The New Castle Historical Society offers a variety of tours for individuals, students and groups. Any of the following tours can be arranged by contacting the New Castle Historical Society at 302-322-2794. 

NEW! Audio Tours

Historic New Castle AudioWalk

A perfect way for individuals to learn about New Castle's 360+ history while exploring this National Historic Landmark District at their own pace, the New Castle AudioWalk is available for rent at the Amstel House Museum during regular museum/office hours. 

With over 40 stops included on the tour, visitors can spend up to 2 hours enjoying a personal, private tour through the Historic District. 

For a shorter tour experience, we've designed a 30-minute tour using the most popular sites in New Castle - or you can create your own experience by selecting which tour stops you are interested in. 

The tour is available on a simple MP3 player. You can use your own headphones/earbuds or we can provide you with disposable earbuds that you can keep. 

Pricing

• $5 per player ($4 is using your own headphones/earbuds)
• NCHS Members: $1 per player (Free if using your own headphones/earbuds)

When renting the tour, you must leave your driver's license as collateral. MP3 players must be returned to the Amstel House by 4 p.m. on the day of the rental to avoid being charged a second day's rental, and to pick up your license. 

• Designed to meet the latest standards and curriculum requirements, programs support New Directions Content Standards for Social Studies and English in Delaware.
  
• Student tours are available Monday-Friday, 9:30-3:30, throughout the year. 
  
• Guided tours must be reserved in advance and are available on a first-come, first-served basis. 
  
• Please call early for spring school tours as they are very popular and we fill up fast!
  
• Teachers are free and chaperones are complimentary at a ratio of 1-8.  Additional adults are $3.00.
  
• Minimum number of students is 15 for a group tour.  School may pay for 15 students when the minimum is not reached.     

Elementary Age Tours

Learn What Museums Do Tours: Our Youngest Visitors

• This program is a good introduction for students to understand what a museum is and why museums collect objects, for younger visitors, generally second graders.
• Fee is $2.50 per student, minimum of 15 students (or $45 for up to 15 students.)
• The program is one hour with introductory visits to the Amstel and Dutch Houses.
• Students do hands-on activities in the historic houses that demonstrate what a museum does by making a collection, as well as learning about the Green Umbrella (a children's book and an artifact.)

Then and Now Tours: 2nd - 4th Graders

• This program is designed for the youngest visitors, generally second graders. Students visit the historic houses and gardens (in season) where students compare and contrast life in olden times with modern life. 
  
• Fee is $2.50 per student, minimum of 15 students (or $45 for up to 15 students.)
  
• Reproduction artifacts are passed around for the group to investigate.
  
• Student skills that are developed:  comparing and contrasting, sharpening observation skills.

 
Colonial Adventure Tours: 4th – 6th Graders

A teacher packet, Dutch Settlement in Delaware, is available from the Society’s Education Department, for $10.00, which includes shipping and handling.

New Castle Tour of the Town Tours: 4th – 6th Graders

• The program is designed for 4-6^th graders to learn about the history of Delaware's early capital and premier colonial town.
  
• The program includes visits to Amstel and Dutch House, the New Castle Courthouse, and the Read House, and is three hours in length.  One call to the New Castle Historical Society will set up this tour.
  
• Lunch at Battery Park may be included in the tour day, adding 30-60 minutes to the tour.
  
• Fee is $2.50 for Amstel and Dutch Houses; at the Read House, there is a fee.  The Court House is free.

Middle and High School Tours

Be a History Detective Tours: 7th – 12th Graders
This tour gives older students a hands-on lesson about doing historical research using primary documents. The program provides for student detectives to weigh evidence from primary documents, analyze the information, and explain their conclusions in a 90-minute session. Students tour historic houses during which each student is provided with copies of primary documents to analyze. The tour is followed by a guide-led discussion of the materials. 1 _ hour at AH/DH, $4.

• Lesson 1, How Amstel Families Lived, deals with Amstel House families from the past.
• Lesson 2, African-Americans in New Castle, discusses aspects of African-American history in New Castle.
• Lesson 3, Interpreting Photographs, provides historical photographs for students to find clues and information about the past from “reading” the photograph.
• Lesson 4, Life in an Artisan Household in 1795, analyzes inventories of room contents from the will of Mary Thompson, owner of the Dutch House in the 18th century. (under development)
• Lesson 5, Architecture in New Castle, studies five houses in the vicinity of the Amstel House that are built by Van Dyke family members, comparing the architectural features of each.

Walking Tour of Haunted New Castle: 6th-9th Graders
This tour includes ghost stories told throughout the town and at the Amstel House. It intertwines ghost stories of historical figures with mourning customs, grisly stories of the pillory and whipping post in New Castle, the lives of sailors and mariners, the impact of fire and war on townspeople, to provide a fun and informative experience in October. 1 1/2 hr. at AH and walking tour, $6.

All Grade Levels

Holiday Houses in New Castle is a student tour which can be elaborated for all grade levels, in which students learn about holiday customs and traditions in colonial times, while touring the historic houses which are decorated in December for a traditional feast during Governor Nicholas Van Dyke’s residency at the Amstel House. At the Dutch House, students learn about the Dutch tradition of St. Nicholas’ Eve celebration. 1 hour at AH/DH, $2.50.

Summer in New Castle is a tour for campers which can be modified for all levels.

Other Student Tours

College students visit the Dutch and Amstel Houses for tours in which students learn about the early life of colonial and revolutionary-era Delaware as well as explore topics related to museum studies, history, anthropology and archaeology..

• Fee is $6 per student with no minimum.

• Fee is $2.50 per student, with one free adult chaperone per 8 students.  For additional adults on tour, fee is $3.50 per adult.  Minimum charge is $45.
  
• Tours are available 11-3 p.m. throughout the year
  

• Visit two remarkable historic sites in historic New Castle.
  A tour of the Amstel House and Dutch House can be a memorable experience for your group. 
  
• See important architectural landmarks of the region, admire beautiful and unique antiques, and learn fascinating stories about the people who lived here.
• The histories of the houses are intertwined with prominent families, stretching from the origins of the town in the 17th century through Revolutionary times and to the twentieth century's important early preservationists.

• Historic House Tours  for both Amstel and Dutch Houses are $8 per person. The minimum number for a group is 10 visitors.

• Garden Tours are 60 minutes in length and are $10 per person. They may be combined with tours of the Amstel and Dutch Houses (2 hours total) for $16 per person. The minimum number for a group is 10 visitors.

• Hauntings In History Tours are 1 hour and 15 minutes in length, and are $10 per person.

• Guided Walking Tours:

  • 30 Minute Tour - $6 per person

  • 60 Minute Tour - $9 per person

  • 30 Minute Tour with Amstel & Dutch Houses - $12 per person   

• Group tours are available throughout the year and may be combined with visits to the New Castle Courthouse and Read House & Gardens, by request.
  
• Other tours of New Castle, which include additional historic sites, are available on request and are priced accordingly.

Group Tour Information