Outdoor Adventures Abound in Delaware

October 12, 2010 by Leave a Comment
Although it’s the smallest state, Delaware has so many outdoor opportunities, it’s hard to know where to start. Miles of coastline, hiking trails, cycling routes, and scenic drives make Delaware a recreation hot spot. Because the state is so small, it’s easy to see a little bit of everything in a short time.

For many, the beach is where it all starts. The coast is lined with resorts and state parks, with multiple access points. State parks and nature preserves offer some of the finest bird watching, hiking and biking, all with magnificent ocean vistas.

Cape Henlopen State Park in Lewes is the most well-known nature sanctuary. The bay is ideal for shell collecting, hiking, swimming and biking. The park has bicycles available for use, free with park admission, to tour the park on the many paved bike trails. There is also an observation tower from World War II era that provides the perfect vantage point for taking in the view. Kids love the interactive Seaside Nature Center.

Sea kayaking is very popular, and one of the best way to see all types of wildlife and take in the scenery. Rentals are widely available, as are guided tours. The Delaware Bay offers some of the best views of the Breakwater and the Harbor of Refuge Lighthouses and maybe even a glimpse of rare birds like osprey, terns, and oystercatchers. A tour of Rehoboth Bay offers views of herons and shorebirds in their natural habitat.

The Brandywine Valley offers the nature enthusiast a little bit of everything. The Brandywine Creek State Park, close to Wilmington, is the place to go to escape the hustle and bustle. The park has a unique program that allows guests to see owls that are part of the park’s rescue program. Visitors then go into the forest with a knowledgable guide. The Bird and Breakfast tour consists of a hike through the park, a pancake breakfast, and opportunities for birders to hob nob and compare notes.

This is just the tip of the iceberg! There are many, many more opportunities to get out and explore Delaware’s outdoor scene.

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Town of Little Creek

August 5, 2010 by Leave a Comment
Dover Air Force Base

Image via Wikipedia

Little Creek is a fascinating town, located east of Dover along the Delaware Bay. This much obscure town is in fact an historical and cultural treasure of Delaware, and a place where citizens know and are willing to help each other.

The town began in the early 19th century as a settlement known as “Little Landing”, when little later British seamen were defeated by the local farmers with their muskets. The town experienced an economic boom in the late 19th century with the oyster industry and soon large ships began to make stopovers at Port Mahon. Commercial boats were soon introduced and shops and restaurants in the town began to resize and increase in number. Today there are little or no boats at Little Creek and the ships that come into Port Mahon are the tankers that bring in jet fuel for the Dover Air Force Base.

Little Creek, as with all places, has had its economic ups and downs. The citizens of the town though have been very content with the slow but steady economic security. Everybody in Little Creek know each other well and emphasize more on familial and social values. Local business establishments like the Little Creek Deli, Lane’s bait shop and produce stand, Mike Little’s decoy and plant shop and Little Creek Bed and Breakfast are well known to all. A general consensus in 2009 on the overall progress of Little Creek returned a fairly good report.

A walk through the town will bring you by Old Stone Tavern and the bridge over the Creek. The Little Creek Wildlife Area lies south of town, with marshlands used for hunting, fishing and crabbing. The road which leads out of town to Port Mahon was once lined up with oyster shucking houses and fishing shacks. Inside Port Mahon, lush marshlands on one side house many birds and the bay with water constantly gushing in, lies on the other side. The remains of the lighthouse, which was burned down in 1984, still exists.

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Delaware Bay – A Home to Many

July 15, 2010 by Leave a Comment

Delaware Bay has great historical significance to the nation and having participated in the American Revolution, it subsequently became the First State to endorse the Constitution of the United States.

Delaware is home to many scientists and engineers and positions many industrial companies that manufacture chemical and pharmaceutical products, automobiles, paper, rubber and plastics. Agricultural products consist of dairy, poultry, soybeans and corn. Major companies like the University of Delaware, Bank of America, Wilmington Trust, Citigroup, Du Pont and Fisker automotive provide employment opportunities to citizens. The Dover Air Force Base is one of the largest air bases of the United States Air Force. About 70 percent of the crude oil shipped into the United States from the east, transports through Delaware Bay.

The state of Delaware is divided into the three counties of New Castle, Kent and Sussex, each county representing the Legislation with its own council members. Most governmental functions throughout the state are centralized in Delaware. Owing to lying alongside the Atlantic Coast, the state has a mix of continental and subtropical climates. The summers are relatively hot and humid with some amount of snowfall in winter. The wetland habitat of Delaware Bay is conducive to concentrated populations of migratory and wading birds such as the shorebirds, songbirds, waterfowl and raptors. Delaware Bay shores hold the largest population of horseshoe crabs in the world.

Delaware Bay is a frequent summer vacation destination for tourists from Central and Mid Atlantic states. While vacationing in Delaware, some of the places to look forward to are museums, parks, wildlife reserves, beaches, lighthouses and other places of historical significance. The most famous beaches along the Delaware Bay include Dewey beach, Rehoboth beach, Bethany beach and Fenwick Island. Visitors are particularly attracted to the artistic appeal of the towns, to water activities, the nightlife and tax free shopping. Delaware Bay hosts a number of annual festivals throughout the year. The Delaware Bay Estuary harvests oyster worth over $1.5 million in value and recreational fishing alone is estimated at $30 million.

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