Destination: Delaware
Wendy L. Bonifazi, RN, CLS, APR
 |
Dover Downs, a huge entertainment complex, offers live horse harness racing, slot machines, a hotel, and restaurant. It is also home to Dover International Speedway on the NASCAR circuit. Photo courtesy of the Delaware Tourism Office.
|
Delaware, the nation’s second-smallest state, packs plenty of first-rate opportunities for both vacation and relocation. For those in the know, Delaware has been THE place to see and to settle.
First inhabited by the Lenni-Lenape indigenous people and their descendants, the Nanticokes, the area caught the interest of Europeans in the 16th century. Today, Delaware attracts both tourists and its 800,000 residents with the enduring appeal of the ocean, rivers, and valleys as well as its modern-day advantages of reasonably priced real estate, a relatively low cost of living, and tax-free shopping, dining, and entertainment.
The Dutch were the first Europeans to live, albeit briefly, in Delaware. In 1638, Sweden established a colony that became Wilmington, the first permanent European settlement in North America. (Delaware’s designation as “The First State” refers not to this settlement, nor the native peoples who were the first to join the Revolutionary War, but to Delaware’s status as the first of the original 13 states to ratify and sign the U.S. Constitution.)
In its June issue, Reader’s Digest named the Rehoboth Beach Boardwalk among the “2006 Best of America,” which celebrates the nation’s quirky, amazing, and extraordinary attractions. In July, AARP named Rehoboth Beach (which calls itself “the nation’s summer capital”) as one of five dream towns for retirees.
Business is booming
In addition, the state’s tax-free status, cultural centers, and proximity to major East Coast cities make Delaware a financial center for international banking, credit, insurance, and holding companies. Throughout the state, jobs are plentiful in those industries as well as in technology, construction, arts, entertainment, recreation, warehousing, and transportation. Delaware is also home to the operational headquarters for numerous national and international companies.
Nursing opportunities include positions in state-licensed facilities — 12 hospitals, 49 nursing homes, three pediatric extended care centers, 11 adult day care centers, 14 free-standing surgical centers, seven hospices, and 29 home health agencies. Delaware also has nine approved nursing education programs.
The good life
The state’s natural attractions and accessibility make it a favorite family haven. New York City and Washington, D.C., are only a couple of hours away by car, and Pennsylvania, Maryland, and New Jersey are even closer.
Delaware ranked 12th highest in the country for per-capita income in 2003, according to the Bureau of Economic Analysis, Regional Economic Information System 2003 report. The state reports the cost of living is nearly the same or lower than the national average in similar areas, while real estate costs considerably less than the national average and less than nearby metropolitan areas. An estimated three-fourths of the population live in their own homes, compared with about 68% nationally. Those homes range from beachfront cottages to city condos, and from historic farmhouses to mansions — new and old.
Attractions from A to Z
Within Delaware itself (a two-hour drive from top to bottom), the statewide public transportation system serves attractions literally from A to Z. Whether the destination is the Air Mobility Command Museum on the Dover Air Force Base or the Zwaanendael Museum in Lewes or the Brandywine Zoo, “You’re never far from the fun in Delaware,” by train, plane, ferry, car, or bus, according to a state marketing campaign.
Delaware also is home to state parks, wildlife refuges, the seashore, sports of all sorts, and cultural attractions — including the opera, theaters, and the symphony. The $80 million restoration of the historic Christiana Riverfront includes a 1.2-mile Riverwalk; a Riverfront Market featuring specialty foods and shops; and galleries of nationally acclaimed art exhibits.
Shop till you drop
Delaware takes some of the sting out of shopping: There’s no state sales tax. Shoppers can find brand-name and catalog goods at the 140 stores at Rehoboth Outlets or the Shipyard Shops outlets in Wilmington; scout antiques along the 20-mile stretch of southern Delaware’s Antiques Road; acquire world-famous originals and reproductions at the many museum and historic attraction shops; and visit any of Delaware’s many malls, shops, and businesses.
Delaware hot spots
Brandywine River Valley attractions: In this region, “the Brandywine River winds from southeastern Pennsylvania into Delaware, carving out the beautiful rolling hills and valleys that are the landmarks of the Brandywine Valley,” according to TheBrandywine.com. This picturesque area is the backdrop for a wealth of historic homes, which are open to the public. Winterthur is world-renowned for the collections of furniture and Americana amassed by its first owner, Henry Francis du Pont. The 1,000-acre country estate grounds boast formal gardens, which bloom from January to November. Other estates include the Hagley Museum and Library and Nemours Mansion and Gardens.
