Delaware Travel Guide

Delaware, while not the smallest of the United States of America, was the first state to ratify the US Constitution.

Delaware Travel Guide - Regions

There are three counties in the state of Delaware:

* New Castle
* Kent
* Sussex

Delaware Travel Guide - Cities

* The capital of Delaware is Dover, located in the middle of the state.
* Wilmington
* Newark
* Bridgeville
* Dewey Beach
* Dover
* New Castle
* Rehoboth Beach
* Middletown

Delaware Travel Guide - Getting There

Commercial airline service into the state of Delaware is limited, but areas of the state are reasonably close to major international airports in either Pennsylvania, New Jersey, Maryland, or the District of Columbia. The Wilmington area is served by a limited number of Delta flights into the New Castle County Airport (ILG), located less than 10 minutes from downtown Wilmington. Philadelphia International Airport (PHL) is 20 miles or about a half hour to the northeast of downtown Wilmington and serves as the main commercial aviation gateway for most visitors to Delaware. Other airports used by Delaware visitors include Baltimore-Washington International (BWI), less than 90 minutes from Wilmington, and Salisbury-Ocean City Wicomico Regional Airport (SBY) which serves many visitors to southern Delaware's beaches and is located about an hour south and west of Rehoboth Beach, DE.

The Amtrak station in Wilmington is a major stop on the system's Northeast Corridor, with frequent high-speed connections throughout the day to NYC, Boston, and D.C. The station is located on Front Street between French and Walnut Streets in downtown Wilmington. It has one inside level which has stores, a cafe, Amtrak and SEPTA ticket offices, a car rental office, and a post office; passengers board their trains on the second story train platforms. It is served by Amtrak trains along the Northeast Corridor going south to Baltimore and Washington, D.C., and going north to Philadelphia and New York. It is also served by SEPTA's R2 Regional Rail Line with service to Philadelphia and Newark, Delaware. Like all stations in Delaware, SEPTA service is provided under contract and funded through DART First State, which also provides extensive local bus service.

Greyhound has a limited number of bus terminals throughout the state.

Delaware Travel Guide - Getting Around

Cars are the main mode of transportation, except in the city of Wilmington, where ample mass transit is available. DART First State is the primary public transportation system that operates throughout Delaware. Although most of its routes run in and around Wilmington and Newark in New Castle County, DART also serves Dover (in Kent County), and Georgetown in Sussex County, and has one route running into New Jersey, which connects with New Jersey Transit buses, and one route into Elkton with connection to the dial-a-ride service of Cecil County.

DART provides connecting service with the R2 Newark line of SEPTA Regional Rail, which travels between Philadelphia and Wilmington, with a few trains continuing on to Newark. The Delaware Department of Transportation subsidizes Regional Rail operations into Delaware.

Delaware Travel Guide - Thing To Do

Delaware has beautiful beaches. The more popular ones are:

* Rehoboth Beach (known for being gay friendly)
* Lewes (known for its historic district)
* Dewey Beach (popular with college students)

The Blue Rocks baseball team.

Delaware is well known for having no sales tax. Most Delawareans shop at malls or strip malls with big box stores. Notable malls include:

* Christiana Mall
* Concord Mall
* Dover Mall
* Rehoboth Outlets

Delaware Travel Guide - Festivals

The Big August Quarterly is an annual religious festival held in Wilmington, Delaware, and is sometimes called "Big Quarterly" or "August Quarterly." The festival began in 1814 by Peter Spencer in connection with the "quarterly" meeting (or "conference") of the African Union Church. Out of the four meetings during the year, the one in August became the "annual conference" of the Church when ministers' assignments for the next year were announced, among other business — it was a time for free blacks and slaves alike to come together (from the multi-state area) and celebrate their faith with singing, dancing, testifying, and feasting. It is the oldest such celebration in the country. Senator Biden's remarks on the significance of the "Big Quarterly" were published in the Congressional Record for 30 July 1981 (Vol. 127, No. 117) and for 9 August 1984 (Vol 130, No. 106).

Every year, the Delaware Sängerbund (German for Singers Alliance) holds a three day long Oktoberfest. Although the cultural significance of the Sängerbund has diminished over the years, the festival is extremely popular and attracts visitors from all over the East Coast.

The city of Wilmington is home to several ethnic festivals, including the Puerto Rican Festival, which includes a parade, the Polish Festival, the Greek Festival held at the Greek Orthodox Church, and the Italian Festival held at St. Anthony of Padua Roman Catholic Church. Wilmington's substantial Polish-American population supports a yearly Pulaski Day Parade in March as well as a summer Polish Festival, hosted by Saint Hedwig's Roman Catholic Church. The Italian Festival is held in an area of Wilmington known as Little Italy by Saint Anthony's Roman Catholic Church in Wilmington, and covers several blocks. It runs from sunup to sundown for a week, and features Italian food, merchandise, live music, bars, amusement park rides, and the All Saints parade on the closing night of the festival.

In Bethany Beach, the end of the summer season is honored each year with a traditional jazz funeral down the town's boardwalk. And at the end of October, Rehoboth Beach holds its annual "Sea Witch Halloween and Fiddlers' Festival." Rehoboth Beach also hosts the Polar Bear Plunge every February. This event involves running into the ocean to raise money for Special Olympics.

One of Delaware's most bizarre — and enjoyable — traditions is Sussex County's Punkin Chunkin, where specially grown pumpkins are shot from hydraulic or air-powered cannons, centrifugal devices and other various human powered contraptions. The goal is to see which device can hurl a pumpkin the greatest distance, with some currently reaching distances of almost a mile. The carnival atmosphere is themed in pumpkins with more and more attractions added each year.

Another unique Delaware rite is Return Day, which occurs every two years on the Thursday following the November general election. Believed to be the only event of its kind in the United States, and recognized as such by Rep. Mike Castle, R-Del., and the U.S. Congress, it is a continuation of a tradition that dates back to Delaware's earliest days in the 18th century. Residents of Sussex County at that time would travel to Georgetown, the county seat, to cast their ballots and then wait, in the days following, to hear the results, or "returns." Today, the immediacy of television, newspapers, radio and the Internet would make such an event obsolete, but it has thrived as a matter of tradition and celebration. Festivities include the reading of election results from the Sussex County Courthouse balcony by the town crier, a parade in which winners and losers ride together, the roasting of an ox behind the courthouse, and the ceremonial burying of the hatchet in sand from Lewes Beach.

Delaware Travel Guide - Eat

Delaware has many excellent restaurants and a surprising number of brewpubs for a small state.

Delaware Travel Guide - Drink

Some brewpubs include:

* Iron Hill Brewery
* Dogfishead Brewing
* Stuart's Brewpub

Delaware Travel Guide - Stay Safe

Staying safe in Delaware is a matter of staying smart. In Wilmington, city oficials and downtown merchants have formed (armed with two-way radios but not guns)private security patrols that wander the restaurant and entertainment districts in the downtown area--but "patrols" are few and far between. Most restaurants will summon a security person to escort you to your car, if requested. Neighborhoods turn sketchy fast in Wilmington. Sometimes it's a mater of crossing the street. Listen to your inner voice. If it's telling you that you've wandered into a "bad" area, you probably have. In general, it's best to avoid walking alone after dark in the downtown area. Interestingly enough, Wilmington has one of the highest concentrations of remote security cameras of any city its size. Of course, these cameras are best at identifying criminals AFTER the fact, so don't take much comfort in their presence.

Despite the above advice, Delaware has less crime than most other states due to its small population. A visit anywhere in the state is safe. Like everywhere else, common sense needs to be used.

Article Source: Wikipedia