Vacationing in Delaware

Delaware is a winter wonderland in February but hosts numerous events throughout the month that make a great weekend getaway or fun additions to a family vacation.

Start with the Winter Ice Harvest at the Hanford Mills Museum. The museum fills the icehouse annually, assuming that the ice is thick enough. They fill the Ice House by hand and visitors are allowed to help do some cutting when the ice is thick enough. They also sell great soups to warm you up at lunch, show historic videos of ice harvesting and have horse drawn wagon rides.

The Biggs Museum of America Art in Dover features a variety of monthly events that rotate through the museum. The museum is located in historic Dover and the museum features the Biggs collection. There are fourteen galleries that are arranged in chronological order and the Reception Hall is used for temporary exhibitions. The museum was founded by Sewell Biggs.

In Port Penn you find the Port Penn Interpretive Center. This was an 1886 schoolhouse that is now a folk life museum in a 250 year old village next the marsh and Delaware River. There are exhibits on town life, fishing, fur trapping, hunting decoys, community baseball and local artwork.

Dr. John Finney built the Amstel House in the 1730s in New Castle. The house reflects the town’s unique style and many prominent historical individuals have resided in the house. These individuals included the Delaware Signers of the Declaration of Independence, a governor and George Washington attended a wedding in the parlor of the house. Tours are available of the house and are approximately 40 minutes in length.

The Delaware Museum of Natural History is located in Wilmington and features life-sized dinosaurs, a Great Barrier Reef, Butterfly Garden and African Watering Hole. The museum is open daily and excellent for children.

The Loblolly Acres is a Christmas tree farm that has a lot of activities available at various times of the year. The farm is located in Woodside and allows the public to experience a real farm. They have a gift shop, petting zoo, corn maze, pumpkin patch, pony rides, nature trails, horse drawn carriages and hayrides.

Whistlepig Day is an annual event in Killens Pond State Park. Visitors can enjoy hikes, hayrides and hot cocoa. There will lots of fun indoors as well as out.

Rob Vrabel is the co-owner of www.2havefun.com, the largest directory of fun things to do in the U.S. Visit this great directory at www.2havefun.com.