Delaware With Kids Family Travel Guide

🏖Delaware The boardwalk and shopfronts at Rehoboth Beach, Delaware

Delaware charges an out of state car double at the gate of its state parks and nothing at all in its shops. Both of those are worth planning around.

State Guide

Delaware With Kids Family Travel Guide

“Out of state cars pay twice as much to park at a Delaware beach. Nobody mentions that until you are at the booth.”

Why families hire me for Delaware

Delaware is small enough to drive end to end in two hours and it is a much better family week than its size suggests.

I have planned and priced more than three hundred trips and Delaware is the state families use rather than visit. They drive through it to get somewhere else. The ones who stop get Atlantic beaches with a fraction of the crowd, a chunk of American history that is literally first, and no sales tax on anything.

The thing I sort out first is the parking, because Delaware state parks charge out of state vehicles exactly double what they charge a Delaware car, and the beach parks cost more again. That is a real number on a week long trip and it changes where you stay.

The second thing is the ferry. The Cape May to Lewes crossing takes eighty five minutes across Delaware Bay and it turns a long drive around the top of the bay into a boat ride the children will remember. It also has rules that catch people out.

I taught social studies for eight years and Delaware is the first state. It ratified the Constitution before anybody else and it has not stopped mentioning it since, and the sites that tell that story are small, free and well done.

What I do is work out where you base, because the beaches in the south and the du Pont country in the north are an hour and a half apart and they are different trips.

Dune grass and sunrise over the water at Cape Henlopen State Park, Delaware

Beyond the Bookshelf

A short shelf for a small state, and the one fact your children will repeat for the rest of the trip.

Tell them Delaware was first. It was the first state to ratify the Constitution, on December 7 1787, which is why the license plates say The First State and why everybody in Delaware brings it up.

For younger children, read about horseshoe crabs. Delaware Bay has the largest spawning population in the world and in late May the beaches fill with them, along with the migrating shorebirds that come to eat the eggs.

Read about the du Ponts before you go north. A French family arrived in 1800, started a gunpowder mill on the Brandywine, and the houses and gardens they built are the reason that corner of the state looks the way it does.

For middle graders, Delaware was a slave state that stayed in the Union, and the Underground Railroad ran straight through it. Harriet Tubman came through Delaware repeatedly and Thomas Garrett in Wilmington helped more than two thousand people.

And look up the Cape May to Lewes ferry route on a map before you go. Children who understand that they are crossing the mouth of a bay rather than taking a shortcut pay attention to the whole crossing.

Why Delaware works with kids

Delaware works with children because it is small, cheap and varied in a way that is unusual for its size.

Nothing is more than two hours from anything else. You can be on a beach in the morning and at a mansion with a garden in the afternoon without anybody melting down in the back of the car.

And the no sales tax thing is real. It is not just a trivia fact. On a week of meals, shoes, a replacement charger and the inevitable gift shop, it adds up, and the outlet shopping at Rehoboth exists entirely because of it.

Atlantic beaches without the Jersey prices. Rehoboth, Dewey, Bethany and Fenwick Island, plus Cape Henlopen State Park at the top of them.

A ferry instead of a drive. Eighty five minutes from Cape May to Lewes across the mouth of Delaware Bay, which beats three hours around the top of it.

No sales tax on anything. Which is why the outlets are there and why a week of ordinary spending costs less than it does either side of the state.

Du Pont houses and gardens. Winterthur, Nemours and Hagley in the north, all within twenty minutes of each other.

It is tiny. Ninety six miles top to bottom. Nothing is a long drive and you only need one base, or at most two.

Delaware Place by Place

Eight places that cover almost every Delaware trip. The state runs north to south and so does the trip.

Benches along the boardwalk at Rehoboth Beach, Delaware
01

Rehoboth Beach

The ferry terminal and waterfront at Lewes, Delaware
02

Lewes

Dunes and fencing at Cape Henlopen State Park with the breakwater lighthouse beyond
03

Cape Henlopen

The beach and umbrellas at Bethany Beach, Delaware
04

Bethany Beach

The riverfront walk at Wilmington, Delaware
05

Wilmington

The Winterthur mansion in the Brandywine Valley, Delaware
06

Winterthur

The Old State House on the Green at Dover, Delaware
07

Dover

A colonial brick building in the historic district of New Castle, Delaware
08

New Castle

A beach state and a du Pont state, with a lot of farmland in between

Delaware is two counties of farmland and one county of everything else, and the locals divide it exactly that way.

