What is There To Do in Kent County, Delaware?

Delaware’s central county sits between the more populous county of New Castle in the north, and Sussex county to the south, known for it’s lovely beaches. Whether you want to visit Kent County or you’re passing through on a trip down route 1, there are plenty of fun excursions in this part of the state. Here are a few of our favorites:

Bombay Hook National Wildlife Refuge and other Wildlife Viewing

Bombay Hook National Wildlife Refuge is a gorgeous reserve in the northern part of the county, near the city of Smyrna. It is a beautiful wetland renowned for it’s birds. There is a 12 mile wildlife drive that loops around the refuge, and five walking trails (two are paved), with three observation towers, which offer a great place to take photos and get a good view of the birds on the water, especially in spring and fall when they migrate, and during sunrise and sunset. There are thousands of snow geese, ducks and other waterfowl in the winter as well. The cost is $4 per vehicle, and there is a visitor center open during the week and weekends in the spring and fall.

In May to early June, you can see the annual spawning of the horseshoe crabs at Pickering Beach or Kitts Hummock, where tons of these helmet like creatures come up on shore to mate. But, come too late and there will be stinky dead crabs everywhere! These are nice quiet places to view the crabs but not good beaches for swimming. You have to go further south for those!

The Capital City of Dover, DE

The Dover Air Mobility Command Museum is one of the best in the country, and it is free. If you have an airplane lover in the family, they will enjoy viewing the many historic aircraft in the main exhibit gallery and outside as well. C-5A cargo compartment tours are available, living history reenactors are on site most Saturdays, and you can sometimes visit one of the air control towers and watch the planes traveling in and out of the base. The Museum is open to the public Wed through Sun, 9 to 4PM.

It’s also fun to visit the more historic area of Dover, where Victorian buildings surround the area known as the Green, where Legislative Hall and other historic buildings are located. You can tour Legislative Hall and several of the other buildings for free. Parking is generally available at the lot in front of the Delaware Public Archives. Tours take place the first Saturday of the month in the morning timeframe.

Silver Lake Park is just a few minutes from the Green, and is a pleasant place to picnic or walk a small trail around the lake. There is a small dam, playground equipment, and geese, ducks and other birds in season.

Killens Pond State Park

Aside from the Dover Green and its’ surrounding buildings, Killens Pond in Felton, DE is the only state park in Kent County, but it is a beautiful one. The pond itself is lovely reflecting the trees, especially in autumn, and is surrounded by about a two and a half mile trail that is quite flat. You can fish, rent a boat, or visit the fun and affordable waterpark in the summer. There’s also a really nice nature center that is open May to September from 10 to 4 on weekdays, and 10 to 6 on weekends. The cost to enter is $4 for in-state vehicles and $8 for out-of-state.