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Here are the first 25 picks for our 101 Reasons to Love the First State! What do you think? David Amado, Music Director of the Delaware Symphony Orchestra agrees that there is a lot to enjoy about the First State. “I love that Delaware is small enough to feel cozy and big enough to have great amenities. It’s wonderful to live in a place where everyone seems to know each other, and equally great to be in a place that boasts great live music, art, theater, dance, opera, museums, gardens, etc. It’s a special place snuggled in between busier, grimier worlds,” Amado says.
Check back every Friday over the next few weeks to see our additional picks and pics. Don’t forget to comment below and share your own favorites. Or post to social media using #del101. We love Delaware, yes we do! We love Delaware, how ’bout you?
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Browse through our gallery below to see what we love and why. Or look through galleries 26-50, 51-75 and 76-101.
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- What state is as fiercely proud as Delaware? Not a one. We were first, after all, and we continue to be No.1, if we do say so ourselves. Here’s why we’re smitten.
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- We take it for granted, but it’s a pretty nice perk when you’re shucking out 35 Gs for a new car or maxing the plastic on holiday gifts.
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- If you want to know anything about United States history, you need to know the history of the First State first. The 150-year-old DHS is a treasure trove of information, as is the collection of the Delaware State Archives.
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- You may pay to park at the state parks or feed the meters in the towns, but the beaches themselves cost nothing to use, which is as it should be. Take that, Jersey. (Pay for parking and buy a beach tag? Outrageous, we say.)
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- The National Resources Defense Council ranks Rehoboth and Dewey as No. 1 for having the cleanest swimming water in the country. We understand the value of that to tourism, but more important, swimming in the ocean here just feels good.
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- Thanks, Rehoboth. Now you don’t have to walk blocks to a change machine to pay for parking. Just tap a code into your smart phone and—ching—instant debit from the account of choice. Parkmobile will even text you before your meter expires. Sweet.
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- New Castle was Old City Philadelphia before Old City was a twinkle in William Penn’s eye. Nowhere else exists such a living monument to our Colonial history. (Williamsburg, you don’t count. Rockefeller ruined you.)
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- They may not be the answer to congested highways, but it’s good to have a cycling governor who appreciates the love some people give to their bikes. Recent efforts to encourage cycling, great races and other bike events get us ranked No. 4 in the nation for cycling friendliness by the League of American Bicyclists.
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- It’s not exactly fair that owners of oceanfront homes pay barely more than owners of small properties in upstate subdivisions, but things could be worse. You could live in Delaware County, Pa., and pay $7,000 a year on a quarter acre.
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- Does anyone recall that New Castle’s biggest party celebrates “the three lower counties’” secession from Pennsylvania in the 18th century, thus making us Delaware? Does it matter? It’s one great parade, and one great fireworks display.
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- Ugly? Maybe. Effective? Miraculously so. Beach-crazed families can cut their drive times. Shoppers can get to the mall on Saturday mornings. And passers-through don’t pay the price. It’s a win-win-win.
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- The White Stripes at The Grand Opera House made Delaware seem cool for a few days. FMF made us supremely cool for at least the next few years.
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- We have lots and lots of it. The trend is like a return to the post-war days when every city had its own breweries, but with an essential difference: Our small towns have breweries—Twin Lakes in Greenville, 16 Mile in Georgetown, 3rd Wave in Delmar, Mispillion River in Milford, Fordham & Dominion in Dover and the mighty Dogfish Head in Milton. Not to mention brewpubs, like Stewart’s in Bear, Argilla in Newark and the Iron Hill restaurants in Newark and Wilmington. Check them out during events such as Brews by the Bay every September and the Delaware Wine and Beer Festival every October.
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- Seeing grand mansions like Granogue rise over the hills of the Brandywine Valley transports you to another time and place. It’s beautiful. No wonder Éleuthere Irénée du Pont liked the area so much.
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- What other area can boast as many cultural-historical attractions on par with a Longwood Gardens, Winterthur, Hagley and the Brandywine River Museum in such a small area? Compare Nemours with Versailles. World class.
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- Vehicles such as Domestic Asset Protection Trusts keep your money safe from some creditors, and the income is tax-free for residents. Of course, you’ll pay to set up and maintain such a trust, but, with enough money sheltered there, you still come out ahead—way ahead.
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- In a state blessed with great local orchestras such as Newark and Dover, DSO stands out as a regional leader. And with more performance venues on its schedule this year, it has truly become the state’s orchestra.
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- The multi-instrumentalist has written songs with George Harrison and played with Willie Nelson, Jerry Jeff Walker and Bob Dylan. And that barely scratches the surface. How many living legends can Wilmington claim?
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- If Pyle were working today, he’d be bigger than Beyonce. The most famous illustrator of his time, he trained others who put Wilmington and the Brandywine on the map of American arts. Thanks to their work, we have the Delaware Art Museum.
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- As the largest supplier of lima beans in the nation, Delaware remains an agricultural leader. (And you thought farming here was all about corn and chickens…)
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- Thanks to an unsung du Pont named Sewell C. Biggs, this hidden gem in Dover houses a significant collection of paintings and furniture made in Delaware, in addition to silver items. You’ll be pleased to visit.
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- The queen of good things keeps finding reasons to throw us the love, from Point-to-Point to azaleas at Winterthur to spirits from Delaware Distilling Company to the Delaware Antiques Show. (Never mind that nasty lawsuit in Chancery Court a few years ago.)
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- “Parks and Recreation” wouldn’t be the show it is without the very funny, very wry Aubrey Plaza, and that’s just the latest in a long line of performers who have made a splash: actors like Johnny Gallagher, Ryan Phillippe, Valerie Bertinelli, Andrew and Elizabeth Shue, and Robert Mitchum, as well as musicians such as Chuck Wicks, George Thorogood and The Destroyers, and the great Bob Marley, Clifford Brown and Cab Calloway. Some stars are brighter than others, but that’s a pretty good cast of characters for a little state.
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- The “Today Show” co-host visits Rehoboth every July Fourth weekend, and she’s only too happy to tell her viewers about it. Bonus points for sightings at Go Fish!
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- Twice a year, Dover becomes the most populated city in the state. Those who come for NASCAR racing sell out Kent County’s 3,000 hotel rooms, drop at least $100 million in coin and create a need for 3,000 temporary jobs. Firefly, you’ve got some catching up to do.
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- Fresh out of UD, the former Blue Hen quarterback marched the Baltimore Ravens to two playoff-game wins, then went on to become the only quarterback in NFL history to win a playoff game in each of his first five seasons.
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