8 Best Small Towns in Delaware to Visit in 2024
On your journey through the East Coast of the United States, don't forget about the delightful state of Delaware. Many of its best small towns to visit in 2024 have come a long way from their conceptions in the 1600s when Swedish and Finnish settlers built the first log cabins in the Delmarva Peninsula. These days, towns like Bethany Beach and Lewes are renowned for their majestic shorelines, while Delaware City and New Castle contain the deep histories and present culture of Delaware. You can even savor splendid peaches in towns like Wyoming and Odessa. There is no deficit of destinations for you to relish in some of the best small towns in Delaware to visit in 2024.
Wyoming
The small town of Wyoming, approximately eight minutes from the city of Dover, is not located in the distant state of Wyoming. However, there is a historical connection to Wyoming since the townspeople renamed the town from West Camden to Wyoming to pay homage to Reverend John J. Pierce, who came from the Wyoming Valley in Pennsylvania.
Being one of “the best little towns in Delaware,” Wyoming also happens to be the “Peach Center” or “Peach State” of Delaware, where some of the best peaches in the most bountiful of seasons can be plucked at the Fifer Orchards. Do not miss out on the annual Peach Festival on the first Saturday of August, and savor your delicious peaches while strolling along Wyoming Pond in Wyoming Park.
Odessa
In 1660, Dutch settlers arrived at the Appoquinimink River and established the lively and humble town of Odessa, one of the oldest towns in Delaware. Only around 18 minutes from Delaware City, Odessa preserves many of its 18th- and 19th-century Dutch edifices. Among these historic architectures are the Corbit-Sharp House, the Fieldstone Stable, and Cantwell's Tavern. The Corbit-Sharp House, specifically, is a National Historic Landmark due to it being one of the Network to Freedom sites on the Harriet Tubman Underground Railroad, which liberated slaves during the American Civil War.
Similar to Wyoming, Odessa is obsessed with peaches, and you can enjoy the Middletown Old Thyme Peach Festival in August for those of you peachy for peaches. No need to worry about lodgings, because the Miller-Dunham House Bed & Breakfast and more have accommodations suitable for you.
Milton
Few places have the honor of being named after a poet. In the case of Milton, it was named after the English poet John Milton. It is more notably known as “the Head of the Broadkill” since it is positioned in the busiest shipping and shipbuilding spot along the Broadkill River. A splattering of 18th-century buildings retains much of Milton’s shipbuilding past, like the Town Dock, Town Park, and Marina.
As the “Holly Capital of the World,” Milton is where people go to collect holly wreaths and other Christmas decorations for the holiest holiday of the year. Be sure to go for scenic walks at the Edward H. McCabe Preserve, or you can travel about seven miles to Delaware Bay to see the largest congregation of horseshoe crabs in the world. Finally, let the lavish quarter of Charleston of Milton Inn LLC or the Governor’s Bed & Breakfast lull you to dreamful slumber.
Lewes
Feel the breeze and embrace the waters of the Atlantic Ocean and the Delaware Bay at the lovely seaside town of Lewes. At Cape Henlopen State Park, you can frolic and saunter about in the deep wilderness and sceneries near the Delaware Bay, especially in Delaware’s legendary "walking" sand dunes. At the Beach Plum Island Nature Preserve and Savannah Beach, you can lounge and luxuriate beneath the warm and temperate daylight of Delaware. At the Fort Miles Historic Area, you can appreciate the readiness and preparations made by Americans for a possible Axis invasion during World War II.
If you want the sunshine and the sea, you go to Lewes, and to refresh and recharge, head to either the Red Mill Inn, Hotel Rodney, or The Inn at Canal Square.
Bethany Beach
As a 30-minute-away neighbor to Lewes, Bethany Beach similarly campaigns and advocates for its wondrous shorelines brimming with activity and photo-lovely landscapes. At the James Farm Ecological Preserve, you can watch the local wildlife in Delaware go about their diurnal and nocturnal affairs. Additionally, the Fenwick Island State Park and the Delaware Seashore State Park are also great destinations to admire the biodiversity and go exercising along trails and treks.
Head over to the Bandstand, Bethany Beach’s best venue for local musical and cultural performances every Thursday night in the summer and Friday and Saturday nights in September and October. You will not get tired of the serene and simplistic beaches of Delaware. Afterward, appreciate opulent lodgings like the Addy Sea Historic Oceanfront Inn, Bethany Beach Ocean Suites Residence Inn, and Hotel Bethany Beach.
New Castle
New Castle is widely regarded as the oldest town in the Delaware Valley. When early settlers in 1651 followed the Delaware River to the Delaware Valley, they found its lackadaisical landscapes and humble settings a perfect place to pitch camp and build a home. However, the townsfolk certainly had a hard time trying to conceptualize a name—indeed, New Castle was originally called Santhoeck or Fort Casimir in 1651, then New Amstel a few years later, until they finally settled on New Castle.
Although the names have changed, the street attractions remain the same, chiefly historic structures such as the Amstel House Museum, the Old Dutch House, the Immanuel Episcopal Church, and the New Castle Court House. You can find more 1600s waterfront houses and colonial abodes at Battery Park. Those of you eager to see new things in New Castle can book a room at the Terry House Bed & Breakfast for a longer vacation in town.
Clayton
Clayton and its sister community of Smyrna have played a pivotal role in the development of communities and connectivity in the Delmarva Peninsula. From the 1850s to the 1950s, Clayton served as one of the biggest trading and transportation hubs connecting small towns and cities in Delaware. Today, the train station that has accommodated many travelers and shipments still stands, formerly known as Smyrna Station, which is now known as Clayton Station.
Even now, you can purchase a train ticket to places like Dover, Newark, and Wilmington that early settlers and pioneers have also traveled towards. To learn all about this industrious past, you can read the plaques and descriptions at the Duck Creek Historical Society. If you want to see more of the region, you can go exploring at the Bombay Hook National Wildlife Refuge, Blackbird State Forest, and Blackiston Wildlife Area.
Delaware City
Delaware City is a town that embodies the significance of riverways and waterways in Delaware. With its prime location on the Delaware River, Delaware City has been a site of contention during the American Civil War. This is best seen in the remains of Fort Delaware, a Union fortress from 1859 that once imprisoned dozens—perhaps hundreds—of prisoners of war from the Confederate armies. Outside the confines of history, you can presently relish the scenic routes and trails of the Dragon Run Park, where an actual dragon sculpture can be photographed at your leisure. Every year in September, the townsfolk celebrate a Canal Fest at the Delaware City Riverfront Park as a way to celebrate the ingenuity of the Delaware Marina, the original eastern terminus of the Chesapeake and Delaware Canal.
Nothing gets more enticing than the laidback and humble atmosphere of a small town. And in Delaware—a state sandwiched by Maryland and New Jersey—there is a plethora of the best small towns in the Delmarva Peninsula to visit in 2024. Similar to the horseshoe crabs that migrate to Delaware Bay, visitors flock to attractive beaches in Lewes and Bethany Beach. Stay in Clayton and Delaware City for the quaint history and amenities. Or take refreshing vacations to Milton and New Castle since they are convenient getaways from New York City. This year, head out of the Big Apple and stop by the best small towns in Delaware to visit in 2024.
