Enjoy historic small towns, unusual salt marshes, 1732 Court House, breathtaking river views, Great Blue Herons, and Snowy Egrets.
The Delaware River is an important shipping waterway, but there is a lesser-known aspect to it, as it meanders through historic small towns, quaint, and salt marshes on the northern end of the Delmarva (Delaware, Maryland, Virginia) Peninsula. Founded by the Dutch in 1651, the 45-mile, 1-1/2 hour drive begins at historic New Castle. Built in 1732, the Old Court House on Delaware Street, ranks as one of the oldest public buildings in the United States.
Ten miles west on Route 9, a high bridge spans the Delaware and Chesapeake Canal, linking Chesapeake Bay with the Delaware River and offering a breathtaking view of the river to the left, the Jersey Shore and Salem nuclear power plant
straight ahead, and the marshes and canal reaching west toward Maryland. Three miles past the bridge, the road winds through the small town of Port Penn, named for William Penn, founder of Pennsylvania, who also was awarded what is now Delaware in a 1682 land grant. An interpretive center in town concentrates on man’s impact on the natural resources of the place.
The countryside, along Route Nine after Port Penn, is primarily farmland, alternating with salt marshes, including those at the Augustine, Cedar Swamp and Woodland Beach wildlife areas. Woodland Beach, approximately 20 miles south of Port Penn, is worth a detour for its 3 miles of unspoiled tidal marshes, which attract Snowy Egrets and Great Blue Herons. Intersecting over Duck Creek and heading past the Woodland Beach turnoff leads to the Bombay Hook National Wildlife Refuge, one of a string of nature preserves along Delaware Bay, a major stopover for migrating birds. After passing though the town of Leipsic, the road goes on south to Route 8. Dover, the state capitol, lies 4 miles to the west along Route Eight.
Starting Point:
New Castle, DE
Distance of Drive:
58 miles
Must Eat:
Golden Dove Diner
1101 North Dupont Hwy., New Castle, DE 19720
Phone: 302-322-1180
Call ahead to confirm hours of operation.
Good Stop For: Full Menu
Best Time of Year for Drive:
Any time of the year
Points of Interest on Drive:
Woodland Beach Wildlife Area
Bombay Hook National Wildlife Refuge
Tagged with: best time:yearround • Delaware
Filed under: Best Road Trips