In 1885, Wilmington's Board of Park Commissioners founded Brandywine Park, a wooded area in the heart of Wilmington. It became Delaware's first large urban park. It was added to the National Historic Register in 1976. The 178-acre park features wooded trails, formal gardens, sculpture, architecture, a sports stadium, and a zoo. Stretching along a one-mile run of the Brandywine Creek, the park offers visitors outdoor recreation, picnic spots, and cultural events.

Park attractions:
- Brandywine Zoo
- Jasper Crane Rose Garden and Bringhurst Fountain
- Josephine Fountain and grove of flowering cherry trees
- Baynard Stadium
- Designated "off-leash" pet areas

Sugar Bowl Groundbreaking

On April 10, 2007 Delaware Division of Parks & Recreation Director Charles Salkin, Wilmington Mayor James Baker, Senator Harris McDowell, City Council President Theodore Blunt and guests of the Friends of Wilmington Parks gathered to kick-off the public fundraising campaign and celebrated afterwards with a picnic in the park. Patrick Callahan, President of Friends of Wilmington Parks, spoke to the crowd of the unique opportunity to reconstruct the past and create a beautiful gathering place for future generations. The restored pavilion will ultimately become a focal point for multiple uses: outdoor concerts, public art, community based functions, youth educational programs and historical interpretation.

Friends of Wilmington Parks is leading the capital campaign for the conceptual reconstruction of the pavilion overlook and ask for your support in restoring a century old vision. Donations earmarked for this capital improvement project may be sent to Friends of Wilmington Parks, P.O. Box 435, Montchanin, Delaware 19710-0435.