Other attractions include the Delaware History Museum, in the restored 1941 Woolworth Building, which offers interactive exhibits for children and adults. The Delaware Museum of Natural History includes exhibits on Africa and local areas. The recently redesigned Delaware Art Museum, which opened in 1912 as a tribute to Howard Pyle (who is credited with putting Wilmington on the artistic map), now holds a world-renowned collection of works focusing on American art from the 19th to 21st centuries, as well as the mid-19th century British Pre-Raphaelite movement. The Grand Opera House is a restored 1871 Wilmington Victorian theater with a majestic cast-iron façade.
Visitors can stroll through the past in New Castle, the restored colonial capital on the Delaware River. The entire town has been preserved with the original courthouse, mansions, gardens, bed and breakfasts, restaurants, and shops.
 |
Historic Fort Delaware State Park on Pea Patch Island in the Delaware River offers Civil War reenactments. Photo courtesy of the Delaware Tourism Office. |
State Parks: Another elegant du Pont family estate, now known as Bellevue State Park, features summer concerts, tennis courts, and equestrian stables on it grounds. The state is home to an additional 13 state parks, including four beach parks, which encompass more than 22,000 acres.
Among them, the historic Fort Delaware State Park on Pea Patch Island in the Delaware River offers Civil War reenactments and displays of soldiers’ daily lives. Fort Christiana State Park includes a full-size replica of the Swedish settlers’ sailing ship, the Kalmar Nyckel. Exhibits at Port Penn’s Interpretive Center focus on the wetlands community. Fenwick Island State Park, sometimes called the state’s best saltwater park, provides boat rentals, surfing, and swimming. Cape Henlopen State Park features almost 4,000 acres, and the woods and waterways at Lums Pond State Park, the state’s largest freshwater pond, attract anglers, hikers, boaters, campers, and picnickers. Boating and sailing are popular on the calm inland waters, the rivers, or the open sea, accessible from more than 50 public boat ramps.
 |
A full-size replica of the Kalmar Nyckel — the tall ship that carried Swedish settlers to Delaware in 1638 — serves as Delaware’s seagoing goodwill ambassador. Photo courtesy of the Delaware Tourism Office. |
Fishing: Whether for food or for fun, the state’s freshwater ponds, inland bays, the Delaware Bay and the Atlantic Ocean draw fishermen to their shores for sea trout, tautog, bluefish, and flounder. Boat captains rent their vessels daily for deep-sea fishing, while more than 30 public millponds are stocked with panfish, chain pickerel, largemouth bass, bluegills, and perch. Clams are found in much of the Indian River Bay and Rehoboth Bay, and blue crabs are caught from bridges, piers and canals.
 |
Nearly 250,000 flock to Dover International Speedway at Dover Downs to watch NASCAR drivers in action. Photo courtesy of the Delaware Tourism Office. |
Central Delaware: The Amish countryside is just outside of Dover, and several shops specialize in Amish items including home-baked goods, quilts, crafts, and willow oak furniture. Dover is also home to more than 10 museums, each focused on a different aspect of history, such as small-town life, military aircraft, and talking machines. The Bombay Hook National Wildlife Refuge in Smyrna is a 15,978-acre haven for waterfowl and other migratory birds. Dover International Speedway, a.k.a. the Monster Mile, attracts about 250,000 fans twice a year to watch NASCAR stars zip around the fastest concrete oval in the world. The speedway is located at Dover Downs, a huge entertainment center that also features slot machines, harness horse racing, a hotel, and restaurant.
Southern Delaware is distinguished by five resort towns, several historic towns, and beautiful beaches. Other attractions include a publicly owned stand of bald cypress trees, an antebellum plantation, and 200-year-old cable-run ferry ride across the Nanticoke River. The Cape May-Lewes Ferry provides a 70-minute cruise across the open saltwater from Lewes, Del., to Cape May, N.J. Other attractions include barn tours and rides by carriage, wagon or trolley at Carriage Place Clydesdale Farm in Bridgeville. Local shipwreck lore and shipwreck artifacts from the Titanic, Republic and Atocha are displayed at the DiscoverSea Shipwreck Museum (Fenwick Island); and the 20-acre, Civil War-era Governor Ross Mansion and Plantation in Seaford includes a brick villa and log slave quarters.
 |
The Zwaanendael Museum in Lewes, Del., is modeled after the town hall in Hoorn, the Netherlands, to commemorate Delaware’s first European settlement by the Dutch in 1631. Photo courtesy of the Delaware Tourism Office. |
Whether visiting or putting down roots, the Delaware experience is rich in history, culture, and scenery. For more information about these and many other attractions, go to www.visitdelaware.net, and learn what those who live and work in Delaware already know: This little state has big things to offer.
Wendy L. Bonifazi, RN, CLS, APR, is a senior staff writer for Nursing Spectrum.