New Castle County in the north is Wilmington, the Brandywine Valley and the du Pont estates. It is close enough to Philadelphia to be part of its orbit and it does not feel southern at all.

Kent County in the middle is Dover, the state capital, plus flat farmland and a large air force base. The Green in Dover is where the Constitution was ratified and it is a quiet square you can walk around in ten minutes.

Sussex County in the south is the beaches and the chicken farms. Delaware produces an enormous amount of poultry for a state this size and you will smell it on some roads. The accent down there is southern and people will tell you it is a different state entirely.

The du Pont story runs under all of it. The family arrived from France in 1800, built a gunpowder works on the Brandywine, and over two centuries turned it into the chemical company and a string of houses, gardens and museums that are now open to the public.

And Delaware really will not stop telling you it was first. The plates say it, the signs say it, and a child who has been told why will enjoy counting how many times it comes up.

The Cape May to Lewes ferry at its terminal

Eighty five minutes across the mouth of the bay. Get out on deck, because dolphins are common in summer and the children will watch for them the whole way.

Five things to eat in Delaware

Delaware food is mid Atlantic beach food with a chicken industry behind it and one very odd regional drink.

Scrapple is the one that children either love or refuse. Pork scraps, cornmeal and spices, formed into a loaf, sliced and fried until crisp. It is a Delaware and Pennsylvania Dutch breakfast and it is better than the ingredient list suggests.

The other one is boardwalk food, which Rehoboth does properly. Thrasher’s fries in a bucket with vinegar and no ketchup allowed, saltwater taffy and fudge from shops that have been there for generations.

A plate of hot french fries

Boardwalk fries In a paper bucket with vinegar and salt. The famous Rehoboth stand does not do ketchup and will tell you so.

Steamed blue crabs piled on a table

Blue crabs Steamed, covered in seasoning, dumped on brown paper. Messy, slow, and the best table of the week.

Fried scrapple with eggs and toast on a breakfast plate

Scrapple Pork, cornmeal and spices in a loaf, sliced and fried crisp. A breakfast your children will have opinions about.

A bowl of wrapped saltwater taffy

Saltwater taffy Pulled, wrapped and sold by the box on the boardwalk. Buy a mixed box and let them argue about the flavours.

Baskets of ripe peaches at a farm stand

Peaches The state flower is the peach blossom and the farm stands in Kent and Sussex counties are very good in July and August.

A note on the beach towns. Rehoboth and Lewes have proper restaurants and they fill in July and August, so book a few days ahead for dinner rather than walking in at seven with four hungry children. Dewey is the loud one and is not where you want to eat with small kids on a Saturday night.

Out of state cars pay double at the parks

Delaware state parks charge an entrance fee per vehicle during the fee season, and the out of state rate is exactly double the Delaware rate. Families drive down from Pennsylvania, Maryland or New Jersey, roll up at Cape Henlopen, and find out at the booth.

For 2026 the fee season runs from March 1 through November 30.

A Delaware registered vehicle pays five dollars a day at an inland park and ten dollars a day at a beach park. An out of state vehicle pays ten dollars at an inland park and twenty dollars at an ocean park.

The annual pass is fifty dollars for a resident and one hundred for a non resident. On a week at the beach with daily park entry, the non resident annual pass starts making sense around day five, which is worth doing the arithmetic on before you go.

Deauville Beach in Rehoboth runs its own rate, which is fifteen dollars on a weekday and twenty at the weekend, with its own annual pass at one hundred and fifteen.

None of this applies to the town beaches. Rehoboth, Bethany, Dewey and Fenwick are municipal beaches with their own parking meters and permits, which is a separate system again.

The practical answer. If you are staying inside walking distance of a town beach, you may never pay a state park fee at all. If you are staying further out and driving to Cape Henlopen every day, price the non resident annual pass against the daily rate for the number of days you will actually use it, and buy whichever is cheaper. Check destateparks.com before you travel, because these went up for 2026 and they move.

