There was some work to do on the Delaware page. In my 30 plus years of travel I've passed through Delaware countless times. When it's time for a big electronic purchase I head to one of the states malls near the PA border. Yet I cannot recall a single meal or broader travel related experience in the state. Fortunately my wife's cousin moved to Dover in 2016 and I've made a few stops at interesting places to and from Dover.
WILMINGTON
So here's the thing with Wilmington...if you are not aware of "The Great Migration" it's when a bunch of Blacks from the South headed to the North, Midwest, and Western parts of the U.S. expecting that they'd have better economic opportunities and civil liberties. Well...it didn't quite work out that way. The Blacks arrived and within a generation or so they had been segregated to their own neighborhoods and the jobs either went to the suburbs, overseas, or ironically to the South. The current day result is that cities like Philadelphia, Baltimore, and Wilmington are incredibly segregated. In a large city, like Philadelphia, you don't really notice the segregation because if you are white, there's a low probability you will ever drive through the black neighborhoods. Philadelphia is 42% Black and 42% White, yet if you are a white person, you probably never wonder why the neighborhood you live in is 100% White or why the place you work is 100% White - it's the way it's always been.
Wilmington is a small city and the segregation is smacked in your face. Driving through the city's downtown corridor you see nothing but Blacks until you are in a coffee shop or fancy hotel/restaurant, then it's all White.
So here's the thing with Wilmington...if you are not aware of "The Great Migration" it's when a bunch of Blacks from the South headed to the North, Midwest, and Western parts of the U.S. expecting that they'd have better economic opportunities and civil liberties. Well...it didn't quite work out that way. The Blacks arrived and within a generation or so they had been segregated to their own neighborhoods and the jobs either went to the suburbs, overseas, or ironically to the South. The current day result is that cities like Philadelphia, Baltimore, and Wilmington are incredibly segregated. In a large city, like Philadelphia, you don't really notice the segregation because if you are white, there's a low probability you will ever drive through the black neighborhoods. Philadelphia is 42% Black and 42% White, yet if you are a white person, you probably never wonder why the neighborhood you live in is 100% White or why the place you work is 100% White - it's the way it's always been.
Wilmington is a small city and the segregation is smacked in your face. Driving through the city's downtown corridor you see nothing but Blacks until you are in a coffee shop or fancy hotel/restaurant, then it's all White.
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You drive through some spectacular neighborhoods and you see nothing but White people. But less than a two minute drive away (whereas in Philadelphia this would be a ten-fifteen minute drive) you are in public housing projects and see nothing but Black people. And that's Wilmington for you. It's got some really nice places - Brew Ha Ha is an awesome coffee shot - it's got a cool, although small, city center, it has some great nearby attractions like Winterthur and the DuPont Estate, however, it is really, really segregated.
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DOVER
There’s a strange thing about Delaware that becomes readily visible when you visit Dover. And that is that Dover feels like you’ve visited the deep south and it’s not just because of the presence of Waffle Houses, a military base, and a NASCAR track. It’s the lack of streetlights, public infrastructure, really there’s no sign of public or for that matter, private investment. Good, bad, indifferent, you may as well be in rural North Carolina. It feels so southern, that I actually Googled “Who did Delaware fight for during the Civil War?” Which came back with a very interesting answer—Delaware was a slave state at the time of the Civil War but fought for the North by virtue that the state is north of Washington, D.C. Good, bad, indifferent, I have no opinion other than I was surprised at how southern, a “Northern” state could feel, until I realized, that historically and culturally Delaware is not really a Northern state.
My favorite feature of Dover is its college campus like state government area. The capital building feels like an “Old Main” university building and there’s large green areas separating the other government operations buildings. Brick is the common architecture element. Due to Delaware’s small population and since I’m here on weekends, it’s an easy area to navigate, park in front of the building, take photos, and move on to the next destination.
There’s a strange thing about Delaware that becomes readily visible when you visit Dover. And that is that Dover feels like you’ve visited the deep south and it’s not just because of the presence of Waffle Houses, a military base, and a NASCAR track. It’s the lack of streetlights, public infrastructure, really there’s no sign of public or for that matter, private investment. Good, bad, indifferent, you may as well be in rural North Carolina. It feels so southern, that I actually Googled “Who did Delaware fight for during the Civil War?” Which came back with a very interesting answer—Delaware was a slave state at the time of the Civil War but fought for the North by virtue that the state is north of Washington, D.C. Good, bad, indifferent, I have no opinion other than I was surprised at how southern, a “Northern” state could feel, until I realized, that historically and culturally Delaware is not really a Northern state.
My favorite feature of Dover is its college campus like state government area. The capital building feels like an “Old Main” university building and there’s large green areas separating the other government operations buildings. Brick is the common architecture element. Due to Delaware’s small population and since I’m here on weekends, it’s an easy area to navigate, park in front of the building, take photos, and move on to the next destination.
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On the western end Dover is The Green which has a few more government buildings on one side of the street and a residential area on the other. Loockerman Plaza/Street is a main commercial area and The House of Coffi and Governors Cafe are two coffee shops / restaurants I’ve checked out in the past.
