Penns Woods Winery & First State National Historical Park share a unique connection shaped by agriculture, conservation & community
At Penns Woods, a sense of place is at the heart of everything we do. It can be tasted in wines grown from Pennsylvania soil and experienced in the landscape surrounding our Chadds Ford home.
Our Chadds Ford home is part of something truly special: the Brandywine Valley unit of First State National Historical Park. Encompassing more than 1,300 acres across northern Delaware and southern Pennsylvania, this protected area preserves rolling agricultural fields, pastures, forested hills, streams and vital watersheds. With more than 23 miles of recreational trails, it offers visitors the chance to experience the natural beauty and layered history of the Brandywine Valley firsthand.
For Penns Woods, being rooted within this remarkable landscape is both a point of pride and a responsibility we take to heart. Preserving historic vineyard acreage strengthens the future of Pennsylvania terroir while supporting a broader commitment to conservation and stewardship of the land that surrounds us.
Sunset over the Cabernet Sauvignon block at our Chadds Ford Estate Vineyard. Photo: Erin Ingraffia Photography.
A National Park Unlike Any Other
First State National Historical Park tells the story of Delaware’s earliest settlements and its role in the founding of our nation. Unlike a traditional national park centered around a single landmark or visitor center, First State is made up of six distinct sites that preserve the region’s history, culture and natural resources.
The Brandywine Valley unit reflects the vision of Quaker industrialist and conservationist William Poole Bancroft, who believed rural green space should be protected and made accessible for the public’s health and well-being. Today, its open fields, wooded hills and waterways remain a living reminder of that vision.
The land also carries a deep agricultural history. Farming shaped the Brandywine Valley as early as the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries, when locally grown grain was processed by grist and flour mills powered by Beaver Creek and the Brandywine River. The National Park Service continues to recognize agriculture as an important part of this cultural landscape. Through agricultural leases, fields remain actively cared for, preserving not only the scenery, but the region’s longstanding connection between land, livelihood and community.
It is a story that feels especially meaningful to us. Our own work is rooted in the belief that agriculture is not separate from the identity of the Brandywine Valley; it is essential to it.
One of Just Three
Penns Woods is also one of just three wineries in the United States with a direct connection to National Park Service lands.
In Ohio, Sarah’s Vineyard operates in association with Cuyahoga Valley National Park, where the National Park Service recognizes the vineyard and hosts programming there. In North Carolina, the Overmountain Victory National Historic Trail crosses land occupied by Overmountain Vineyards, with the National Park Service documenting the historic route through their vineyard property.
We are proud and fortunate to be among an exceptionally small group of American wineries where vineyards, agriculture and National Park Service lands intersect.
Leaf pulling throughout the season ensures airflow around the clusters to keep them dry & healthy. Photo: Erin Ingraffia Photography
From Vineyard Views to Park Trails
Guests often arrive at Penns Woods for a tasting and find themselves captivated by much more than what is in the glass. Our Tasting Room, housed in a charming nineteenth-century farmhouse, overlooks our estate vineyard and rolling Brandywine Valley terrain.
Just beyond the vines, the park invites exploration through wooded paths, open meadows and quiet stretches along the waterways. Guests can even use Penns Woods as a starting point for exploring nearby trails and then return to the vineyard for a glass of wine on the lawn!
The trails offer a different view of a place many of us pass through every day. They reveal traces of the people who lived and worked here before us, the natural systems that sustain the region and the importance of protecting them for generations to come.
Andrea Creato at the Beaver Creek Ruins – just a short hike from the Penns Woods Tasting Room! Photo: Penns Woods Winery
Caring for the Place We Call Home
Our relationship with the park extends beyond proximity. It is grounded in shared stewardship and friendship.
Over the years, Penns Woods has worked alongside First State National Historical Park and community partners on programs that encourage people to care for and experience this landscape in meaningful ways. From Earth Day and National Public Lands Day cleanups to ranger-led hikes, guided birdwatching, yoga and forest bathing, these events pair conservation with opportunities to explore the park’s natural beauty and layered history.
Carley Razzi with First State NPS Superintendent Joshua Boles. Photo: Penns Woods Winery
A Shared Legacy of Land & Agriculture
As farmers and winemakers, we understand that healthy vineyards depend on healthy ecosystems. The condition of our soil, the quality of our water, the plants and wildlife around us and the choices we make in the vineyard are all connected.
That understanding guides our commitment to sustainable farming, preserving local vineyard acreage and producing wines that express the character of southeastern Pennsylvania. It is also why our connection to First State National Historical Park feels so natural. Both the park and the winery are deeply invested in protecting a working rural landscape—not as a frozen piece of the past, but as a place that continues to be cultivated, explored, shared and loved.
The next time you visit Penns Woods, we invite you to slow down and take in the landscape around you. Enjoy the vineyard views, explore the nearby trails and discover the natural and cultural history that makes the Brandywine Valley unlike anywhere else.
Explore, Learn & Get Involved
Join Our 2026 National Public Lands Day Clean-up — Volunteer with Penns Woods Winery, First State National Historical Park and Concord Township on Saturday, September 26. The morning also includes an optional birding walk and ranger-led hike.
Explore the Brandywine Valley — Learn more about First State NPS, find trail information, maps, park regulations and everything you need to plan a visit.
Watch Bob Kelly’s Earth Day Visit to Penns Woods — Revisit FOX 29’s visit highlighting our Earth Day community cleanup.
Earth Day Clean Up crew at Penns Woods Winery from L to R: Carley Razzi, FOX 29 Philadelphia reporter Bob Kelly, NPS Ranger Samantha Baranski and Andrea Creato Photo: Penns Woods Winery
About Penns Woods Winery
Founded in 2001 and located in Chadds Ford, Pennsylvania, Penns Woods Winery is one of the Commonwealth’s most acclaimed wineries, producing estate-grown and locally sourced wines that celebrate the unique terroir of southeastern Pennsylvania. Family-owned and operated, Penns Woods is committed to sustainable vineyard practices, regional agriculture, and crafting wines that express a true sense of place. On September 10, 2026, Penns Woods Winery was nominated for a Wine Enthusiast Wine Star Award for “American Winery of the Year”
