Things to do this Spring

There are lots of activities and festivals in the Spring each year, so be sure to check out our calendar for your dates of travel to see what’s going on during your planned visit. Here is a Spring Sampler: Whether you participate or spectate, The Great Delaware Kite Festival held each year on the Friday before Easter at Cape Henlopen State Park is a great way to welcome Spring! The day includes an Easter Egg Hunt for children under 12. Kite flyers compete in three groups based on age, from children through adults. Food vendors, face painting, and more. Click here for info. The Lewes Tulip Celebration, held over three weekends each April is sure to put a smile on your face. Nearly 30,000 tulips and 5,000 spring bulb plantings in over 20 locations (yes, three’s a map available) burst into beautiful bloom in and around historic Lewes, in a nod to the city’s founding by the Dutch in 1631. There is also a schedule of activities including tours associated with the Celebration. Click here for info.  The delightful Bug and Bud Festival takes place on an April Saturday in historic Downtown Milford, Delaware, along Walnut Street, Park Avenue and the Mispillion Riverwalk. This festival includes the popular Spring costume parade featuring adults, children and pets dressed as ladybugs and trees as well as decorated bikes. Prizes are awarded. Arts and crafts vendors line the streets, there are food trucks, live entertainment, games and activities for kids, and a preview of the popular Downtown Milford Farmers Market. Click here for info. 

Did you know that each spring, the Delaware Bay becomes the site of one of the natural world’s most spectacular and ancient phenomena: the spawning of horseshoe crabs.  From early April through early June, the crabs crawl onshore from deep Atlantic waters to spawn under full and new moons, just as they have for 450 million years. The horseshoe crab eggs attract other visitors, too. Migratory birds like the iconic red knot are drawn to the beaches during the spawning period. The red knots require sustenance as they continue their nearly 10,000-mile journey to their Arctic breeding grounds, and the Delaware Bayshore therefore becomes a critical waypoint. On moonlit nights in May and June, thousands of the crabs crawl ashore on Delaware Bay beaches at high tide to lay eggs, as they have for 450 million years.” ~The Nature Conservancy. And did you know you can witness it all right here along the Delaware Bay beaches in Southern Delaware? Well, you can and it’s a sight to behold! While you’re at it, check out Dupont Nature Center, right in the middle of all the action and offering fabulous programs and events.

Southern Delaware boasts some of the best and most beautiful hiking, cycling, and paddling trails along the east coast, and thanks to our coastal plain location our land trails are relatively flat, making them accessible to people of all ages and abilities. Weaving their way through coastal marshes, cypress swamps, farmland, coastal forests and along Atlantic beaches (and just sipping distance to many of our local breweries) our trails are renowned throughout the mid-Atlantic. 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. And check out the stunning Lewes-Georgetown Trail and the Assawoman Canal Trail as well as Trap Pond State Park, which boasts many beautiful land and water trails through wetland forest - the northernmost natural stand of bald cypress trees in the continental United States. Prime Hook National Wildlife Refuge is also a huge draw for hikers, photographers, and birders - we’re right smack in the middle of the Atlantic Flyway, so the birding is phenomenal here. The Nanticoke River in western Sussex County - the most pristine tributary of the Chesapeake Bay - provides countless opportunities for recreation and sightseeing too. Read about these trails and others at this link. And be sure to check out our Bike and Stay and Paddle and Stay programs!

Visit in the Spring and you’ll be warmly welcomed and well fed! Southern Delaware’s abundant agriculture industry is our backyard garden and the source of what makes us delicious. What does this mean for you? It means farm fresh, delicious, healthy ingredients that make up the mouth-watering creations of our Culinary Coast™ chefs. It means that you can visit over-the-top fantastic farmers’ markets nearly every day of the week in season. It means that whether you eat out or dine in, you can fuel your family’s Southern Delaware getaway with foods so fresh and tasty that you could have harvested them from your own backyard garden. You’ll also find more than a dozen local breweries, wineries, distilleries, and you’ll be delighted to find exceptional restaurants with world-class chefs and an exciting array of locally sourced gourmet food experiences here.

Southern Delaware is the Mid-Atlantic golf destination. No matter what your skill level, there's a course (or several!) for you here. If you’re looking for a professional experience visit the Bayside Resort Golf Course, which was designed by Jack Nicklaus, for instance. Browse the courses at this link (link! Get it? Lol) to get a feel for the incredible number and variety of golf experiences Southern Delaware has to offer

In Southern Delaware we say beaches are just the beginning. Find out why - and discover all the fascinating and fun adventures just beyond our beaches this Spring! 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 Spring vacation.