Getting there, and the ferry that saves you three hours

Delaware has no major commercial airport of its own, which sounds like a problem and is not.

Philadelphia is the usual way in. It is about forty minutes to Wilmington and roughly two hours to the beaches, and it is a straightforward airport with children.

Baltimore is the other one, around two hours to the Delaware beaches, and it is often cheaper.

Then the ferry, which is the fun answer. The Cape May to Lewes ferry crosses the mouth of Delaware Bay in eighty five minutes, seventeen miles, and it saves you driving three hours around the top of the bay through the Delaware Memorial Bridge. Children under six travel free and the passenger bands run child six to thirteen, adult fourteen and over, and senior sixty two and over.

Reservations on the ferry are strongly recommended but not required. Without one you take your chances, and standby is limited to vehicles under twenty feet, sold first come first served at the toll booth with no guarantee.

Arrive forty five minutes to an hour before departure. Miss your sailing without telling them and there is a twenty six dollar no show fee, and your crossing is cancelled.

Amtrak stops at Wilmington on the Northeast Corridor, which is very useful if the north of the state is your trip.

Philadelphia, PHL. Forty minutes to Wilmington, about two hours to the beaches. The default.

Baltimore, BWI. Around two hours to the coast and often cheaper than Philadelphia.

The Cape May to Lewes ferry. Eighty five minutes across the bay instead of three hours around it. Reserve ahead.

Arrive 45 to 60 minutes early for the ferry. And tell them if you are running late, because a no show costs twenty six dollars and loses the crossing.

Amtrak to Wilmington. On the Northeast Corridor, which makes a car free northern Delaware trip possible.

A flat farm road through central Delaware

The middle of the state is flat farm country and the drives are short. Nothing in Delaware is more than about two hours from anything else in it.

The beaches, and which one is yours

There are four main beach towns and they are not interchangeable. Picking the wrong one is the single most common Delaware mistake.

Rehoboth Beach is the big one. A mile of boardwalk, an amusement arcade, Thrasher’s fries, restaurants, and the outlet shopping just outside town. It is the busiest and the most fun with children who want something to do in the evening.

Dewey Beach is immediately south and it is the party one. Young, loud, late. Good for a day trip, not where you want to be at ten at night with a seven year old.

Bethany Beach is quieter, with a short boardwalk and almost no nightlife. It calls itself the quiet resort and it is telling the truth. This is the one for families who want to be in bed by nine.

Fenwick Island is the southernmost and quieter still, right on the Maryland line, which puts Ocean City about ten minutes away if you want the big boardwalk for one evening.

And above all of them is Cape Henlopen State Park, which has the best beach in the state, a World War Two observation tower you can climb, a nature center, bike trails and the point where the bay meets the ocean.

Lewes is the sleeper. It is a historic town on the bay rather than the ocean, with calm shallow water that is far better for small children than the surf, a proper main street, the ferry terminal and Cape Henlopen on its doorstep. If your children are under six, base in Lewes rather than on the ocean and drive the fifteen minutes when you want waves.

Can you do Delaware without a car?

Partly, and better than you would expect for a state this size.

The beach towns run a seasonal bus, the Beach Bus, that connects Lewes, Rehoboth, Dewey, Bethany and Fenwick along the coast, so a beach only week without a car is possible if you stay in town.

Wilmington is on the Amtrak Northeast Corridor, so the northern trip works by train plus local transport, though the du Pont estates are easier with a car.

You can also arrive on the ferry as a foot passenger from Cape May and pick up the bus on the Lewes side.

Everything in the middle of the state needs a car. Dover, the farmland and the back roads have no realistic alternative.

When to go

Late May through June, and September. Those are the two good windows and September is the best of them.

The water is warmest in August and September, the crowds go after Labor Day, and the rates drop sharply the week after.

Late May is the horseshoe crab spawn on the bay beaches, which is one of the strangest natural sights on the east coast and almost nobody plans around it. The shorebirds arrive at the same time to eat the eggs.

July and August are hot, busy and expensive, and the beach towns are at full stretch. It still works, it just costs more and you book everything earlier.

The state park fee season runs March 1 to November 30, so the parking charge applies for most of the time you would want to be there.