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NEWARK
Newark is home to the original Iron Hill Brewing—a brewery that I’ve always thought of as a commercialized chain brewery. Pretty bad thought on my part. I watched a documentary called Brewed in PA, which talked about Pennsylvania’s microbrewery community. Several of my favorite Pennsylvania microbrewers got their start at Iron Hill Brewing and there was a brief segment about Iron Hill in the documentary. The Iron Hill brewers were so far ahead of the microbrewery curve that the needed to include a dining concept with the microbrewery because the concept of going to a local brewery for beer was so foreign at the time no lenders believed customers would show up. So, I was completely wrong about Iron Hill. It’s the grandfather of Philadelphia area microbreweries, not some commercialized chain. And it’s conveniently located on Newark’s main commercial street.
Newark is home to the original Iron Hill Brewing—a brewery that I’ve always thought of as a commercialized chain brewery. Pretty bad thought on my part. I watched a documentary called Brewed in PA, which talked about Pennsylvania’s microbrewery community. Several of my favorite Pennsylvania microbrewers got their start at Iron Hill Brewing and there was a brief segment about Iron Hill in the documentary. The Iron Hill brewers were so far ahead of the microbrewery curve that the needed to include a dining concept with the microbrewery because the concept of going to a local brewery for beer was so foreign at the time no lenders believed customers would show up. So, I was completely wrong about Iron Hill. It’s the grandfather of Philadelphia area microbreweries, not some commercialized chain. And it’s conveniently located on Newark’s main commercial street.
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NEW CASTLE
As a fan of American Revolutionary history, it's a shame I never made it to New Castle earlier. In the 1700's New Castle was Delaware's economic and cultural hub. The town's position along the Delaware River brought all sorts of travelers including George Washington who threw one or two back at the Jessop Tavern, one of America's oldest bars. What's fascinating about New Castle, is that at some point Wilmington, a mere ten minutes up the road, became the state's economic and cultural hub leaving New Castle stuck in time. New Castle never received modern buildings or business. The entire town feels like you are stepping back in time and I would contend, that if you want to see what life was like in the 1700s, New Castle's a better, more authentic experience than Old City Philadelphia. If you are in Philadelphia and want to load up on American Revolutionary experiences, I'd strongly consider a quick drive down to New Castle (less than forty-five minutes away) and see their historical core.
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THE DUPONTS
THE DUPONT ESTATE
For all of Philadelphia’s industrial power and might during the industrial revolution and throughout the 1800s and early 1900s, the region seems to lack the sprawling estate mansions where these titans of industry lived. There are impressive homes, but nothing like estates that can be found on Long Island. Enter the Nemours Mansion, home of Alfred du Pont. Completed in 1910, this mansion, and its equally impressive manicured grounds, served as the residence of the du Pont gun powder and chemical heir.
THE DUPONT ESTATE
For all of Philadelphia’s industrial power and might during the industrial revolution and throughout the 1800s and early 1900s, the region seems to lack the sprawling estate mansions where these titans of industry lived. There are impressive homes, but nothing like estates that can be found on Long Island. Enter the Nemours Mansion, home of Alfred du Pont. Completed in 1910, this mansion, and its equally impressive manicured grounds, served as the residence of the du Pont gun powder and chemical heir.
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The French Revival mansion slightly resembles Versailles, has a few grand rooms on the first floor then a relatively basic upstairs.
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The mansion’s highlight is the mancave Alfred built in the basement. His office was downstairs because he supposedly liked to work in peace and quiet, however, I suspect that was just an excuse to shoot pool and bowl.
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The grounds are nice but I’m more of a fountain and pool guy and fortunately Nemours has quite a few of these to complement the landscaping. I would quietly contend that this is one of the Philadelphia areas great attractions. If you are visiting the city, and looking for things to do, after Independence Hall and the Art Museum, I'd consider heading down to Delaware to see the Dupont Mansion and maybe Winterthur, over seeing some place like Eastern State Penitentiary - that's my quiet opinion.
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WINTERTHUR
Winterthur is the former estate of Henry DuPont, a cousin of Alfred DuPont, owner of the Nemours Estate. In his later years Henry DuPont converted his estate to a museum and while the structure of a house remains the interior has a decidedly less homey feel. Rooms contain artifacts Henry DuPont collected over his lifetime rather than a preservation of his lifestyle. Every Christmas season the museum puts on a yuletide display and Christmas trees and other seasonal imagery, Christmas cookies, presents, poinsettias, etc. Appear alongside the more permanent collection. Admission to the museum is only available during a guided tour and given the flux of visitors during the popular Yuletide season, it's a good idea, make that a necessity, to purchase your timed admission ticket in advance.
Winterthur is the former estate of Henry DuPont, a cousin of Alfred DuPont, owner of the Nemours Estate. In his later years Henry DuPont converted his estate to a museum and while the structure of a house remains the interior has a decidedly less homey feel. Rooms contain artifacts Henry DuPont collected over his lifetime rather than a preservation of his lifestyle. Every Christmas season the museum puts on a yuletide display and Christmas trees and other seasonal imagery, Christmas cookies, presents, poinsettias, etc. Appear alongside the more permanent collection. Admission to the museum is only available during a guided tour and given the flux of visitors during the popular Yuletide season, it's a good idea, make that a necessity, to purchase your timed admission ticket in advance.
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I had some disappointment when walking through Winterthur - where was the inspiring view of the estate, where was the grand entranceway, the ballroom, the bowling alley and other fun recreational areas-all these areas have been repurposed into museum galleries. The most impressive transformation was turning a squash court into a 19th century urban market scene. The four walls of the former.squash court contain the facades of homes from New York City to North Carolina. If you are going to repurpose a squash room, this was a pretty cool repurpose.
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