joined with Delaware's connecting Brandywine Valley byway segment across the state line, the route forms a figure-eight loop spanning both states. The valley's history runs from colonial-era settlement through the Revolutionary War to the Underground Railroad, and later became home to estates and cultural institutions built by families including the du Ponts. Drivers pass stone farmhouses, mills, and wooded creek bottoms that have drawn artists and preservationists for generations, making this one of the Mid-Atlantic's more historically layered scenic drives.

Designated for its historic qualities

Plan a drive on Brandywine Valley Scenic Byway → Drive this route in Road SortiesTurn-by-turn on iPhone · App Store

Places to stop along Brandywine Valley Scenic Byway

  1. Longwood Gardens

    Pierre S. du Pont's former estate, now one of the world's great display gardens, with conservatories, fountain shows, and seasonal light displays.

    Website
  2. Longwood Progressive Friends Meeting House

    An 1855 meetinghouse built by Quakers who split over abolition, which hosted speakers such as Frederick Douglass and Susan B. Anthony.

  3. Brandywine River Museum of Art

    A converted 1864 gristmill on the river in Chadds Ford, home to three generations of Wyeth paintings.

    Website
  4. John Chads House

    A stone farmhouse from about 1725 above Creek Road, home of the ferryman who gave Chadds Ford its name.

  5. Brandywine Battlefield Park

    The site of the September 1777 battle where Washington's army fought the British under General Howe, with historic headquarters houses.

Where to Stay along Brandywine Valley Scenic Byway

1 campground or RV park sits within about 5 miles of Brandywine Valley Scenic Byway.

Campsite and lodging links are affiliate links — booking through them may earn Road Sorties a small commission, at no extra cost to you. Recreation.gov links are not affiliate links.

What is a National Scenic Byway?

National Scenic Byways are roads recognized at the federal level for at least one outstanding quality — scenic, natural, historic, cultural, archaeological or recreational — that gives travelers a reason to seek them out rather than just pass through.

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