Winter is very quiet. The beach towns largely shut, the du Pont houses run reduced hours, and Longwood Gardens just over the Pennsylvania line does a Christmas display that is worth the trip on its own.

How Many Days & First-Trip Routing

How many days do we need in Delaware? Four nights at the beach is the honest answer for most families. Rehoboth or Lewes, with Cape Henlopen, the boardwalk and a day on the bay.

Six nights lets you add the north, which almost nobody does. Two or three nights near Wilmington for the du Pont houses and gardens and the Brandywine.

Two nights works as a stop on the way somewhere else, particularly if you come in on the ferry.

Delaware also pairs very easily. The beaches run straight on into Maryland and Ocean City, and the north runs into Philadelphia and the Brandywine Valley on the Pennsylvania side.

How to Route a Delaware Week

The routing rule is that Delaware is small enough for one base, and the only question is which end. Pick the beach unless the du Ponts are the reason you are coming.

Base one, Lewes or Rehoboth. Four nights. Cape Henlopen, the boardwalk, the bay beaches and the outlets within fifteen minutes.

Price the park pass before you arrive. Out of state daily is twenty dollars at an ocean park and the non resident annual is one hundred. Work out which is cheaper for your days.

Come in on the ferry if you can. Cape May to Lewes, eighty five minutes, and it drops you five minutes from Cape Henlopen.

Lewes for small children, Rehoboth for older ones. Calm bay water and a quiet town versus a boardwalk and an arcade.

Base two, the Brandywine, if you have the days. Two or three nights near Wilmington for Winterthur, Hagley and Nemours.

Dover is a half day on the way through. The Green, the capitol and the air mobility museum at the base.

Book beach town dinners ahead in summer. Walking in at seven in July with children does not work.

Where these places are

A map of every place named on this page, so you can see how close together they really are.

Fenwick IslandBethany BeachRehoboth BeachCape HenlopenLewesDoverNew CastleWilmingtonWinterthurADVENTURESWESEEK.COM

Regions at a Glance

The Brandywine

Wilmington, Winterthur, Hagley and Nemours. Du Pont houses, gardens and a gunpowder works on the river.

New Castle

A colonial river town with cobbled streets, almost entirely intact and almost entirely overlooked.

Central Delaware

Dover, the Green, the state capitol and a large air force base with an air mobility museum attached.

The bay shore

Lewes, Slaughter Beach and the Delaware Bay beaches. Calm water, horseshoe crabs and migrating shorebirds.

The ocean beaches

Rehoboth, Dewey, Bethany and Fenwick Island. Four towns with four completely different temperaments.

Cape Henlopen

Where the bay meets the ocean. Dunes, a wartime observation tower, bike trails and the best beach in the state.

The dune cliff and beach at Cape Henlopen State Park, Delaware

The concrete towers along this coast were built in the Second World War to spot ships. You can climb one of them and the view explains the whole geography of the cape in about a minute.

Must See and Do

Cape Henlopen State Park. The best beach in the state, plus a wartime observation tower, a nature center and bike trails. Out of state parking is twenty dollars a day in season.

The Rehoboth Beach boardwalk. A mile of it, with an arcade, fries in a bucket and the ocean on one side.

The Cape May to Lewes ferry. Eighty five minutes across the bay. Worth doing as a round trip even if you are not going to New Jersey.

Winterthur. A du Pont house with about a hundred and seventy five rooms, a garden you ride a tram around and an enchanted woods built for children.

Hagley Museum. The original du Pont gunpowder works on the Brandywine, with the mills, the first family house and demonstrations that involve explosions.

Nemours Estate. A French style mansion and formal gardens, and the most extravagant of the three.

Historic New Castle. A colonial river town with cobbled streets and almost nothing modern in the middle of it.

The Green at Dover. Where Delaware ratified the Constitution first. Small, free and walkable in ten minutes, with the John Bell House interpretive center on it.

Air Mobility Command Museum, Dover. Free, enormous aircraft you can walk into, and one of the better free museums on the east coast with children.

Slaughter Beach in late May. Horseshoe crabs spawning by the thousand on the bay shore, with shorebirds everywhere. Strange and completely free.

