georgetown
THE CIRCLE GAME
Named after (depending on whom you talk to) George Washington or, more likely, former State Senator George Mitchell, Georgetown is known for its poultry processing plants and infamous traffic jams on Route 404 heading to Rehoboth Beach. The cause of such traffic backups is undoubtedly the town’s most recognizable feature: The Circle. This fifty-yard-wide swath of green serves as the town’s central hub and lies surrounded by important government buildings filled with important people doing important things. (Georgetown is the county seat.) The town gets better press for Return Day, the biennial reenactment of a two-hundred-year-old tradition that brings voters back two days after election day to hear the results and celebrate (or commiserate) with parades, speeches, music, arts, oyster feasts, and ox roasts.
Worth a Stop If you can’t get around The Circle, join it. Park the car and get out and walk. Attractions include The Circle itself, with the lush fountain at its center, as well as the open-to-the-public buildings surrounding it. There’s the Greek-columned Town Hall; the 1836 Brick Hotel, now home to the Indian River Espresso & Coffee Bar; the New Sussex County Court House dates from 1837; and the wood-shingled Old Sussex County Court House, built in 1791 and moved to this site when the new court house replaced it. A few blocks south, the Nutter D. Marvel Museum (508 S. Bedford St. 302-855-9660) displays horse-drawn carriages, including one purchased from Walt Disney.
There are three good reasons to tarry at Delaware Technical & Community College, along Route 18/404 on the northwest approach to Georgetown. The southern campus is an arboretum for Trees of the States—fifty-one trees, one per state (e.g., Wye oak for Maryland, flowering dogwood for Virginia), plus an American holly from the perhaps-future state of the District of Columbia. An entire wall in the Betze Library displays the Elsie Williams Doll Collection, more than 600 dolls, bequeathed by the wife of the late U.S. Senator John Williams, imaginatively grouped in categories like brides, Shirley Temples, First Ladies, and mean-looking teacher dolls. The library building also houses the Treasures of the Sea Exhibit featuring the booty recovered from the Nuestra Senora de Atocha, a Spanish galleon shipwrecked off Key West in 1622, salvaged by treasure hunter Mel Fisher. Open Mon.-Tues. 10 a.m.-4 p.m.; Fri. noon-4 p.m.; Sat. 9 a.m.- 1 p.m. 302-856-5700, http://www.treasuresofthesea.org.
Located at the Sussex County Airport, east of town about a mile south of Lewes-Georgetown Highway (Routes 9/404), the Delaware World War II Aviation Museum commemorates the war years—when the airport served as a naval air station and blimp-assembly plant—with model warplanes, a re-creation of a barracks room, autographed bombs, and humongous aerial cameras. Out on the runway, several vintage fighter planes (ours and theirs) line up for inspection, and a restored B-25 named Panchito may be on hand for a spin. Inside the airport terminal, the posh Flight Deck Restaurant offers breakfast, lunch, dinner, full bar, and runway-side views. Open Fri.-Sun. 10 a.m.-4 p.m. 21513 Rudder Ln. 302-854-0244; restaurant, 302-854-9010.
Worth a Bite Office workers and cops throng the Georgetown Family Restaurant for lunch and dinner specials, featuring meatloaf, beef and dumplings, crab cakes, and fried trout, all served with a cup of soup and two sides. Go for the baked pineapple, cooked with sugar and breadcrumbs. It’s a Delaware favorite. 115 E. Market St. 302-855-0305.
Latino poultry-plant workers—who now represent about one third of Georgetown’s population—shop at Mercado for fresh jalapenos, papaya, and chilies; dozens of brands of tortillas; a Mexican butcher counter; and Spanish-language CDs. Don Tucos restaurant in the same building serves authentic Mexican cuisine. Layton Ave. & E. Laurel St. 302-856-6081.
bridgeville
IF YOU LIVED HERE, YOU’D EAT SCRAPPLE
Just over the Maryland line lies Bridgeville, a sleepy town (population 1,600) where blocks of grand Victorian homes with broad porches line a compact National Register of Historic Places historic district. Like a lot of other places, Bridgeville claims credit for the slogan, “If you lived here, you’d be home now.” It seems to be working: Heritage Shores, a new 2,000-unit “Designed Active Adult Community,” with a golf course and aquatic center that’s going up just south of town, will permit thousands of out-of-state active adults to “be home” in Bridgeville very soon.
Bridgeville gets its name from a small bridge built in 1730 over a tributary of the Nanticoke River, but its claim to fame comes from scrapple. Since 1926 RAPA Scrapple—its name an acronym of founders Ralph and Paul Adams—has created the Mid-Atlantic delicacy in a Bridgeville plant. Scrapple also contributes to the main event on the town calendar—the Bridgeville Apple-Scrapple Festival, an annual food- and funfest that attracts 45,000 celebrants on the second weekend of October.
