Scenic/Historic Town to Visit (Wilmington, Dover: hotels, houses, live)

[Rapunzll]

I'm in Gaithersburg MD doing training for a new job and want to use one of my days off to come to DE as it is the only state east of the Mississippi that I have never been to.

I'm looking for some suggestions as to where to go. I like history, and pretty settings, on the water would be great, but is not mandatory.

TIA!

[slowlane]

Get information here Hotels and Vacation Reviews - TripAdvisor

[toobusytoday]

Starting at the North, there's historic Old New Castle - Olde New Castle, Delaware - Brandywine Valley and in the same day you could visit Ft. Delaware on Pea Patch Island. Fort Delaware State Park, Delaware City, Delaware This was a fort built during the civil war to protect the ports of Philadelphia and Wilmington.

In the middle of the state you can stroll through Dover. - Visit Dover - Delaware's Capital Region Just don't visit there during a NASCAR race day - the traffic is terrible for Dover Downs. Just south of Dover is my hometown of Milford - Downtown Milford Delaware: Milford Historical Society (http://www.downtownmilford.org/mhs.html - broken link)

Further South, but still in-land is Georgetown. Make sure you visit this place on Return day, where the whole state celebrates the newly elected officials with a big party. Sussex County Return Day - Georgetown, Delaware

Back to the water theme. Lewes Delaware is on the Coast and you can spend a day looking around Historic Lewes, Delaware and then take the ferry over to Cape May, NJ - Turn any trip into a bon voyage! / Cape May-Lewes Ferry or you could go down to my favorite Delaware beach - Cape Henlopen State Park, Lewes, Delaware

[Rapunzll]

Originally Posted by slowlane

Get information here Hotels and Vacation Reviews - TripAdvisor

I'm well aware of TripAdvisor, I review there myself, but I have found CD to be a great place to get recommendations from locals.

So tell me what you think fits the bill. I really would love to know. :-)

[Rapunzll]

Originally Posted by toobusytoday

Starting at the North, there's historic Old New Castle - Olde New Castle, Delaware - Brandywine Valley and in the same day you could visit Ft. Delaware on Pea Patch Island. Fort Delaware State Park, Delaware City, Delaware This was a fort built during the civil war to protect the ports of Philadelphia and Wilmington.

In the middle of the state you can stroll through Dover. - Visit Dover - Delaware's Capital Region Just don't visit there during a NASCAR race day - the traffic is terrible for Dover Downs. Just south of Dover is my hometown of Milford - Downtown Milford Delaware: Milford Historical Society (http://www.downtownmilford.org/mhs.html - broken link)

Further South, but still in-land is Georgetown. Make sure you visit this place on Return day, where the whole state celebrates the newly elected officials with a big party. Sussex County Return Day - Georgetown, Delaware

Back to the water theme. Lewes Delaware is on the Coast and you can spend a day looking around Historic Lewes, Delaware and then take the ferry over to Cape May, NJ - Turn any trip into a bon voyage! / Cape May-Lewes Ferry or you could go down to my favorite Delaware beach - Cape Henlopen State Park, Lewes, Delaware

Thanks! Lewes looks like it might be just what I'm looking for! I'm on my way to work, and haven't checked out the other links, but will do that tonight.

[elizamary]

Originally Posted by Rapunzll

I'm in Gaithersburg MD doing training for a new job and want to use one of my days off to come to DE as it is the only state east of the Mississippi that I have never been to.

I'm looking for some suggestions as to where to go. I like history, and pretty settings, on the water would be great, but is not mandatory.

TIA!

Hi Tia,

It's nice just driving around central and southern DE. The scenery is amazing.

Cape henlopen in lewes is a nice place to visit along with the town of Lewes. Very quaint with loads of Victoria Mansions, shops and excellent restaurants.
The town of Milton is historic. We drove through so I can't give you specifics.
Rehobeth is also nice this time of the year. Dont' have to pay parking meters.
The town of Dover is also nice with a few museums. the agriculture Museum on 13 was a fun place to explore. I think it's still open.

Enjoy your stay in DE.

[doctorjef]

A side trip over to Odessa would be good too. It's not that large, so there's not a whole lot to see, but what there is in the old section is lovely. Should you be taking Rt 1 down to Lewes from the north, you could take a brief detour to Odessa, which has a number of 18th and 19th Century houses and shops. Overall, Lewes is my favourite historic town in DE and is a real, proper town. Old New Castle is worth visiting, but lacks the amenities of a complete town since it is just a part of the city of New Castle. It seems that most of the businesses that were still in Old New Castle have closed/moved out, leaving just two or three restaurants and tavern, and a couple of antique stores.

[Rapunzll]

Great info! Thanks to all of you!

TIA = Thanks in advance <G>

- Nancy

[camrynh]

Originally Posted by doctorjef

A side trip over to Odessa would be good too. It's not that large, so there's not a whole lot to see, but what there is in the old section is lovely. Should you be taking Rt 1 down to Lewes from the north, you could take a brief detour to Odessa, which has a number of 18th and 19th Century houses and shops. Overall, Lewes is my favourite historic town in DE and is a real, proper town. Old New Castle is worth visiting, but lacks the amenities of a complete town since it is just a part of the city of New Castle. It seems that most of the businesses that were still in Old New Castle have closed/moved out, leaving just two or three restaurants and tavern, and a couple of antique stores.

I live very close to historic "downtown" Odessa and it's very charming. Tree lined streets and old brick buildings. I haven't toured yet, but I do frequently see folks dressed in period garb walking from building to building. Historic Houses of Odessa - About Us (http://www.historicodessa.org/AboutUs.htm - broken link)

[elizamary]

Thanks Camrynh.....new to DE there is still much more to explore for us too. Have not been to Odessa so thanks for the link.....we need to check it out.