Summer in DE

Summer is the perfect time to be outside, and who doesn’t love a picnic? Having a picnic is a great way to spend time outside with no preparation necessary. The location of the picnic can only add to the experience! In Delaware, there are many beautiful parks to have these picnics in, including the Cape Henlopen State Park, Brandywine Creek State Park, Killens Pond State Park, and Delaware State Park are some of my favorites! They all provide calming nature and they are all by rivers, lakes, and the ocean, in case you want to go for a swim! Next time you are in Delaware and wondering what you should do with your day, consider a picnic!

The Fourth of July is one of my personal favorite holidays and one of the main things I look forward to about summer. In Delaware, celebrating the Fourth of July is so easy, with many different fun celebrations! There are fireworks on the 3rd, 4th, and 5th of July in Rehoboth Beach, Lewes, Dewey Beach, Wilmington, and more! Not only are there great firework shows, there are other celebrations and parades, making the holiday even more exciting! Newark Liberty Day, Bethany Beach Parade & Concert, and the Milton Festival are Fourth of July events with food trucks, carnival games, and of course fireworks! The Fourth of July will be here before you know it, don't forget all the fun things you can do in Delaware!

Summer is the perfect season for farmers markets, finding fresh local food and home-made goods while outside in the nice weather, there is simply nothing better! One of the best farmers markets to visit in Delaware is the Historic Lewes Farmers market, open every Saturday from 8am-12pm. Not only do they have a wide variety of fresh food, but also live music and chef demos. Another farmers market worth going to is the Wilmington Farmers Market, open every Wednesday from 4pm-7pm, they also have a large selection of fresh food, and also food trucks and fresh flowers. This is the perfect place to stop and get some great food after work. In Delaware, there are farmers markets all throughout the state that can be a great place to stop and get some food, while having a fun experience!

Delaware is known for its blue crabs, and summer is the season for them! There is nothing better than picking crabs or having a fresh crab cake sandwich after a day at the beach. One of the best to get some crab is The Crab House in Rehoboth Beach, known for their all-you-can-eat car special. Another popular place is Matt’s Fish Camp, upscale dining with a relaxed feel, known for their tasty crab cakes and crab fries. Boondocks in Smyrna is quite the experience for picking crabs, with picnic tables and trays, you don’t have to be afraid to get messy! If you are looking for delicious, all things crab this summer, Delaware is the place to be!

It can be difficult to keep kids entertained, without their regular schedule, for parents, nannies, and babysitters during summer. There are many different activities to keep kids entertained in Delaware, indoor and outdoor! The Delaware Children’s museum in Wilmington, DE is a great place for kids to learn, explore, and interact with various exhibits. In Rehoboth Beach, there is Funland that has many different attractions including rides and the arcade that keep kids entertained for hours. In Rehoboth there is also Jungle Jims, a water park with plenty of waterslides, go-karts, bumper boats, and more! Keeping kids entertained isn’t easy, but in Delaware there are several solutions to that problem!

Not only is it important to stay physically active throughout summer, but it is also very important to stay mentally active. Going three months without having classes during summer can certainly cause a lack of learning and using your brain, which tends to get to me at a certain point during the summer, feeling that I desperately need to do things to keep me mentally active. There are always activities such as reading that can help with this feeling during summer, but sometimes it is fun to do different things, such as go to a museum. There are plenty of museums in Delaware that provide fun learning opportunities. In Wilmington, DE there are many museums including Winterthur, Hagley, and Nemours Estate that focus on the history of DuPont including different gardens, the DuPont estate, and the DuPont home, and more about their history. There are also different museums including the Delaware Art Museum and the Delaware Museum of Nature & Science in Wilmington, and the Air Mobility Command Museum showing aircraft and artifacts from WWII at the Dover AFB. When looking for learning opportunities this summer, check out a museum!

