Dela-Where? : Part One

While temporarily living in Maryland during my husband's job training, we drove up to New Jersey to look for a place to live. As we drove through Delaware, we joked, "Who lives in Delaware? You never hear anyone say they would love to end up in Delaware."

One year later, my husband got a job assignment for a couple of weeks to Wilmington, Delaware. We didn't want to be without him for so long, so I packed up the kids and headed to stay with him for a week. I figured while my husband worked, we could just explore. And I love exploring.

I searched the internet for "things to do with kids in Delaware" and flipped through visitor's magazines. I was pleasantly surprised. There was a lot to do, so I mapped out our week and we dove right in.

Fast forward to this year.

We just got back from our third trip to Delaware.  In fact, we love whenever my husband get's that two week assignment. Even if we only go down for a few days, we always find something new to do.

We really couldn't afford a vacation this year, so it was a pleasant surprise when he got the trip again. We actually got to go somewhere and do some neat stuff, and we didn't have to pay for a hotel! Sweet!


So, enough rambling. Here are my top reasons you've got to go to Delaware:

History.
Delaware is full of history (which, sadly,  is something I never appreciated until now).  It was the first state of the union, for crying out loud, so there are a gajillion places to visit that make you appreciate our nation's history. The DuPont family began there and their amazing estates will make you ooh and aah. If you are a history buff, this is your heaven.

The Land.
It's breathtakingly beautiful. Marshes, rolling hills, manicured gardens, winding creeks, and rivers make for amazing landscapes that urge you to just keep driving and driving. And you can't help but imagine our country's first battles that occurred on the very land you are discovering.

Downtown Wilmington Waterfront. 
It is full of attractions, great restaurants and things to do. This is where we've spent a lot of our time. (and we still haven't seen it all!)

Close Proximity to Philadelphia. 
I adore Philadelphia. It's my favorite place to explore. It is definitely a diverse city with so many things to do. We haven't even touched the hem of the garment in that town. I've got lots undone on my Philly To-Do List...


Here's some pics of our trip to Dela-Where, I mean, Delaware. Click the links below to check out more.

Eating Colonial Flavors of Ice Cream in Historic New Castle, Delaware

Gorgeous Tree-lined Street in Historic New Castle

Peanut, walking the boardwalk in the marsh at the DuPont Environmental Education Center.

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The Smith Indoor/Outdoor Playground (yes, it's a mansion just for playing) in Philadelphia.

Opie, figuring out air-flow at the Delaware Children's Museum.

On a ferry ride to Fort Delaware.

Outside the American Helicopter Museum in West Chester, Pennsylvania.

And there's plenty more where that came from....