Things to Do in Delaware Pennsylvania & Maryland
Things to Do in Delaware Pennsylvania & Maryland
About The Tri-State Area
Welcome – this is Mary Beattie Luca writing, since my family has lived this Tri-State area for generations. If you’d like a current report on either the demographics of the area or the school system, please fill out the form below and we will get one out to you.
The Lifestyle
New Castle County is a wonderful, central location, where you can appreciate living “in the ‘burbs” yet be a stone’s throw from many large metropolitan cities – complete with entertainment and employment. It’s quite easy to make a day trip by car or train to New York, Philadelphia, Atlantic City or Washington, DC, as my brother Mike, the actor, will attest, as he travels to these locations for jobs almost daily.
Not that you need to travel for entertainment - whether it is the DuPont Playhouse, the Grand Opera House, or many of the fine dining establishments – there is much to enjoy here. And you don’t just have to sit back and watch – my mother Jean and brother Mike have participated in the local actor scene at various theatres such Delaware Theatre Company and the Wilmington Drama League.
And for those who prefer outdoor entertainment and sports, it’s impossible to touch on it all, but I’ll try – many public and private Golf Courses, the Ashland Nature Center with its trails, the Brandywine River and its canoeing trips, a YMCA on most every corner, and premier health clubs such as Hockessin Athletic Club. There are many state and county parks including the Carousel Park which offers horse riding lessons.
Again this area is so central; it’s easy to venture a short distance to ever more diverse entertainment options. Longwood Gardens, in Chester County, is just 25 minutes from my doorstep, and I’ve been visiting them for decades. Internationally renowned, the gardens attract tourists from all over the world, and it virtually sits in our backyards. Occasionally you’ll even see a bride and groom there, in full wedding attire, for a photo shoot for their wedding album – yes, it’s that beautiful!
We also have artistic and historical museums such as the Delaware Art Museum, the Delaware Museum of Natural History, Winterthur Museum & Gardens, and Hagley Museum and Library.
If you enjoy “the ponies”, we have a wonderful event every May, which is the place to be and to be seen. The Point-To-Point event is held annually on the ground of Winterthur which includes horse-racing, tailgating competitions, bagpipers in traditional dress and family fun on the estate grounds. If you’d rather experience the variety of racing styles such as trot, pace thoroughbred, and simulcast betting – then Delaware Park, Dover Downs, and the Harrington Raceway are the places for you. With my family owning race horses at one point, we were regulars at these fun, clean racing venues. And if you prefer a little slot action, you can catch that on the side at Delaware Park as well.
A short drive over the Delaware Memorial Bridge takes us to one of my sister Carolyn's favorite summer pastimes – CowTown and the Rodeo. Or scoot down Route 1 in to view another common interest – Nascar action at the Dover Downs International Speedway.
A 25 minute trek over the Maryland line into Cecil County will bring you to the beautiful Fair Hill country (or horse country) – where they have the annual fair. In addition, there’s a little known zoo which you will love – Plumpton Park Zoo. It’s not some big city zoo with a lot of concrete walking paths to lead you to the animals. It’s in a natural environment, with walking trails which makes the experience so much more pleasant. Don’t underestimate this little zoo – it comes complete with zebras, a tiger and giraffes!! Or drive down I-95 for the day and visit the Baltimore Inner Harbor area, complete with the National Aquarium in Baltimore.
The Beach – the Shore – the Ocean – the Bay! Yes, we are just 1 ½ hrs of zipping down Route 1 to Lewes, Rehoboth, Bethany or Dewey Beach. Zip a little farther and you land in Ocean City Maryland. If the “beach” isn’t your style, hop over the bridge to New Jersey and “the shore” at Cape May, Sea Isle City, Atlantic City, or Avalon and Stone Harbor. I personally spent years with the family at the beach with the family water skiing during the day, and then visiting Fun Land on the Boardwalk at Rehoboth Beach.
Let’s not forget health care – while we have some of the top physicians and surgeons in the country, and many fine facilities in the immediate area such as Christiana Hospital and St. Francis Hospital – we are also close to such facilities as McGee Rehab, and Crozier Medical Center which has a premiere burn unit (and my brother Chris is an ER Nurse).
The Kids
There are more summer camps than you can imagine – including academic, sports, nature, arts & crafts, acting, horsemanship, the list just goes on.
Of course during the school year there’s more than enough to entertain (and overwhelm if you’re not careful) these precious children – including winter swim teams, soccer leagues, Girl Scouts and Boy Scouts, music lessons, art and acting classes, dance and horse riding lessons, 4H and Lego Robotics clubs, and just plenty of friends to be made.
For academics there are a wide variety of public and private elementary and high schools – including a Military Academy. For a full report on the school system, fill out the form below.
For health care in Delaware we are privileged to have the premiere AI DuPont Children’s Hospital, and are only about 45 minutes from CHOP (Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia). Between these two facilities, we are blessed to have wonderful health care for our little ones close by.
The Golf Courses
My husband, John, in his previous life was a golf professional, having worked as a pro at Wilmington Country Club, as Head Pro at Inniscrone Golf Club in Avondale and Chesapeake Bay Golf Club in Cecil County, as well as owning his own teaching academy, The American Golf Academy. I met him when I took lessons from him at Wilmington Country Club and decided to accept the proposal to lock in my lesson rate for life by marrying him (ok, so we were in love too).
