We decided to enjoy our Memorial Day by heading the farthest east we’ve been in a while- to Delaware! It’s a state that neither of us had ever been to and we were very interested in seeing what it had to offer. While it seemed like another high-speed road trip, we saw a lot of Delaware within a day, avoiding the most populated area of the state near Philadelphia on the north end.
Dover
Following our brief Baltimore tour, we drove roughly two hours over to the state capital of Delaware, Dover. Now, this is not your average large capital city. Its population sits at a quaint 35-40,000 and you can tell life moves slower here. We commented on how safe we felt here. There was almost no one walking the streets when we arrived at the heart of downtown, except for some kids pleasantly playing in the park. Speaking of, downtown is a great little area to wander around some shops. The town packs a punch with how much history is present, so if you’re into that, head to the First State National Historical Park at The Green.
Historic Downtown Dover
The Green
The Delaware State Capitol
Historic Downtown Dover
The Green
The Delaware State Capitol
Dover International Speedway
Dover International Speedway
There weren’t any exhilarating NASCAR races or events happening when we visited, but the Dover International Speedway holds two major races each year. There’s a decent sized casino right behind the track that would be fun to stay at during a big race due to proximity, but we didn’t go inside at all so you’re rolling the dice on our recommendation! The parking lot was definitely packed, so it must be a fun place to hang out! Anyway, the best thing we saw here was the giant concrete monster coming out of the road at the track’s entrance, crushing a car in its hand.
Dover International Speedway
Slaughter Beach
We woke up the next morning ready to explore the state’s coastline. Our first stop- Slaughter Beach– is a less trafficked beach but still has fantastic sand to lounge in. The only thing is that this beach is known for tons of horseshoe crabs washing up on shore, so if you go in the water you might bump into one! But otherwise they’re super cool to see if you’ve never seen them before because they are huge: about the size of a helmet! You can help out too if you see them flipped upside-down; just flip them back over with your foot and you’ve helped to save a horseshoe crab!
Slaughter Beach
A horseshoe crab!
Slaughter Beach Parking Area
Slaughter Beach
A horseshoe crab!
Slaughter Beach Parking Area
Cape Henlopen State Park
A quick drive south sits another awesome beach with great sand. It’s located within the Cape Henlopen State Park, and actually the beach runs the whole park coastline from The Point to Herring Point. This park has plenty to do not on the beach, including camping and climbing up one of their historic beach towers from World War 11 to get a sweeping view of the area. The entrance fee is $5 for in-state plates and $10 for out-of-state plates. If you have obtained a beach/fishing permit from the visitor center, you can also drive on the beach via an access road at The Point or Herring Point and snag your spot for the day. We saw plenty of people set up shop with their car trunks opened facing the Atlantic. Be warned, they do fully enforce the beach driving permit rules (we found this out the hard way) and you must have a 4-wheel drive vehicle that can get through sand.
One of the several beaches at Cape Henlopen State Park.
Driving on one of the beaches here before we got caught (make sure you have a permit!)
One of the WWII lookout tours you can climb to the top of!
One of the several beaches at Cape Henlopen State Park.
Driving on one of the beaches here before we got caught (make sure you have a permit!)
One of the WWII lookout tours you can climb to the top of!
Rehoboth Beach Boardwalk
Probably the most famous and well-known beach spot in Delaware, Rehoboth Beach, is bumping with huge mall areas, tourist traps, and a crowded main street/beach boardwalk. It might have simply been the holiday weekend, but it seemed like everyone and their brother were here from within a 3-state radius. It’s very difficult to find quick parking during the peak times, but eventually there’s a spot that opens up. We walked back and forth along their main street, checking out the classic beach shops and window shopping each restaurant vibe. The boardwalk itself might be a mile in length, but all the action is within a half mile of where it connects to the main street. The sand itself is awesome yet again- there’s no cars on this beach, only thousands of bright umbrellas. If you enjoy pizza, ice cream, or candy, there’s about 20 different places you can choose from in this small area. We decided to hit up Kohr Bros, which is the original frozen custard spot and it was delicious. We also tried out a couple pizza joints for lunch- Nicola Pizza and Grotto Pizza. They are very similar, but for what it’s worth, we enjoyed Grotto’s pepperoni slice just a little more.
Rehoboth Beach
The Boardwalk
Some of the deliciously unhealthy food options.
Rehoboth Beach
The Boardwalk
Some of the deliciously unhealthy food options.
Dogfish Head Craft Brewery Brewings and Eats
Dogfish Head Craft Brewery Brewings and Eats
Located on the main drag of Rehoboth Beach is quite possibly one of the most popular breweries in the country- Dogfish Head. Known for their IPAs and “off-centered ales”, this scratch kitchen leaves no prisoners. It is crazy busy always, but smaller parties such as us two were able to get in after not even a 5-minute wait. We split the pretzel bite appetizer, which was glorious, and then each had our own flights. I included their 120 Minute IPA, coming in at 18% ABV and 120 IBUs. Essentially this is an amped up version of one of their flagships- 90 Minute IPA- and I was happy for the experience.
Dogfish Head Brewery
Tasty flights and food!
Dogfish Head Brewery
Tasty flights and food!
Crooked Hammock Brewery
Crooked Hammock Brewery
Just a few miles up the highway sits another fun brewery- Crooked Hammock. This place has a very fun outdoor patio and backyard chilling vibe, complete with multiple 2-person hammocks to relax in! We grabbed a late dinner here along with splitting another flight, but the food or drink was nothing to write home about. We were mainly keying in on the next available hammock to kick back and relax as the night drifted away.
Crooked Hammock Brewery
Great patio: the best part are the hammocks in the back!
Yes, that’s a flight board in the shape of Delaware!
Crooked Hammock Brewery
Great patio: the best part are the hammocks in the back!
Yes, that’s a flight board in the shape of Delaware!
To be honest, there’s not much happening for us in Delaware until you reach the coast. It’s a whole lot of farmland and fields. The high schools we passed may have been nicer than any of the other town buildings we saw too. But in a state where there is no professional sports team, I suppose there’s a lot at stake for high school championships! Last piece of advice- if you’re looking for a hotel to stay at near Rehoboth Beach, be prepared to shell out the big bucks, as our Hotel Tonight app didn’t even help us out. The next nearest hotel location then with a decent price was roughly a 30-minute drive back inland. And if you’re planning on returning toward the DC area after a popular beach weekend, be prepared to sit on the highway for 3-4 hours as everyone in the United States seemed to be heading west over the Chesapeake Bay Bridge.