What is there to do in Sussex County, Delaware?

As a lifelong Delawarean, I’ve found plenty of things to do in the southernmost county of our three-county state. Sussex County, Delaware includes rural farmland and the beautiful and popular beaches that tourists enjoy every summer.

What to do in the Inland parts of Sussex County, Delaware

The town of Milford straddles Kent and Sussex County and is a fun stop along route one to take a walk along the Milford River walk, enjoy a bite to eat or take in some art. You’ll find fun painted boats all along the riverwalk. There’s also a Can-Do Playground located in Milford that is very nice where the kids can expend some energy.

Further South you will find the town of Millsboro, where you can find retail and restaurant options surrounded by farmland, and within a quick drive of the beaches. Massey’s Landing is a popular boat launch and fishing spot in Millsboro.

Nearby you’ll find Paradise Grill, which features live music most Thursday through Sunday evenings, as well as playgrounds and ice cream stands for the kids to enjoy. The atmosphere is lots of fun, with palm trees, open seating, and gorgeous beach views.

The charming small town of Milton is another stop along route one where you can find lovely historic homes, unique shops and eateries, and a lovely little pond and playground where the kids can expend some energy.

Inland Museums in Sussex County, Delaware

The Nanticoke Indian Museum is also located in Millsboro, and is a fine source of information if you are interested in the indigenous people who lived in Sussex county before Europeans arrived. It is small, affordable, and worth checking out. You’ll also find information here on the Powwow which occurs in Sussex county every year, typically in the fall. The gathering includes dance, song, family celebration, traditional spiritual elements, crafts and artwork, native foods, kids activities, and a car show. It’s one of the largest indigenous/native gatherings on the East Coast.

The Seaford Museum is a surprisingly cool museum in the town’s former post office. It covers the history of the area from Native American artifacts through the various industries that flourished there, such as canning, agriculture, shipbuilding and poultry. Our favorite display was that of the murderous Patty Cannon who ran a large gang notorious along the Eastern Seaboard in the early 1800’s. The museum also has a huge collection of model trains and a wonderful holiday train display. Tickets are $7 per adult and can be combined with the nearby Governor Ross Mansion and museum for $12. Children 12 and under are free.

Beautiful Outdoor Spaces in Inland Sussex County, Delaware

Delaware Botanic Gardens along Pepper Creek is a wonderful place for a walk, full of beautiful seasonal blooms, unique and fanciful nature sculptures, and wildlife (including a pair of nesting bald eagles whose nest can be seen from the path). Kids get in for free, and tours are offered for $10 a person if you have an interest in botany and native plants.

Trap Pond State Park is about the farthest north you can find a bald cypress swamp. It has a nice network of walking and biking trails, bike rentals, a nature center, restrooms and playgrounds. Not to mention, the pond itself is a popular spot for kayaking and boating.

Prime Hook National Wildlife Refuge is not exactly inland, but it is located north of the beaches where tourists typically visit, in the marshland along the Delaware Bay. It is a peaceful and beautiful place to birdwatch or take a quiet stroll and observe the wildlife that exists in the mix of fresh and saltwater there. Highlights include a Visitors Center and a crab festival in May. The refuge is free to visit.

The Beaches of Sussex County

Beach Towns

Lewes is a charming beach town where you can shop or dine by the bay or take the ferry to Cape May, NJ. It is known for its tulip festival in spring, and Christmas lights during the holiday season. Because it is on the Bay, there’s little surf here so children can swim more easily. Parking in the lot at Lewes Beach costs about $2.50 an hour, and has a bathhouse and lifeguards.

Rehoboth Beach is the tax-free home of Tangier outlets and a mile long boardwalk with an affordable amusement park at one end, perfect for the younger set. There is a nice playground near Lake Gerard at the other end of the boardwalk. The beach here is wide, clean, and family friendly.

Other ideas are to visit the DiscoverSea Shipwreck Museum at Fenwick, have dinner at the Boathouse in Bethany, and take a trolley ride around the town in Dewey.

State Park Beaches

Delaware Seashore State Park includes about 20 miles of shoreline and lots of amenities such as campgrounds, fishing, and hiking. The Indian River Life Saving Station is a museum located here. We enjoy Towers Beach in the park, where you can visit one of the eleven World War II towers and climb to the top for an excellent view of the beach and bay.

The southernmost state park is Fenwick, which has about three miles of shoreline. All of the parks have bathhouses, lifeguards, and small concessions during the summer.

Cape Henlopen is one of our favorite state parks in Delaware (and we’ve been to them all!) It charges March through November, $5 for an in-state vehicle and $10 for out-of-state. The cost is well worth it, as there is a lot to do and it’s beautiful in any season.

Cape Henlopen has a great little nature center. There’s a little touch tank with horseshoe and hermit crabs, fish and sometimes small skates and other wildlife. There is information and a tank for each of the habitats supported by the park – Coastal Ocean, Delaware Bay, Rock Structures, Wooden Pilings, and Tidal Marsh Creeks. There’s also an introductory video that tells you about the park and is a good place to start a visit and help you decide where to go. Plus there’s a great little gift shop if you’d like a souvenir.

More about Cape Henlopen State Park

There are several points where you can go to look out over the beautiful sand dunes and sea – these include Hawk Watch, Herring Point and the Point Overlook, which is where the Delaware Bay meets the Atlantic Ocean. These give lots of pretty views, a strong possibility of seeing dolphins, and an easy walk on the sand down to the sea. There is swimming allowed in two guarded areas in season, and the northern area has a bathhouse with showers, and a concessions stand.

You can even find some history here at Fort Miles, where you can learn about how the area functioned during World War II. If you are familiar with Delaware beaches, you may know that there are towers throughout the region that were used to keep a lookout during the war, and one at Cape Henlopen has been equipped with stairs (they used to use ladders) so visitors can take in the breathtaking view of the maritime forest, wetlands, and dunes all the way out to the ocean.

There is a playground and hiking trails that are definitely kid-friendly, or if your crew is older, you can borrow a bike (for free!) and bike around the loop trail to see the different ecosystems within the park. You will almost certainly see a variety of birds, and deer and ghost crabs are also fairly common. If you’re lucky, you may see red fox and seal in the winter as well. There is also a fishing pier if you’d like to try your luck. If camping is your thing, they have that too.

Find more information about Delaware’s beaches at this post.

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