Dela-Where? : Part Two

For the first couple of days in Wilmington, I tried to stay near or at the hotel for the sake of saving extra money. We went to a couple of nice playgrounds and swam in the hotel pool. But knowing there was more to do outside that Doubletree plagued my brain. I decided those hotel walls could contain me no longer. So, we ditched the ice-cold indoor swimming pool and swam for greater things. (And knowing I had to blog about it later did motivate me, too. There's only so much one can say about a hotel swimming pool and playgrounds.)

So, I gathered my two little munchkins, punched "Attractions" on the Garmin and whatever tickled my fancy, I Googled on my iPhone. I'd discuss the plan with my oldest and if we were in agreement, off we went!

Here's one of our favorite spots we discovered after two days of hotel blah-blah.

Pennsylvania Colonial Plantation

The day we discovered this little gem, it just so happened to be July 14th, which was their annual fundraiser: "Pirate/Splash Day." (How perfect was that?) And once my oldest knew that water and pirates were involved, he was in. Did I mention it was raining? And icky? But, alas, I pressed onward through the mud and the animal poop in my maxi-dress and sandals. 

And I'm glad I did. It might have been a yucky day, but this fabulous place was worth visiting. The inspiring workers on this authentic historical plantation made our day quite memorable. And the rain? It eventually dried up...but Jayden still got soaked from his pirate adventures. Argh!

"Pirates of the Plantation"

Rubber Ducky Races!

Guess who's lucky duck won the race? :)
Yet, he was more excited about that grape dum-dum in his hand.

Opie, making paper like they did in the 1700's.

Yeah, that'd be Opie with the intense look of battle on his face.

Water Wars!

Defending their ship against water cannonballs

Peanut was curious about the rotating sprinklers.
His final verdict was... he did not like them.

He did like the chicken coop, though.

And, I leave you with this...

Quiz: Is that a Hen or a Rooster? 

Answer: I couldn't tell ya. 

But, I do know that it is a chicken.

PS. Hold onto your hats. I have one more "Dela-where" installment planned. Yeah, I know. You will hardly be able to sleep armed with such knowledge. But just try to contain your excitement, and rest up. You're gonna need all of your enthusiasm for the fantas-ticulous give-away beginning this weekend!

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....