Things to Do in Delaware
Ten stops across the second-smallest state, covering a du Pont family estate the size of a small town and a Civil War prison island you can only reach by boat.
Delaware's small enough that most of it fits into a single day if you push, though it's got more packed into that space than the size suggests, French-style chateaus, proper beaches, and a racetrack that draws a serious NASCAR crowd twice a year. Ten stops below, plus a quiz elsewhere on this site if you fancy testing what stuck.
Rehoboth Beach & the Boardwalk
Delaware's most developed beach town, a proper mile-long boardwalk lined with arcades, ice cream shops, and Dolle's, the salt water taffy stand that's operated from the same spot for well over eighty years. The beach itself runs wide and family-friendly, lifeguards on duty through the main summer season and considerably calmer surf than the Atlantic coast further north.
Funland, a small, old-fashioned amusement park right on the boardwalk, keeps ticket prices low and rides properly aimed at younger kids rather than teenagers chasing bigger thrills.
Best time June-August for swimming weather
Address Rehoboth Beach, DE
Winterthur Museum & Gardens
The former du Pont family estate, now a museum holding roughly 90,000 pieces of American decorative art and furniture, set within landscaped gardens that run through several distinct seasonal displays across the year. A tram tour covers the wider grounds for anyone not up for a long walk, a good option if you're travelling with younger kids or older relatives.
The Enchanted Woods, a small fairy-tale-themed garden built specifically for children, sits within the wider grounds, a properly whimsical stop that consistently ranks well with younger visitors.
Hours Tue-Sun, roughly 10am-5pm
Address 5105 Kennett Pike, Winterthur, DE
Nemours Estate
Another du Pont family property, built in the style of a Louis XVI-era French chateau, complete with formal gardens laid out along a mile-long axis that runs directly from the mansion. The interior holds original furnishings and artwork largely untouched since the family's residence, a properly striking contrast to the more understated architecture found elsewhere in the state.
Guided tours run through both the mansion and the gardens, allow a full morning or afternoon given the scale of the grounds alone.
Hours Seasonal, check current tour schedule
Address 1600 Rockland Rd, Wilmington, DE
Fort Delaware State Park
A 19th-century fort on Pea Patch Island in the Delaware River, used as a prison for Confederate soldiers during the Civil War and now run as a living history site with costumed interpreters covering both the fort's military history and the harsh conditions prisoners faced there. The ferry ride out is part of the experience itself, a short crossing that adds a proper sense of the island's isolation.
Bring bug spray in summer, the surrounding marshland draws a fair number of mosquitoes, better prepared than caught out.
Hours Seasonal, weekends through summer, check current schedule
Address 45 Clinton St, Delaware City, DE
Dover International Speedway
A concrete one-mile oval that hosts two NASCAR Cup Series race weekends each year, the steep banking and high speeds have earned it a reputation as one of the more demanding tracks on the circuit. Race weekends draw serious crowds and a proper infield camping scene, book accommodation well ahead if attending one specifically.
Outside race weekends, the track occasionally runs tours of the facility, check the current schedule if racing interests you beyond just watching an event.
Address 1131 N Dupont Hwy, Dover, DE
Delaware's Blue Crab & Seafood Scene
Delaware's coastal position along the Chesapeake and Delaware Bays puts properly fresh blue crab on menus throughout the state, most commonly served the traditional way, steamed with Old Bay seasoning and dumped directly onto a paper-covered table. Working crab houses run along much of the coast, particularly around the fishing towns near the bay.
This is a properly hands-on meal, expect a mallet and a lot of shell-cracking, not a tidy plated dinner, part of the appeal is the mess involved.
Best time Summer through early autumn for peak crab season
Address Delaware Bay coastal towns
Brandywine Creek State Park
A park built along the Brandywine River, rolling hills and stone walls left over from the estate's earlier life as farmland, considerably hillier terrain than most of flat, coastal Delaware. Several miles of hiking and biking trails run through the park, a good option for anyone wanting a proper outdoor stretch without leaving the Wilmington area.
The nature centre runs kid-focused programmes throughout the year, check the current schedule if travelling with younger children specifically.
Hours Daily, dawn to dusk
Address 41 Adams Dam Rd, Wilmington, DE
Bethany Beach & the Southern Coast
A smaller, considerably calmer beach town further south along the coast, marketed locally as 'the quiet resort,' a fair description compared to Rehoboth's livelier boardwalk further north. The town runs a small, walkable centre with a handful of restaurants and shops, a good base if a slower beach trip suits better than a busier one.
Fenwick Island, right at the Delaware-Maryland border, sits a short drive further south, a good stop if you're exploring the whole southern coastline in one trip.
Best time June-August for swimming
Address Bethany Beach, DE
Delaware Museum of Natural History
A proper natural history museum built around a substantial shell and bird egg collection, alongside dinosaur exhibits and a hands-on discovery room specifically designed for younger visitors to touch and explore rather than just observe. The museum runs a manageable size for a single visit, a couple of hours rather than a full day.
This works well as a rainy-day backup if the beach weather doesn't cooperate, close enough to the coast to fold into a wider Delaware trip without much extra driving.
Hours Daily, roughly 10am-4.30pm
Address 4840 Kennett Pike, Wilmington, DE
Cape Henlopen State Park
A large coastal park at the point where Delaware Bay meets the Atlantic, undeveloped dunes and a historic World War Two-era observation tower still standing along the shoreline. The Point, where the bay and ocean waters visibly meet, draws surfers on one side and calmer swimming on the other, a properly useful bit of geography for a group with different preferences.
Fishing, biking, and a proper nature centre round out the park beyond just the beach itself, a full day pays off if outdoor activity is more the priority than a boardwalk-style beach trip.
Best time May-September
Address 15099 Cape Henlopen Dr, Lewes, DE
Best time to visit Delaware
May through September covers the most comfortable window for the beach-focused stops on this list, mild enough for swimming without the biting insects and humidity that build later in summer.
The estates and museums both work well year-round, consider either specifically if visiting outside the beach season.
Getting around Delaware
A car works well for this list, Delaware's small enough that most stops sit within an hour or two of each other, one of the more compact states to cover on this whole trip.
Frequently asked questions
- Is Delaware worth visiting?
- Yes, particularly for the du Pont estates and the beach towns, a properly underrated state that rewards a proper look given how often it gets driven straight through.
- How many days do you need in Delaware?
- Three days gives a comfortable pace to cover the beaches, one of the estates, and Fort Delaware without excessive driving.
- Is Delaware expensive to visit?
- Moderate, the tax-free shopping helps offset costs elsewhere, though beach town accommodation runs higher during peak summer season.
- What's the best Delaware trip for kids?
- Winterthur's Enchanted Woods and the Delaware Museum of Natural History both rank as the most reliably kid-friendly stops on this list.
That's ten decent slices of a state most people cross in under an hour without stopping.
A note before you plan around this: prices, opening hours, booking requirements and admission details in this guide were correct at the time of writing, but venues change these often and sometimes without notice. Always check directly with the attraction or its official website before you travel or build a schedule around a specific time or price.
Before travelling to any destination featured on this site, please also check your government's latest travel advice, as safety situations, entry requirements and travel warnings can change.
