DELAWARE STATE -  UNITED STATES OF AMERICA - TRAVEL & ACCOMMODATION GUIDE

Visiting Delaware on Your Next Road Trip   by Woodall's Editorial Staff

Delaware boasts rivers, swamplands, lakes, forests, grasslands and a more than respectable 90 miles of Atlantic coastline. When its square mileage measure is taken into consideration, the "First State" tallies up on the small side, but Delaware still manages to pack a powerful punch in terms of natural attractions. Delaware campgrounds are close by many attractions, and Delaware RV camping resorts offer even more amenities.

This state's central region contains two stand-out National Wildlife Refuges. Bombay Hook is in Smyrna on the western shore of Delaware Bay and Prime Hook is just 22 miles southeast of Delaware's capital city of Dover. Both refuges were established to preserve coastal wetlands to serve as stopping points for migrating waterfowl. Together, they encompass nearly 30,000 acres of suitable nesting and feeding grounds for a generous variety of bird species such as snow geese, black ducks, peregrine falcons and barred owls. Visitors can view or photograph wildlife from inside their vehicles on Bombay's self-guided automobile tour. Those who prefer to travel on foot can enjoy the sights from an assortment of observation towers and nature trails, of which one is fully accessible to the handicapped. Activities such as hunting, hiking, boating, canoeing and crabbing are all permitted.

The southeastern coast is the home of a very popular vacation destination - Delaware Seashore State Park. It's no wonder that tourists and residents alike flock to this mecca of sand, sun, surf and non-stop watersports. The Atlantic Ocean forms this seashore's eastern border; its western edge is flanked by the waters of Rehoboth and Indian River Bays. Visitors find inviting beaches and two developed swimming areas with lifeguards on hand during summer months. Inlet and oceanside surf fishing and a special access pier entertain anglers of all ages and physical abilities. The park's Thompson Island Preserve, a fine example of a thriving salt marsh, is located in Rehoboth Bay, just northwest of Indian River Inlet. Delaware campgrounds are close by. Designated beach areas are reserved for surfers and surf fishermen, and select dune crossing areas provide all-terrain vehicles with convenient beach entry. Delaware Seashore's shallow bays are popular spots for sailors, windsurfers, clam diggers and crabbers. A short nature trail offers interesting views of shorebirds' nesting colonies, surrounding bay islands and salt marshes. The annual Sandcastle Contest attracts some of the finest amateur sand sculptors on the Mid-Atlantic coast.

Every two years, Georgetown hosts an unusual event known as "Return day", a half-day-long parade and festival two days after Election Day. Stemming from the colonial days in which the public would congregate in Georgetown two days after the election to hear the results (because it would take that long to deliver the results to the courthouse by horseback), the winners of that year's political races parade around The Circle in carriages with the losers and the chairs of the county's political parties ceremonially "bury the hatchet" in a tub of sand. The afternoon of Return Day is a holiday for county and state workers in Sussex County, and the event is marked by a traditional ox feast, much revelry, and, of course, the beginning of the next round of campaigns. Many in Delaware feel that the state's traditionally chummy and staid political climate is due in large part to the Return Day tradition.

Georgetown is somewhat unique among Delaware municipalities in that the center of the town is built around a circle, instead of the more traditional parklike square. Straddling "The Circle", as it is unsurprisingly called, is the Town Hall; state and county buildings, including the historic Sussex County Courthouse (the original Courthouse was replaced by the current structure which was built 1837 on South Bedford Street. It was further restored in 1976 and it currently serves as the home of the Georgetown Historical Society); lawyers' offices; a bank, and the Brick Hotel, which has recently completed renovation. This layout is similar to that found in Annapolis, Maryland, except that, unlike in Annapolis, where the State House is the focal point of the circle, the center of Georgetown's circle is a small park with a fountain. Georgetown's oldest church, St. Paul’s Episcopal Church dates to 1794 and is built in the Victorian Gothic style.

It is the largest city in Sussex county and was voted the 28th Best Small Town in America. It hosted the Seaford Eagles of the Eastern Shore Baseball League.