Brandywine River Museum of Art

First established in 1971 in a 19th-century grist mill, this museum is part of the wider preservation activities of the Brandywine Conservancy, which saved the mill from demolition, along with land and historic buildings in this locale – the valley joins southeastern Pennsylvania and northern Delaware. The museum is renowned for its holdings of work by the Wyeth family, an artistic dynasty that began with the painter and illustrator N. C. Wyeth. Other artists in its outstanding Heritage Collection also worked in and were inspired by this region. Works include landscape paintings from the 19th and 20th century, portraits, still-lifes and notable examples of American illustration. The museum is a 30-minute drive from Philadelphia.