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. It offers 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!

Finally, near Dover is St. Jones Reserve, a research center for Delaware’s estuary research. We have never seen the visitor’s center open, but we have often walked around the property and along the boardwalk behind the center and seen lots of wildlife, including bald eagles, deer and rabbit, lots of birds, and hundreds of fiddler crabs in the salt marsh below the boardwalk during the warmer months. There is no cost to enter the reserve.

The Capital City of Dover, DE

The Dover Air Mobility Command Museum is an excellent free museum that any air and space enthusiast will enjoy. There is a wide variety of historic aircraft in the indoor and outdoor parts of the museum. On Saturdays you may see a living history reenactment or take a C-5A cargo compartment tour. Sometimes guides will bring visitors to the control towers to watch the airplanes travel on and off base. The Museum is open to the public Wed through Sun, 9 to 4PM.

It’s also fun to visit historic Dover where Legislative Hall is located on “the green,” which is now considered a National Historic Park. You can tour Leg Hall and other historic buildings in this area on the first Saturday of the month in the morning, when special events are held and historic buildings are open to the public.

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.

Finally, don’t miss the unusual Johnson Victrola Museum, which highlights the life and achievements of Delaware’s Eldridge Reeves Johnson, founder of the Victor Talking Machine Company, an early trailblazer in sound recording. The museum is free and open Wed through Saturday. Docents are knowledgeable and friendly. Those who love history and the music industry will especially enjoy their visit.

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.

Find more to do in all of Delaware’s counties at this post.