The Least-Crowded Towns In Delaware To Catch Fall Foliage
Delaware is beautiful enough that you can be on the opposite side of the calendar from the opening of peach blossoms and rest easy knowing the real show is just beginning - because it is the leaf season. The following small towns whisper for you to discover them from the signs you wonder about as you near your exit. Here is your carefully winnowed checklist of Delaware Fall destinations.
Milton
The first stop on the Fall tour is a courtyard seat at Irish Eyes Pub and Restaurant in Milton. Let a pint of brew cool your insides as the contrasts of foliage massage your retinas on the outside. From your chair, plan your respective afternoons at Memorial Park and Prime Hook National Wildlife Refuge. Walk past the Milton Theater to restore your faith that urban topiary and buildings play nice together. Stay for a show; you will never know what you will find. Those craving the macabre will giggle for October’s Zombiefest. Frantic Frets Music Store and Antique Shop is a haven for the musically tuned.
Lewes
Lewes has that 3,000-5,000 sweet spot of a population large enough for both kind strangers and solitude when you need it. Mary Vessels Park is a great start for Fall watching. Feel your ice cream melt into its cone as the park’s ample magnolia tree arrests your sense of time. The Zwaanendael Museum is a fun-colored architectural gem playing peek-a-book ‘neath the street’s colossal trees. Lewes’ main fall attraction, however, is the set of bride and groom Cyprus trees. Your arbor heart will melt for this 200-year-old couple who remain strong together despite the dog pee and lightning strikes.
Smyrna
Majestic Blackbird State Forest straddles the boundaries of Kent and Newcastle counties. Thirteen thousand one hundred people live in the nearby city of Smyrna, the forest’s twin attraction in a binary system of beauty. Roadtrippers already know Smyrna for its rest stop on Route 13. The stretching trees and pristine gardens have made you wonder: “What if I stayed here awhile?” Find out; Lake Como is waiting for you. The Delaware Agricultural Museum is waiting and the Bombay Hook National Wildlife Refuge cannot wait to see you.
Fenwick Island
Sometimes, nothing but an island will scratch your getaway itch. The 366-population Fenwick Island might not look like an island from above—you can practically spit across Assawoman Bay. Think of Fenwick Island as a conceptual island of natural beauty from the rest of the world. Fenwick Island State Park’s lifeguards patrol the beach from Memorial to Labor Day. Book yourself a ticket to the planet’s seasonal pageant by kayaking around Little Assawoman Bay. Kayak and paddleboard rentals are available through Coastal Kayak.
Laurel
The novelty of finding out you have reached your destination by reading its name on a water tower never fades. Laurel’s 4000 residents love Fall as it is a Halloween town. Nightmares Haunted House opens after 7 PM where entrance is $15, cash only. Breathe in the bulbous barks of Trap Pond State Park’s cyprus trees. Rent a kayak or take a pontoon tour of the wetland foliage. The 4.6-mile Bob Trail is a hot opportunity for bird watchers. You will find a steady, quiet view of the area’s cyprus swamp. Yurts or waterfront climate-controlled cabins are available.
Hockessin
Hockessin’s Ashland Nature Center hides a butterfly conservatory, among other treasures, behind its trees. See how the wild and human gardening play together at Mt. Cuba Center. On the second Saturday of every month at 10 AM, an expert gardener leads you down a dizzying path of wildflowers. Mt. Cuba is a locus point of botanical expertise, beautifying summers and falls for the entire state. For a throwback-style tour of the season, the historic Wilmington and Western Railroad line hosts Autumn Leaf Excursions.
Arden
Arden has been on the Registry of Historic Places since 1973. The town was organized in 1900 by sculptor Frank Stevens and architect William Price, who followed the single-tax social theories of Henry George. Price designed the houses as though they were private art projects. Humans and nature flourish together in Arden. It is easy for you to see for yourself. The town is skipping distance to the Delaware River and the Pennsylvania border. It is only 10 minutes outside Wilmington. Nearby, Brandywine Creek State Park offers yurts, cabins, or whole cottages to be reserved.
The name Delaware is a remnant of an older English language that would have used it to describe something as being “of the war.” The state’s history is a difficult one to reconcile. Help to cultivate peace by leaving no trace in parklands and supporting Native American businesses when and where possible. Donations to the Nanticoke Indian Tribe can be made via Paypal on their website.