Doing Delaware With Children

Delaware is one of the easiest states with children. The things to get right are the parking fees, the ferry rules and which beach town you book.

Do the park fee arithmetic before you go. Out of state daily entry is double the resident rate and the beach parks are double the inland ones. The non resident annual pass is one hundred dollars.

Reserve the ferry and arrive early. Forty five minutes to an hour before departure, and tell them if you are running late. A no show costs twenty six dollars.

Lewes for toddlers, Rehoboth for tweens. Calm bay water and a quiet main street versus a boardwalk, an arcade and fries.

Skip Dewey in the evening with small children. It is the loud one and it does not pretend otherwise.

The horseshoe crabs are in late May. Slaughter Beach and the bay shore. Free, remarkable and almost nobody plans for it.

There is no sales tax. Which is why the outlets are there. If anybody needs shoes or a swimsuit, buy them here rather than before you come.

Climb the observation tower at Cape Henlopen. Steps, a view over the cape, and the best ten minutes of free entertainment in the state.

Book summer dinners ahead. Rehoboth and Lewes fill in July and August and walking in with children at seven does not work.

Who Delaware Suits, and Who Should Skip It

Delaware suits families who want a straightforward Atlantic beach week without the price or the scale of the bigger resorts.

It suits children of any age, which is unusual, because the bay side works for toddlers and the boardwalk works for teenagers.

It suits anyone coming from Philadelphia, Baltimore, Washington or New York who wants a short drive rather than a long one.

It suits families who like a bit of history without a lot of it. The sites here are small, free and quick.

It does not suit anyone looking for dramatic landscape. Delaware is flat, low and pleasant and it will not astonish anybody.

And it does not suit a trip that needs two weeks of content. Four to six nights is the right size for this state.

Worth the Money in Delaware

The non resident annual park pass, if you are there five days or more. One hundred dollars against twenty a day at an ocean park. Do the sum for your actual days.

The ferry, yes. Even as a round trip with no reason to be in New Jersey. Children under six are free and dolphins are common in summer.

Winterthur with children. The enchanted woods and the garden tram are the parts that work. The house tour is for the adults.

Hagley, if anybody likes machines. Water wheels, a powder works and demonstrations. Better with children than Winterthur.

Skip the Rehoboth outlets unless somebody needs something. No sales tax is real but a day in an outlet mall is still a day in an outlet mall.

Skip Dewey entirely with young children. There is nothing there for them and the noise starts early.

The Air Mobility Command Museum. Free, and if anyone in the family likes aircraft it is the best value day in the state.

The reflecting pool in the gardens at Winterthur, Delaware

The du Pont money built three houses within twenty minutes of each other in the north of the state and all three are open. Pick one with children rather than trying all of them.

Things That Surprise First Timers

Out of state cars pay double. Delaware state parks charge non Delaware vehicles exactly twice the resident rate, and the beach parks cost more than the inland ones.

There is no sales tax. On anything, which is the entire reason the outlet shopping exists.

A ferry crosses the bay. Eighty five minutes from Cape May to Lewes, instead of three hours around the top.

Delaware was first. First state to ratify the Constitution, December 7 1787, and it has not stopped mentioning it since.

The horseshoe crabs are a spectacle. Delaware Bay has the largest spawning population in the world and they come ashore in late May.

You can climb a wartime tower. Concrete observation towers along the coast were built to spot ships. One at Cape Henlopen is open.

The four beach towns are not alike. Rehoboth is busy, Dewey is loud, Bethany is quiet and Fenwick is quieter. Book the wrong one and the week is wrong.

First State National Historical Park is free. No entrance fee and no pass needed, though partner run tours at some sites charge a small amount.

Where I Would Start

If you are starting from nothing, I would do this.

Four nights in September, based in Lewes. Come in on the ferry from Cape May if your route allows it, because it is the best eighty five minutes of the trip.

One day at Cape Henlopen with the tower and the beach, one day on the bay side where the water is calm, and one evening on the Rehoboth boardwalk for the fries and the arcade.

Buy whichever park pass is cheaper for your days, and do it before you turn up at the booth.

If you have two more nights, go north to the Brandywine for Hagley and one du Pont house, and finish in New Castle.