One of the greatest things about summer is the free time, compared to the school year. I like to make the most out of that free time, travel and do fun things. I love going on spontaneous day trips, and the great thing about Delaware being a small state is that there are many places and different states that can be easily traveled to as a day or weekend trip. Spending the majority of my summer at the beach in Delaware, sometimes it is nice to switch it up and go to a city! New York City is a quick trip, just over two hours, from Northern Delaware. Who doesn’t love shopping, walking around, and eating in New York City as a fun day trip? Philadelphia is under thirty minutes from Northern Delaware, making it easy to go for the day, get some good food like a Philly cheesesteak, go to a Phillies game, and go shopping! Some of the most popular cities in the US are just outside of Delaware, making for some great quick trip possibilities!

During summer, it is easy at times to get caught up in relaxation, forgetting to stay physically active. Being out of routine, not having classes to walk to, and no more school sports makes it important to find a source for physical activity. I personally enjoy getting physical activity outdoors during the summer and there are many state parks in Delaware to do so. One of my favorite spots is the Cape Henlopen State Park, a beautiful place with dunes, forest, and trails to hike, walk, bike, and more. The Brandywine Creek State Park and White Clay Creek State Park are great places for paddling, boating, and swimming. The Delaware Seashore State Park is perfect for surfing, fishing, crabbing, and windsurfing. It is easy to stay physically active during summer when in Delaware!

One of my favorite things to do during the summer is going to concerts and music festivals. Being in Delaware, there are many different opportunities for music festivals and performances nearby. Starting with the Barefoot Country Music Festival in Wildwood, New Jersey, which is just a quick drive or ferry ride away! This takes place in June, with many different country artist performers. In July, the Delaware State Fair takes place in Harrington, Delaware. There are rides, food, and other entertainment including various performers. In September, ending summer, there is the Oceans Calling Festival in Ocean City, Maryland, just minutes from the Delaware Beaches. This festival includes many different kinds of music including rock, alternative, and more. Going to a fun music festival or performance is a great way to make your summer experience the best it can be!

When visiting the Delaware beaches, there are many must-try restaurants and food spots. Some of the most well-known being Thrasher’s French Fries, Surf Bagel, and Grotto's Pizza. Thrasher’s is known for their great boardwalk fries, often topped with apple cider vinegar. Grabbing a bucket of tasty fries at the boardwalk always makes for a better beach experience. Surf Bagel serves many different types of delicious, freshly made bagels every single day, my favorite being the old bay bagel, which you can’t find in most places. There are also many other breakfast and lunch options, people travel from all around to get Surf Bagel! Grotto’s Pizza is known for its sauce swirl! When at the beach it is quick and easy to swing by and grab a slice, or sit down, get a pizza, wings, beach fries, and more! These three places are quick and easy grab and go, very popular in the area. There are plenty of other restaurants in the area with amazing food that is worth trying, especially seafood, mainly crab, which the area is well known for. If in Delaware, look out for lots of delicious food with much variety!

There is plenty of variety when it comes to the beaches in Delaware. If visiting, there is the perfect beach for each and every person! Some of the most popular beaches in Delaware are Rehoboth Beach, Dewey Beach, Lewes Beach/Cape Henlopen, and Bethany Beach. Rehoboth Beach has so much to offer, mostly due to the boardwalk and avenue which are filled with little shops and restaurants. Dewey Beach is very popular among you adults searching for the nightlife aspect, filled with bars, live music, DJ’s, and events. It is the place to be if looking for a fun night out in a beach town! Lewes Beach/Cape Henlopen is popular for people interested in surfing and skimming, and for those interested in the nature aspect. The Jetty is a great place to surf and skim and there are nature trails right near the beaches for hiking and biking. Bethany Beach is a great place for families. There is a boardwalk with shops and restaurants, things to interest people of all ages. This is just a little insight into what some of the main Delaware Beaches are known for, there is a place for everyone!

Hello! I am Molly Bell, a sophomore at the University of South Carolina and I am from Wilmington, DE. Ever since I moved to South Carolina for college, I have come to the realization that many people are unaware of all of the fun opportunities that Delaware has to offer and even more shocking to me, many people are unaware that the state of Delaware even exists! In my opinion, as someone who has lived there my whole life with so many great memories, Delaware is a hidden gem.  It is one of the greatest places with many things to do, especially during the summer, and my blog is dedicated to informing people about it!