Exploring Beyond the Beach: Breweries, Boat Rides, Botanic Gardens, Boardwalks, and Beautiful Trails
Spending a weekend in Southern Delaware is easy, but with miles of pristine coastline, countless trails to hike, bike, and paddle, and opportunities for birding, camping, and catching the most beautiful sunrises and sets, narrowing down exactly how to spend your time in Southern Delaware can be rather tricky. The whole region is an outdoor lover’s paradise, and while your mind may jump straight to surf, sand, and seagulls, let us put you onto some magical places to explore beyond the beaches.
Southern Delaware hosts about seven million visitors a year, so we certainly aren’t alone in loving this region of The First State. Located just 2.5 hours from Washington, DC, Baltimore, and Philadelphia, Southern Delaware makes for the perfect, easy-to-get-to weekend getaway– we’ve been coming to the area since we were kids. This time around, we spent a long weekend in Southern Delaware in partnership with the Delaware Tourism Office, and we took time to revisit some of our favorite haunts from childhood and explore some new-to-us spots that made us fall in love with the region all over again.
Where to Stay in Sussex County
Southern Delaware is home to six unique beach towns, and the coast is dotted with accommodations from hotels to B&Bs, beachy bungalows, and oceanfront campgrounds. This time around, we stayed at Hotel Bethany Beach, which is centrally located and just a quick walk from the ocean. Our room was spacious, and breakfast, warm cookies, welcome drinks, plus a free round of mini-golf came with our stay, so it was a 10/10 for us.
Day 1: Boardwalks, Bald Cypress Trees, & Botanic Gardens
We left DC around 6:30 a.m. and arrived at Trap Pond State Park just after 8:30 a.m.. The park is home to the northernmost naturally occurring stand of Bald Cypress trees in North America, so we couldn’t wait to get out on the water and get up close to these beauties.
There are several ways to experience the magic of these ancient trees. If you want to see them in all their glory, either take a pontoon boat tour ($8 per adult; $4 per child) down the start of the Terrapin Branch Trail or rent kayaks from the boat house to continue even further down the water trail. We opted in to both and really enjoyed being able to explore deep into the wetlands in our own kayaks and learning more about the area and its history on the guided tour. So, if you have the time, both experiences are worth checking out!
After your time out on the water, we recommend riding or walking the Bob Trail around the lake or taking the Huckleberry Trail for a more wooded adventure.
Our next stop was the Delaware Botanic Gardens. As soon as we arrived, we were met by the work of Piet Oudolf (designer of the NYC High Line). We spotted some bullfrogs and a friendly black snake in the meadow before taking a little stroll on the garden’s wooded paths. Along the way, we admired all of the unique sculptures, like Medusa pictured below, made from natural materials.
After bopping around the botanics, we swung by Millville Boardwalk for ice cream, go-karts, mini-golf, and arcade games.
Our next stop was Salted Vines Vineyard, which boasts the title of being the “best winery statewide” in 2024 by Delaware Today. This was our first stop on the Delaware On Tap Trail, a sort of passport program that allows you to track local breweries, wineries, distilleries, and meaderies you visit and earn prizes. From there, we headed down the road to another Delaware On Tap stop, Bethany Brewing, where we were met with complimentary popcorn and the best vibes. We shared a flight on their outdoor patio and can understand why this little gem won “Best Bartenders” in 2023 by Coastal Style Magazine.
After checking into our hotel, we took a short drive up Route 1 to catch some live music at the Rusty Rudder and enjoy a bayside dinner. Fun Fact: When we were younger, we used to ride jet-skis across the Rehoboth Bay and dock them right out back to grab some lunch. This time around, we opted for some crushes (one mango and one orange) and split an order of Mega Clam Strips served in an oversized martini glass.
Day 2: Sunrises, Shorelines, Coastal Trails, & Cocktails
Catching a sunrise from the beach was a must for us on our first day waking up in Delaware, so we walked down to Bethany Beach from our hotel to catch that beautiful orange fireball rise out of the sea. Our next stop was Drifting Grounds for coffee and a chai tea. This local favorite cafe also serves up delicious pastries and doubles as a vintage shop and pre-loved bookstore.
After browsing a bit, we took our drinks to go and drove up the coast to Delaware Seashore State Park. The park offers several coastal trails, but we chose to hike the Burton Island Loop trail. It’s just over a mile round trip, winds through various ecosystems, and is great for birdwatching. Highlights from our experience include watching a pair of ospreys assemble their nest and taking in the views from a little beach at the pinnacle of the loop.
For lunch, we headed to Big Chill Beach Club, which is located right in the state park, and enjoyed some delicious bowls/salads and a beer with the Atlantic Ocean as our backdrop.
We then headed back to our hotel and squeezed in a round of golf (of the miniature variety) right next door. For dinner, we visited One Coastal for the most delicious food and cocktails. We shared a bunch of small plates and agreed that it was the best meal we ever had in Delaware– which tracks, because the chef has been nominated for a James Beard award.
Day 3: Bike Trails + Breweries
On our last day in town, we cruised up the coast to Cape Henlopen State Park with our bicycles in tow and hit the Gordon Pond Trail. We rode 3.2 miles south toward Gordon Pond Beach, where we checked out WWII Artillery Fire Observation Towers 5 and 6 that stand watch over the Delaware coastline. More inland, we also found another tower that we climbed to the top of for a beautiful view of the park. Note: You can borrow bikes for free from the park’s Seaside Nature Center! Beyond day use areas, the park also boasts a large campground. You can check out our experience camping and catching a sunrise at Cape Henlopen State Park.
We were determined to hit as many breweries as possible, so we headed to Crooked Hammock Brewery for lunch. Like their sister establishment, Big Chill Beach Club, the vibes are laid back and the food is delicious. From there, we hit two more breweries via two wheels using a combination of Route 9 and the Lewes-Georgetown Trail, connecting Big Oyster Brewery and Lewes Brewing Company.
Our time in Southern Delaware may have been short, but it was oh-so-sweet. The mix of nostalgia and excitement of discovering new experiences in a familiar place was not lost on us. We want to thank the Delaware Tourism Office again for sponsoring this trip, and we look forward to returning to this beautiful region again soon. That said, if you’re a frequent visitor, please tell us what we’ve missed; we’d love to add even more recommendations to our growing list!