And if anybody needs shoes, buy them here.

Delaware by the numbers

Facts to know before you go

2xOut of state park entryDelaware state parks charge non Delaware vehicles exactly double the resident daily rate.
$10 / $20Out of state daily, 2026Ten dollars at an inland park and twenty at an ocean park. Delaware vehicles pay five and ten.
$100Non resident annual passAgainst fifty for a resident. Worth the sum if you are using the parks most days of a week.
Mar 1 to Nov 30Fee season 2026Entrance fees apply across almost the whole season you would want to be there.
85 minCape May to Lewes ferrySeventeen miles across the mouth of Delaware Bay, instead of three hours around the top of it.
45-60 minFerry arrival timeArrive that far ahead. Reservations are strongly recommended but not required.
$26Ferry no show feeMiss a sailing without telling them and the crossing is cancelled and charged.
No sales taxOn anythingWhich is why the outlets are at Rehoboth and why a week of ordinary spending costs less here.

Delaware is not one kind of trip

Delaware is ninety six miles long and it still manages to be three different trips.

The beach trip

Rehoboth, Lewes, Bethany and Cape Henlopen. Four to six nights, Atlantic surf on one side and calm bay water on the other.

The du Pont trip

Winterthur, Hagley and Nemours around Wilmington. Two or three nights of houses, gardens and a gunpowder works.

The first state trip

Dover, New Castle and the Green. Small, free, quick and the actual start of the country.

The ferry trip

Cape May to Lewes and back. Half a day, dolphins in summer, and the most fun anybody has had crossing a bay.

What families come to Delaware for

Atlantic beaches at a sensible price. Four towns with four temperaments, and a state park beach above them.

A bay crossing by boat. Eighty five minutes, dolphins in summer, and under sixes travel free.

No sales tax. On everything, all the time, which is a real saving on a family week.

Houses that money built. Three du Pont estates within twenty minutes of each other in the north.

Horseshoe crabs by the thousand. Late May on the bay shore, with the shorebirds that follow them.

A wartime tower to climb. Concrete, sixty feet up, and it explains the whole cape in a minute.

Short drives. Ninety six miles end to end. Nothing is far from anything.

Only in Delaware

The stone entrance sign at a Delaware state park

Double at the gate

The out of state park fee

Delaware state parks charge a non Delaware vehicle exactly twice what they charge a Delaware one, and an ocean park twice what an inland park charges. In 2026 that is twenty dollars a day for an out of state car at the beach against five for a Delaware car inland, across a fee season running March 1 to November 30.

Shops and the bandstand on Rehoboth Avenue, Delaware

Nothing added at the till

No sales tax

Delaware charges no sales tax on anything. It is the reason the outlet shopping sits just outside Rehoboth and the reason people drive across the state line to buy large things here.

The Cape May to Lewes ferry out on Delaware Bay

Eighty five minutes

The Cape May to Lewes ferry

A seventeen mile crossing of the mouth of Delaware Bay that replaces a three hour drive around the top of it. Children under six go free, dolphins are common in summer, and standby without a reservation is limited to vehicles under twenty feet.

Combine It With

Ocean City is ten minutes from Fenwick Island and Assateague is half an hour beyond it.

Philadelphia is forty minutes from Wilmington and the Brandywine Valley runs straight across the line.

Cape May is eighty five minutes away by ferry, which makes the pairing almost automatic.

South down the Delmarva peninsula to Chincoteague and the bridge tunnel at the bottom.

A wide view across Delaware Bay from Cape Henlopen State Park

Tell me who is coming, and when.

Tell me who is coming, how old they are, and when you can travel, and I will tell you which of the four beach towns is yours and which park pass to buy before you get to the booth. Delaware is a very easy four nights when the base is right.

Delaware, Answered

The ones that come up in almost every planning call. If yours is not here, ask me.

How much does it cost to park at a Delaware beach?

It depends on the beach. Delaware state parks, which includes Cape Henlopen, charge a daily vehicle entrance fee in the fee season, and out of state vehicles pay double. For 2026 that is twenty dollars a day for an out of state car at an ocean park and ten at an inland one, against ten and five for a Delaware registered car. The town beaches at Rehoboth, Bethany, Dewey and Fenwick run their own separate parking meters and permits.

