The 30th state we visited on our road trip was Delaware in November 2022. Seeing as it’s a smaller state – you can drive from north to south in less than two hours when there’s no traffic – we didn’t stay there as long as we do with larger states.
As a result, we only spent 11 days there. November is a busy time for me work-wise, so I didn’t get to explore the state quite as much as Shae did, but we did manage to fit in a lot of fun stuff during those 11 days.
Whenever we complete a state, Shae and I always share our favorite and not-so-favorite things from our time there, so here’s our best and worst things from Delaware.
Favorite Accommodation We Stayed At
Stephen – This isn’t a difficult one seeing as we only stayed at one place – the Hyatt House Lewes/Rehoboth Beach. Even if we’d stayed in additional places, there’s a good chance this hotel would’ve come top as we had a great stay overall.
Shae – Agreed. This hotel was just a really nice experience overall – it was reminiscent of our stay at Ocean City, MD, Iowa City, IA and other great places.
Favorite Meal
Stephen – We drank out more than we ate out in Delaware as we had a kitchen in our suite at the Hyatt House. Of the limited times we ate out or got food to go, I’d pick the shrimp and chorizo lo mein I got at Dewey Beer Co.
Shae – It was probably the ice cream from Hopkins Farm Creamery for me!
Most Disappointing Meal
Stephen – I don’t think there was one from the limited times we ate out, so probably something I made at our hotel! Edit: Scratch that – Shae remembered a meal I forgot about and she’s right. That Arby’s meal was definitely disappointing.
Shae – Probably our Arby’s experience after a long day out in Dover when we got the wrong sandwiches entirely.
Favorite Free Activity
Stephen – Walking on the beach. We had a couple of warm, sunny days and so it was nice walking along Rehoboth Beach.
Shae – The Johnson Victrola Museum – donations are accepted but it is free to go. It was such an unusual place to see and learn about that it was my favorite.
Favorite Paid Activity
Stephen – Ummm….all the drinking we did! I don’t think I actually did anything in Delaware that came at a cost.
Shae – Yes, Stephen didn’t do much of anything but drinking in Delaware. But I’d have to agree even though I did some other things away from the bars. My favorite was Dogfish Head for their fantastic Hurricane.
Favorite Pet-Friendly Activity
Stephen – Playing on the beach with Truffles. We put a longer leash on her and let her chase after her ball when there was no one around.
Shae – It’s always a nice day when we can play with Truffles on the beach.
Least Favorite Activity
Stephen – Walking Truffles at night. There were a few days where it was much cooler during the day, with temperatures dropping below freezing at night.
Shae – Probably the Old State House, but not because it was inherently bad, just because I feel like I didn’t get the full tour/info that my friend did and I think that’s determined by who does your tour. Additionally, I went to the Nanticoke Museum. I’d love to see it get more funding since the premise is a good one, but the execution of the museum doesn’t come off well. It’s mostly just looking at items behind glass; it feels dated and crowded without much storytelling.
Favorite Hike
Stephen – We didn’t do any hiking in Delaware, so walking on the beach was as close as we got.
Shae – Yes, there wasn’t any hiking in Delaware. But who can say no to a nice beach walk?
Favorite Quirky Thing We Did
Stephen – Drinking mead at a Viking-themed meadery.
Shae – For me, it was probably the Johnson Victrola Museum. It’s very niche – but fascinating – especially learning about Nipper, the dog from the famous “His Master’s Voice” ads. Nipper was actually hearing his master’s voice on a phonograph, after his master died. An artist offered Edison the chance to have this recreated again and again for advertising and Edison said “no, thanks”, so Berliner jumped in with the gramophone and it became the face of the gramophone and Victrola and eventually RCA Victor.
Favorite Memory
Stephen – My first taste of the Berry Rocky Road beer at Dewey Beer Co. Such an unusual taste sensation – is it a beer? Is it a smoothie? Is it fruit juice? So delicious though.
Shae – Snuggling with Truffles on the beach while we all ate our lunch. I love beach days together.
Funniest Moment
Stephen – I can’t remember much of it, but probably the night where I had a lot of very strong beer at Dogfish Head.
Shae – Stephen the night he had beer at Dogfish Head… “this beer is so strong, I never drink beers this strong, whiskey hits differently than these really strong beers” – on repeat until he crashed out. The next morning “I don’t remember much they must’ve been really strong beers.” Me: “you think!?” Bahahahah!
Thing We Most Regretted
Stephen – I don’t know if I’d class it as a regret as such, but it would’ve been nice to stay on the oceanfront.
Shae – I wish I’d made it to Wilmington, DE.
Something We Missed And Want To See
Stephen – We didn’t make it up to Wilmington. I don’t know if there’s much to see there or not, but it’d would’ve been nice to have time to check it out.
Shae – I’d like to get to the Delaware History Museum and a few other historic sites between Dover and Wilmington.
Our Biggest Surprise
Stephen – That the manager of the Hyatt House remembered us from when we stayed at the Hyatt Place Ocean City Oceanfront a couple of years beforehand.
Shae – How fast our time in Delaware went. It was like Rhode Island for me, I could’ve spent more time there.
My Delaware Drinking Game Would Be…
Stephen – Take a drink every time you see a reference to it being the first state.
Shae – Take a drink every time you hear Stephen talk about the strong beers at Dogfish Head or me talk about the Victrola Museum… oh those are just for us? Then mine would be, take a drink every time you hear about Delaware being the first state – there’s really not much else they’re excessively proud of.
Summary Of Delaware In 10 Words Or Less
Stephen – Lots of good drinking, but seemingly not too much else.
Shae – Nice place to visit and get away from it all.
Delaware Cities We Visited In Order From Favorite To Least Favorite
Stephen – We only stayed in one place, but spent time in a few of them. Including a past visit to Delaware before we started the road trip, I’d go for Dewey Beach, Rehoboth Beach, Lewes.
Shae – Dewey Beach, Dover, Rehoboth Beach and Lewes.
Leave a Reply