Wilmington State Parks

Park Highlights

Check out the Sugar Bowl

Perched on the edge of a cliff with picturesque views of the Brandywine River, the Sugar Bowl Observatory was constructed in 1902 and has served as a community meeting place for generations. Check out the unique domed architecture, take in the view or catch a concert.

Explore Rockford Park

Climb to the top of 100-year-old Rockford Tower for a spectacular view of the city. Pack a picnic and relax on the lawn, or bring your dogs to enjoy the dog park.

Enjoy a summer concert

Listen to great music on the summer breeze in Wilmington State Parks! Grab your chair, snacks and friends for weekly concerts at Rockford Tower and the Sugar Bowl.

Get Together

Pavilions and picnic areas, athletic fields and sports courts – Wilmington State Parks has plenty of spaces for your group or team to gather! Permits and administrative fees are required.

Have a Monumental Visit

Wilmington State Parks are dotted with monuments to commemorate the cultural history of the area. Appreciate the sacrifices of our veterans, learn more about industrial Wilmington and enjoy the Josephine Fountain as you visit 12 monuments throughout the park.

About the Park

Right in the heart of the city, Wilmington State Parks offer recreation along the Brandywine River. Brandywine, Rockford and H. Fletcher Brown parks along with Kentmere Parkway and the Hobbs Property lie under this state park umbrella. The centerpiece, Brandywine River runs through the park and serves as a source of drinking water and recreation for the city and spawning grounds for shad, which were once an important food source to the Lenape and early European settlers. The Jasper Crane Rose Garden and Josephine Fountain offer gorgeous views within an urban setting. History lives on in Rockford Tower and the Sugar Bowl, as well as memorials that honor those who gave their lives in service to their country and monuments that serve as gathering places. Historic bridges connect the parks to the surrounding communities. Tennis courts, ball fields and fitness stations provide exercise opportunities, and the park also serves as the perfect place for festivals, concerts and picnics.

Park History

Wilmington State Parks was founded in 1998 when the Division of Parks and Recreation assumed operational and maintenance responsibility for four existing parks that had been managed by New Castle County’s Department of Parks and Recreation since – Brandywine, Rockford and H. Fletcher Brown parks, and the Hobbs Tract.

Brandywine Park is the oldest of Wilmington’s parks. Established in 1886, Industrialist and conservationist William Poole Bancroft worked with the City of Wilmington to create a Board of Park Commissioners in order to preserve land along the Brandywine Creek from further development in the face of increased urbanization of the era.

Rockford Park was established just a few years later in 1889, with the first acreage donated by Bancroft and his brother, as well as the du Pont family. Rockford Tower was constructed of brown and gray Brandywine Granite stones at the top of the park’s hill between 1899 and 1901 and served as both a water tower and observation tower. Today, the tower is open to the public for much of the year.

Fletcher Brown Park is comprised of an earlier park, the Old Soldiers Park, that was maintained by local Civil War veterans until 1919 and is the site of a former vocational high school, whose founder is the namesake for the park. H. Fletcher Brown was a prominent chemist and philanthropist who was a major benefactor for education in Delaware. He gifted the school to the Board of Education in 1938 to support the community’s growing industrial need for vocational education. The school operated until 1969 when Delaware Technical High School opened, and was demolished in 1972.

The Hobbs Tract was once a portion of a du Pont family farm estate adjacent to Valley Garden Park, the former summer estate of U.S. Senator T. Coleman du Pont. The tract was purchased by the State of Delaware in 2004.
Brandywine Park

Home to the Brandywine Zoo, iconic Sugar Bowl, Josephine Fountain and the Jasper Crane Rose Garden, Brandywine Park is a cultural hub with many activities to explore. Located on North Park Drive.
Rockford Park

The park’s centerpiece Rockford Tower is an iconic piece of the Wilmington skyline and offers beautiful views of the city and sprawling greens loved by locals. Located at 2000 Lookout Drive.
H. Fletcher Brown Park

Meet a friend, eat lunch or stroll through this cozy park adjacent to Brandywine Park. An overlook provides scenic views of the Brandywine River and the historic millrace that provides much of Wilmington’s water supply. Located at the corner of South Park Drive and N. King St.