Where to eat lunch in Delaware City & Update on Dover daytrip (Wilmington: hotel, houses)

[doctorjef]

OK, we are finally doing the Dover trip tomorrow (31 Aug), but have actually made it an overnighter. Here's the intinerary: Tues - Air Mobility Command Museum, Luch in Lewes at Agave (my favourite Mexican restaurant on the East Coast and my 2nd favourite only to Fonda San Miguel in Austin, TX), Tour of the Dogfish Head Brewery in Milton, Obligatory shopping trip at the Abercrombie & Fitch outlet on Rt 1; back to Lewes (staying at Hotel Rodney) for dinner and then maybe down to Rehoboth (or not). Wed: John Dickenson Plantation, Old State House and the Biggs Museum in Dover, some walking/driving around (we've arlready visited Legislative Hall).

Then on Thurs or Fri we intend to go down to Delaware City and over to Fort Delaware. What would be a good place for lunch in Delaware City. Are there any interesting/historic things in Delaware City that we might easily miss if we didn't know about them and if so, what are they?

[jdoll]

Crabby Dick's on the waterfront and Battery Park in Delaware City CRABBY DICK'S. Some outdoor seating with great views if the weather is nice. Or blue crabs, fresh off the Capt Wiso's boat next door is Kathys Crab House on Rt 9 near the bridge.

I highly recommend the Rt 9 drive from Dover AFB to Delaware City. A couple of rangefinder/lighthouses, the school at Taylors Bridge and a real taste of what DE was some years ago. If you choose that route I would skip eating at Delaware City and lunch at Sambo's in Leipsic. Crab again, on the waterfront in what may be the quietest, most peaceful place in all of Delaware.

Good travels.

[doctorjef]

Thank! Just to clarify, we will be coming back home from the Dover-Lewes trip on Wed afternoon and then driving down from greater Wilmington on Thurs or Fri to Delaware City and Fort Delaware.

[Marabeth4]

To add to that, Sambo's, as we understand, doesn't take charge cards and children are not permitted.

[jdoll]

Originally Posted by doctorjef

Thank! Just to clarify, we will be coming back home from the Dover-Lewes trip on Wed afternoon and then driving down from greater Wilmington on Thurs or Fri to Delaware City and Fort Delaware.

Oppps, my bad. The Old Canal Inn may still give tours of there rooms. It's a early 1800's Inn with some neat history. It is on the Delaware River a block from Crabby Dicks.

[momonthemove]

doctorjef....I would love to hear a recap of your travels.

[doctorjef]

OK, so back from the Lewes-Mitlon-Dover trip. So on the way down Wed we went to the Air Mobility Command Museum at Dover AFB. Very enjoyable. Among other aircraft they have a B-17; a fuel tanker that is essentially a B-29 Superfortress with modified fuselage for carrying fuel (looks like an engorged B-29); a military version of the famous Lockheed Constellation passenger airliner; numerous materiel and troop transport aircraft from the late 40's to the 80's (many of the older ones are models I recall seeing pictures of as a kid). We spent about an hour and a half there and were still probably rushing things a little.

We had lunch at our favourite Mexican place in Lewes, Agave on 2nd Street. We checked into the Rodney Hotel on 2nd Street where we'd always been interested in staying (we've always stayed in Rehoboth before). This is a thoroughly rennovated hotel from the 1920s and is very much a boutique hotel. I would very much recommend it. We then drove over to Milton for a pre-booked tour of the Dogfish Head Brewery. We enjoyed this but maybe a little less than expected. The exterior of the facility is very impressive nonetheless. Our GPS also decided for us to go a different way than we have taken to Milton in the past, so that was interesting. In the evening we ate at Kindle in Lewes, which is a casual-hip-slightly upscale restaurant with a very good wine list.

On Thurs morning we drove back up to Dover, stopping first at the John Dickenson Plantation, which is the same exit on the south end of Dover as the Air Mobility Command Museum. The house and history are quite interesting and there are some interesting architectural details to the interior of the house, although it isn't particularly grand. We then went on into Dover and visited the old State House, the original DE capitol building constructed in 1791. The building was seriously bastardised in 1875 after Kent County constructed its own courthouse and moved out of the State House that it had formerly shared with the State of Delaware, enabling the governor at the time to undertake an extensive plan of renovations that destroyed the original character of the building. The exterior was put back to its original style in 1912, but the interior wasn't restored until the mid-1970s with Bicentenniel Commission money. It was further renovated in 2005-07 and had thus been closed when we had last visited Dover in Oct 2007. The interior is really lovely, with an incredible double flying staircase that is exquisite and graceful. Following this we went for a rather late lunch at W. T. Smither's on Federal Street, a couple of blocks off the Green. Food mediocre but we enjoyed our libations and talking to the young bartender. We then popped into Wesley Methodist Church to have a look at the sanctuary, which has many late 19th Century and early 20th Century stained glass windows of some note, as well as really lovely wooden pews that we learnt from someone there had been refinished about 5 years ago. We then went to the Biggs Museum of American Art, which has a very good collection of mid- to late-18th Century furniture, tall case clocks, silver, as well as paintings, including works by Thomas Sully and by members of the Peale family. They have a more extensive collection than I was expecting and I felt a bit rushed by this time.

I would have liked more time to explore around the capitol complex and the Green, but we were running short of time. So I'd like to do strictly a daytrip soon to take more pictures in Dover itself. I would be remiss if I didn't add that I found everyone there very friendly, extremely chatty, less urban and more open than in the Wilmington/northern New Castle Co. area.

On Friday we'll go down to Fort Delaware unless it looks like we are going to have significant rain early in the day.

[little eggplant]

doctorjef- How is the restaurant complex coming along in Milton across the parking lot from the Dogfish factory tour? Last Sept when we were there, we were told the restaurant would be open for that upcoming New Year's Eve but have since heard they were not ready. Has the project been abandoned or merely delayed? Enjoyed your trip report!

[doctorjef]

It looked like there was at least one business open in that shopping centre, but we didn't walk or drive over there, so I don't know what the status of it is. I think someone else on this forum had indicated some time ago that it is not associated with the brewery. The centre itself looks to be finished but probably not fully occupied. There are a bunch of semi-detached houses going up opposite Dogfish Head.

[jdoll]

Originally Posted by doctorjef

I would be remiss if I didn't add that I found everyone there very friendly, extremely chatty, less urban and more open than in the Wilmington/northern New Castle Co. area.

The difference between Delaware North of the Canal or South of the Ditch still amaze me. This is one of the most pleasant changes IMHO.