Things to do this Fall

With 26 miles of pristine Atlantic coastline plus inland bays, canals, marshes, and more, it’s not surprising that outdoor adventures top the list for fall visitors. Surfing, boating, fishing, sailing, kayaking, stand up paddleboarding, hiking, and biking, and beachcombing are all high on the list of favorite autumn activities. The jewel in the crown of Southern Delaware is Cape Henlopen State Park. The park offers miles of beautiful hiking/biking trails that meander through coastal marshes, pine forests, and along ocean beaches. Don’t miss the scenic Gordons Pond Trail that connects Rehoboth Beach with Lewes. This trail and the nearby Junction & Breakwater Trail can’t be beat for pure, unspoiled coastal beauty. Trap Pond State Park, also with many beautiful trails, is a wetland forest and home to the northernmost natural stand of bald cypress trees in the United States. Prime Hook National Wildlife Refuge is a huge draw for hikers, photographers, and birders - we’re right smack in the middle of the Atlantic Flyway, so fall birding is phenomenal here. There are outdoor adventures waiting for you here in every season, and fall is a spectacularly beautiful time to play outside here. You’ll find lots to do regardless of your age or abilities.

History buffs will delight in discovering the history of Sussex County through its small town museums. Our area’s history began long before Captain John Smith began exploring tributaries of the Chesapeake Bay and met the Nanticoke Indian Tribe near what’s now the town of Laurel. The Nanticoke Indian Tribe is still an active cultural force in the county, hosting a large Powwow every September and maintaining their own museum as well. Find out about the fascinating social, agricultural, maritime, and military histories of Sussex County from pre-Revolutionary days to the present by visiting our two dozen+ museums and viewing their collections of artifacts and memorabilia. Expert docents put collections in context and bring the area’s history to life with stories of shipwrecks, pirates and their booty, storms, and political intrigue. Museum locations include a train station, a caboose, a WWII bunker, a lighthouse, a town hall, a firehouse, an airport, a mansion, a lifesaving station, a lightship, a church, a barn, a post office, a renovated ice house, and several historic homes. Fall is also full of history events; be sure to check our calendar to see what’s happening when you’re in town!

Arts and Entertainment flourish in Fall! Southern Delaware’s towns are brimming with large and small performance venues, offering a robust slate of entertainment options including The Freeman Arts Pavilion in Selbyville, an open-air performing arts venue that offers diverse programming and national performing artists, and community theaters including Clear Space Theatre in Rehoboth Beach, Possum Point Players in Georgetown, the Riverfront Theater in Milford and the Milton Theatre. Live music can also be found in many pubs and restaurants throughout the county. Visual arts abound as well. This area is home to many talented artists, artisans, and crafters and therefore to many small shops, galleries, and studios where their one-of-a-kind works are exhibited and sold. The fall calendar is packed with art exhibits at local galleries and art leagues and the Bethany Beach Boardwalk Arts Festival every September is just one of several big draws for art lovers throughout the season.

With more than 40 festivals throughout the year, Southern Delaware is definitely festive! Many festivals take place in the fall, including the Milford Riverwalk Freedom Festival, the Alpaca Festival, Bethany Beach Boardwalk Arts Festival, Nanticoke Indian Powwow, Freeman Pavilion Arts & Jazz Festival, Festival Hispano, Southern Delaware Wine, Food, and Music Festival; Lewes History Book Festival, Boast the Coast Maritime Festival, Zwaanendael Maritime Program, Wings and Wheels, Sea Witch Halloween and Fiddlers Festival, Apple Scrapple Festival, Rehoboth Beach Jazz Festival, True Blue Jazz Festival, and Rehoboth Beach Independent Film Festival, to name a few. Check our calendar to plan your trip around a particular festival, or to find out what festival is happening during your stay!

Southern Delaware has become known as The Culinary Coast™ because of its incredible concentration of top notch, James Beard nominated and award-winning chefs and dining establishments. While it may appear to visiting beachgoers that Sussex County’s #1 industry is sunshine and surf, in reality agriculture is our biggest economic driver. This means the restaurants of our Culinary Coast™ serve up delicious dishes made with the freshest possible ingredients. Love to cook? You can serve up the freshest ingredients too. Our farmers’ markets are amazing and there’s at least one taking place nearly every day of the week in season along with fabulous harvest markets during the fall months. Southern Delaware is also home to many farms that welcome visitors and sell their own home-grown products, including some that you can pick yourself. If you’ve never been to a winery, or a lavender farm, or if you haven’t tried farm fresh ice cream, lavender chocolate, cherry cider, or bison burgers, visit our local farmers and nurserymen and expand your horizons! Our area boasts three wineries, several renowned breweries, distilleries, and a meadery. Milton is home to the very popular Dogfish Head Craft Brewery. Wine tastings, winery, brewery, and distillery tours, and cooking classes and events hosted by award-winning chefs from several of our most popular dining establishments are must-dos for locals and visitors alike.

In Southern Delaware we say beaches are just the beginning. Find out why - and discover all the fascinating and fun adventures along and just beyond our beaches in autumn! For an "off-the- beaten-path" experience, check out these fabulous themed trails, itineraries, field trips, museums, farm adventures, and guided and self-guided tours to add a little exploration to your vacation.

Visit some of our 25 charming beach and riverside towns in the fall and enjoy some Tax-Free shopping! Each of our small towns offers singular shopping experiences thanks to the many unique boutique-style shops that line their streets. There are antique, vintage, and consignment shops sprinkled liberally throughout Sussex County too, and fabulous independent bookstores. And, of course, there are more than 130 outlet stores lining Route 1 between Lewes and Rehoboth Beach. Get a jump on your holiday shopping, and enjoy it tax-free!