Worth a Stop Remember old-time neighborhood hardware stores where they knew both your name and what model furnace you owned? Neither do I, but Bridgeville still has one—and it’s worth letting the kids take a look. H.C. Layton Hardware has stood on the same spot—though not in the same building—since 1898 on what used to be a thriving commercial strip. Why come here instead of one of the big hardware boxes? “We have product knowledge, and those people don’t,” says Michael Layton, whose grandfather established the store. “If anyone asked them for a butt marker, they wouldn’t know what they were talking about.” (Psst! It’s a gauge for installing door hinges.) 406 Market St. 302-337-8540.
T.S. Smith & Sons on the north edge of town sells its own homegrown produce in season—apples, peaches, asparagus, sweet corn, cantaloupes, pumpkins, and squash. It’s worth a detour just for its regionally famous apple donuts. N. Main St. and Redden Rd. 302-337-8271, http://www.tssmithandsonsfarm.com.
Antiques hounds will do well at Linden Hall Antiques, a sprawling, well-lighted warehouse north of town along Route 13. Its thirty-five dealers offer primitive furniture, folk art, ceramics, porcelain, stoneware, decoys, clocks, and lots more. 16487 Sussex Hwy. 302-337-9097, http://www.lhantiques.com.
A large sign outside the RAPA Scrapple plant on the corner of Market Street and Railroad Avenue reproduces the company’s label, complete with cooking instructions and ingredients: “pork stock, pork livers, pork fat, pork snouts, corn meal, pork hearts, wheat flour, salt, spices.” No tours or factory store on-site, but using the sign as a backdrop makes for a unique Kodak moment. If you must sate your scrapple cravings, RAPA products are available at local markets around town or served up with eggs at Jimmy’s Grille (see below.) 103 Railroad Ave. 302-337-8708, http://www.rapascrapple.com.
Worth a Bite A popular way station on the way to the beach, Jimmy’s Grille is a sprawling family restaurant famed for fried chicken, homemade pies, and friendly service. “The food is excellent and plentiful. The prices are good, and the service is quick,” says long-time patron and former Maryland just-about-everything William Donald Schaefer. Jimmy’s changed hands last year—founder Jimmy Tennefoss sold it to the Highway One group, whose holdings include the Rusty Rudder in Dewey Beach—but it hasn’t changed its menu, dumplings, or cinnamon buns. No credit cards. 18541 S. Main St. 302-337-7575.
milton
Paradise Found
In 1807, this shipbuilding town, which was once called Head of Broadkill (as well as Osbourne’s Landing and Green Corn and Federal Town and a few other names) officially renamed itself Milton after the great English poet John Milton. Or as kind of a groovier way to identify itself as a “mill town.” “There’s evidence on both sides,” says Anne Yarbrough, director of Milton Historical Society’s Lydia Black Cannon Museum, “It can go either way.”
If you like the John Milton version, stop by Milton (population 2,300) for the history: It has some 200 homes listed on the National Register of Historic Places and more than 40 places included in “A Walking Tour of Milton,” a free pamphlet available at the museum (see below). If you’d prefer to think of Milton as a near-closing-time pronunciation of “mill town,” come for the beer: Some of the best in the East is brewed at Milton’s own Dogfish Head Craft Brewery.
Worth A Stop Lydia Black Cannon Museum is an expertly displayed setting for a survey of Milton history, from Native American times to early settlements by the English, Swedish, and Dutch to its industrial prominence—mainly canning and shipbuilding in the nineteenth century and, in the twentieth century, button-making. Seven button-making factories once operated in Milton, and you can still find button blanks and shells in backyards all over town. Open Thurs.-Sun. 1-5 p.m. 210 Union St. 302-684-1010, http://www.historicmilton.org.
The Milton Development Corporation has transformed the 1939 Milton Theatre into a community center for silent films and talkies, musical and straight plays, concerts, community events, and just about anything else—with bare brick walls lending the large, open space a spare contemporary touch. 110 Union St. 302-684-3400.
Unlike typical brewery tours where you don’t get samples until the end, Dogfish Head Craft Brewery passes out freebies during the introduction and pitcher bearers pour refills throughout the tour. With many condescending asides about Coors Light and Yuengling, a guide leads you through a stainless-steel tank farm, past a “Laverne-and-Shirley-style” assembly line, and into a chamber where a brewpub is slated to open—he deadpans—"sometime in 2005.” Afterwards, stock up on regular brews—the 90 Minute India Pale Ale and Belgian-style Raison D’Etre are highly recommended—seasonal releases, and an immense variety of Dogfish-logo gear. Tours Mon., Wed., Fri., at 3 p.m. 5 Cannery Village Center. 888-8DOGFISH, http://www.dogfish.com.
Worth a Bite The front room of the former Sussex Trust Title and Safe Deposit Company is now the Federal Street Gallery & Espresso Bar, a café serving coffee concoctions, plus sandwiches, wraps, and pastries. The space doubles as an art gallery, with paintings by local and regional artists and photographers. 108 Federal St. 302-684-1055, http://www.federalstreetgallery.com.