Is a Delaware state parks annual pass worth it?

It depends on how many days you will use it. The 2026 annual pass is one hundred dollars for a non resident and fifty for a resident. Against a twenty dollar daily out of state ocean rate, the non resident pass starts paying for itself around day five, so do the sum for your actual days before you travel.

When is the Delaware state park fee season?

March 1 through November 30 in 2026, which covers almost the whole stretch of the year you would want to be there.

How long is the Cape May to Lewes ferry?

Eighty five minutes, across seventeen miles of Delaware Bay, which saves roughly three hours of driving around the top of the bay.

Do you need a reservation for the Cape May Lewes ferry?

Reservations are strongly recommended but not required. Without one, space is not guaranteed, especially for larger vehicles, and standby is limited to vehicles under twenty feet and sold first come first served at the toll booth. Arrive forty five minutes to an hour before departure, and tell them if you are running late, because a no show costs twenty six dollars and cancels the crossing.

Which Delaware beach town is best for families?

Lewes if your children are small, because it is on the bay with calm shallow water, a quiet main street and Cape Henlopen next door. Rehoboth if they are older and want a boardwalk, an arcade and somewhere to go in the evening. Bethany if you want quiet. Dewey is the loud one and is not a family base.

Does Delaware really have no sales tax?

Yes, on anything. It is the reason the outlet shopping sits just outside Rehoboth, and on a week of ordinary family spending it is a real saving rather than a trivia fact.

How many days do you need in Delaware?

Four nights at the beach suits most families. Six lets you add the du Pont houses and the Brandywine in the north. Two works as a stop on the way somewhere else, particularly if you arrive on the ferry.

When do the horseshoe crabs come ashore in Delaware?

Late May, on the Delaware Bay beaches such as Slaughter Beach, along with the migrating shorebirds that come to feed on the eggs. Delaware Bay has the largest spawning population in the world and it is free to go and watch.

Is First State National Historical Park free?

Yes. The park says there is no entrance fee and no pass requirement to explore its sites, though some partner run locations charge a modest fee for particular tours or programs.

Photo credits

Dune grass and sunrise over the water at Cape by Andrew Parlette from Elkridge,MD, US (CC BY 2.0) · ferry terminal and waterfront at Lewes, Delawa by PointsofNoReturn (CC BY-SA 4.0) · Dunes and fencing at Cape Henlopen State Park by Art Anderson (CC BY-SA 3.0) · beach and umbrellas at Bethany Beach, Delaware by PointsofNoReturn (CC BY-SA 4.0) · riverfront walk at Wilmington, Delaware by Kej605 (CC BY-SA 3.0) · Winterthur mansion in the Brandywine Valley, D by Photo by and (c)2007 Derek Ramsey (Ram-Man) (CC BY-SA 2.5) · Old State House on the Green at Dover, Delawar by w_lemay (CC BY-SA 2.0) · Cape May to Lewes ferry at its terminal by Nolabob (CC BY-SA 4.0) · plate of hot french fries by Horacio Cambeiro (CC BY-SA 3.0) · Steamed blue crabs piled on a table by bigbirdz (CC BY 2.0) · Fried scrapple with eggs and toast on a breakf by Deans Charbal (CC BY-SA 4.0) · bowl of wrapped saltwater taffy by Sean Freese (CC BY 2.0) · Baskets of ripe peaches at a farm stand by Jud McCranie (CC BY-SA 4.0) · flat farm road through central Delaware by Famartin (CC BY-SA 4.0) · dune cliff and beach at Cape Henlopen State Pa by Nolabob (CC BY-SA 4.0) · reflecting pool in the gardens at Winterthur, by Harvey Barrison (CC BY-SA 2.0) · stone entrance sign at a Delaware state park by Sixflashphoto (CC BY-SA 4.0) · Shops and the bandstand on Rehoboth Avenue, De by APK (CC BY-SA 4.0) · Cape May to Lewes ferry out on Delaware Bay by Harrison Keely (CC BY 4.0) · wide view across Delaware Bay from Cape Henlop by Nolabob (CC BY-SA 4.0). All via Wikimedia Commons. Remaining photographs on this page are public domain.