First State National Historical Park

First State National Historic Park in Delaware is a powerful and thought-provoking place to visit. Delaware may be a small state, but there is a lot happening in and around the Wilmington area. Just outside the city, this National Park Service site offers deep historical insight and reflection. I parked right in front and began my visit inside the visitor center. A park ranger gave a brief but meaningful interpretive talk about the site’s historical significance. This is where the concept of solitary confinement was first introduced, rooted in Quaker beliefs. The ranger helped visitors connect that experience to something more familiar—how isolating and uncomfortable it felt for many people during COVID lockdowns. Now imagine that same isolation imposed as punishment for small crimes, without any real understanding of mental illness or the true circumstances behind those crimes. Standing there, the weight of that history felt heavy on my heart. It is a sobering reminder of how punishment and justice have evolved over time. I’m grateful that this site has been carefully restored and preserved so these important stories are not forgotten. Next door to the visitor center is a historic house offering tours, which I unfortunately had to skip due to time. I would happily return just to experience that part of the park. As with many National Park Service sites, you can stamp your National Park passport here, watch a short film, listen to ranger talks, and explore the interpretive panels inside the visitor center. This is a moving, educational stop that invites reflection and understanding. I highly recommend a visit for anyone interested in history, justice, and the human experience.

This was initially going to be a 3 star review as I thought the entire National Park was 1 room, a movie & gift shop. Glad I wandered around!!! The free tour was very good & the young lady performing the tour very well informed. It was interesting to hear how Delaware was involved in many of OUR Nation’s key events. A little disappointed that they do not offer a National park coin or penny press…

First State NHP's New Castle site was very interesting, and I learned a lot while there. Definitely check their hours before going, because they're only open Thursday through Saturday, 9 am to 4:30 pm, and the tours are worth going on, in my opinion. There's a whole historic town you can walk through (maps are in the Visitor Center, AKA the Arsenal), and my mom and I didn't even get through the whole thing in one day. I would recommend spreading your visit across multiple days to get the most out of it. Our tour guide for the Courthouse Museum, Ranger Lexie, was very friendly and made the quick, 15-minute tour very engaging. She also took the initiative to do a quick internet search for questions she didn't know the answers to. I was very impressed by the many exhibits in the Courthouse Museum; the signs were well-made, and some were interactive. I learned a lot about America's history, even the problematic parts. It is clear that the people who work here care deeply about educating the public on history for free. There was also a woman who gave a very interesting and thorough 45-minute tour at the Courthouse itself, but I forgot to get her name! I learned a lot from her about the people for whom the University of Delaware's residence halls were named, e.g. Louis Redding and Caesar Rodney. If you have your National Parks Passport, you can get stamps from three different sites: the Visitor Center (AKA the Arsenal), the Courthouse Museum, and the Courthouse building!

I stopped by on a Wednesday which isn’t a day many places are open. Because of this, I was able to get a personal tour of the Court House Museum. It was like walking back in time and I was waiting for them to come out for a court case. Not only was this the beginning of Delaware becoming an independent state, but was also important to the Underground Railroad. The guide was very knowledgeable and explained everything that happened in these walls. Plenty of exhibitions showing the history of the Court House and Delaware as a whole. It is part of the First State National Heritage Parks sites. Don't forget your Passport Stamps too.

Beautiful community! The business district features many of the original, but refurbished, buildings. Some have been made into museums, but many of the buildings are shops and restaurants. Be sure to walk through Battery Park along the Delaware River and visit the Nao Trinidad - the flagship of explorer Ferdinand Magellan. The walking tour is the best, and take time to stop in the Visitor's Center which is the old arsenal and tour the old Court House where there are stamps for the National Park passports.

This place is rather small but has a real friendly who was very helpfull. I got here too late to watch the movie. The gift shop is very small. There are pictures of the six different places the First state locations are. To find it on GPS you locate it right to the right side of the Couethouse musum. It is only open thursday thru sunday with limited hours. They closed at 4:30pm on a saturday

It was like walking back in time and I was waiting for them to come out for a court case. Not only was this the beginning of Delaware becoming an independent state, but was also important to the Underground Railroad. The guide was very knowledgeable and explained everything that happened in these walls.

What a lovely little gem of a town next to the beautiful Delaware River. If you're a history nerd like me, you'll love it. If not, you'll still love it. William Penn landed here in the 1600's, a signer of the Declaration and the Constitution lived and died here. It's a beautiful, quaint, little historic river side town.

Substandard NPS site. Not very clear what objective of park is. Staff not very helpful. No site specific junior ranger. Relatively young park so maybe still a work in progress. I would pass on this park.