If it’s cool refreshment you seek, then visit King’s Ice Cream for its made-on-the-premises ice cream, with fifteen or so flavors, including butter brickle, rum raisin, and coconut, as well as sundaes, sodas, and banana splits. 302 Union St. 302-684-8900.
milford
A River Runs Through It
The largest town in the southern Delaware interior, Milford (population 7,200) has transformed its waterfront into Mispillion Riverwalk, a paved and landscaped path alongside a narrow stretch of the Mispillion River that winds from Silver Lake through downtown.
Founded in 1787, Milford was long kept afloat by shipbuilding: Its seven shipyards produced everything from eighteenth-century wooden sailing craft to World War II submarine chasers. A local dentist’s invention of a synthetic porcelain material to replace gold fillings led to its biggest enterprise today, the L.D. Caulk Company, and financed many of the Victorian mansions that line Front and Walnut streets.
Worth a Stop Lined with benches and picnic spots, the Mispillion Riverwalk threads its way along both sides of the river through the once cannery-and tannery-lined stretch of down-town. Stops along the way include the Riverfront Theatre, home of the Second Street Players community theater (http://www.secondstreetplayers.com), and Nancy’s Riverfront Cafe (1 N. Walnut St. 302-424-2393), a convenient spot for lunch or coffee.
Historic memorabilia at the Milford Museum ranges from a model of a locally built sailing ship to a World War II room filled with uniforms to an exhibit on L.D. Caulk, displaying dental instruments and early product lines. Pick up a free copy of the Walking/Driving Tour of Historic Milford. Open Sat. & Sun. 2-4 p.m.; closed August. 121 S. Walnut St. 302-424-1080.
A bounty of fresh produce (organic and non-organic) fills the Downtown Milford Farmers Market every Saturday, with cantaloupes, water-melons, strawberries, and corn from nearby farms. Saturdays through October, 9 a.m.-1 p.m. Walnut Street near Mispillion River Bridge. 302-398-8188.
Worth a Bite Georgia House boasts an upmarket setting for down-home Southern-style dishes such as Memphis ribs, Mississippi catfish, Louisiana po’ boys, and, being neighborly, Yankee pot roast. 18 S. Walnut St. 302-422-6763.
Grab a chair, stool, or couch at Dolce and enjoy a coffee concoction, made-in-Milton King’s Ice Cream (in season), quiche, or fresh-baked muffins and pastries such as Mississippi mud pie. 36 N. Walnut St. 302-422-5760.
millsboro
How Slow Can You Go?
A bypass that shunts Bethany Beach-bound traffic away from Main Street makes Millsboro’s three-block downtown a pleasant place for a stroll, a bite, and a browse of five very different types of antique stores. Downtown Millsboro also has a great place for picnic breaks: Cupola Park on the former Indian River, site of the iron furnace and foundry that processed the “bog iron” fished out of local streams in the Civil War era.
Today Millsboro (population 2,500) has become a magnet for retirees and a hub for the poultry industry, with processing plants and two major poultry vaccine factories. The big annual events are the Big Thursday Festival and Car Show (August 9-11 this year), originally a time-out for farmers between planting and harvest that now features food, crafts, auctions, and a horseshoe tournament, and the Nanticoke Indian Powwow on the weekend after Labor Day.
Worth a Stop Millsboro’s antiques businesses offer bric-a-brac for collectors of all sorts. Artiques, Etc. (320 Main St. 302-934-8771), is a multi-dealer mall and art gallery; Millsboro Bazaar (238 Main St. 302-934-7413), emphasizes vintage clothing and costume jewelry with furniture from Victorian to Art Deco; Antique Alley (225 Main St. 302-934-9841), has forty-plus dealers, with a focus on blue decorated stoneware, art glass and art pottery, and Depression glass; Heirloom Coins & Collectibles (3 Chelsea Sq. 302-934-0108), is a year-old converted tanning salon whose small chambers showcase old coins and bullion, books, baseball cards, LPs, and NASCAR paraphernalia; Antique Mall of Millsboro (201 Washington St. 302-934-1915), is a vast but clean and well-lighted, forty-eight-dealer store with a little bit (or a lot) of everything and especially good prices for refinished furniture.
The Nanticoke Indian Museum, in a former one-room schoolhouse, shows how the Nanticoke and other tribes worked and lived, their tools, canoes, weapons, traps, jewelry, clothing, and implements. Open Tues.-Sat. 10 a.m.-4 p.m. Rte. 24 (John J. Williams Hwy.) & Rte. 5 (Oak Orchard Rd.). 302-945-7022, http://www.nanticokeindians.org.
The Clayton Theatre, Delaware’s only surviving operating single-screen theater, offers first-run flicks and old-time Saturday-night-at-the-movies ambience—complete with neon marquee and balcony. It’s three miles southeast of Millsboro and a stone’s throw from Bethany Beach. 900 Main St. Dagsboro. 302-732-3744, http://www.theclaytontheatre.com.
Worth a Bite The casual chic Bluewater Grill occupies a converted Main Street dime store/hardware store/World II bomb shelter and has cozy booths, a friendly bar, and strong emphasis on fresh seafood. 126 Main St. 302-934-5160.
Theodore Fischer writes from Silver Spring.
