Do summer like a local with our Delaware Summer of 2023 Bucket List
We're hyped for a jam-packed, yet relaxing Delaware summer.
From New Castle to Slower Lower, there is no shortage of fun to be had from beach to city and everywhere in between.
To inspire you to make the most of it, we've polled our Delaware Online/The News Journal team to share their bucket list items, the things they are determined to do to maximize their own summer of 2023.
What's on your summer bucket list?
Screaming for UDairy Creamery ice cream
Cooling off with ice cream during the dog days of summer is always a fun — and tasty — activity, but you don’t truly know the taste of sweet relief from the heat unless you’ve had it from UDairy Creamery, the University of Delaware’s ice cream shop.
UDairy is student-run and has dozens of unique seasonal and staple flavors made from milk produced by cows on the university’s dairy farm. Some of our favorite UDairy concoctions include peach green tea, mint n’ cookies and UdeLeche. Always in a waffle cone, of course.
The flagship location on South College Avenue, next to the Fred Rust Ice Arena, features a few picnics table if you want to sit back and relax, or you can go on a stroll through the nearby botanic gardens.
Flagship location: 531 S. College Ave., Newark, (302) 831-2501. Main Street location: 83 E. Main St., Newark, (302) 831-6804.
— Krys'tal Griffin
Are those cypress trees really bald? They must be at Trap Pond
Being a Newark resident and Delaware beach devotee, I’m familiar with the hiking attractions at our state parks upstate — White Clay Creek is an absolute treasure — and Cape Henlopen State Park south of Lewes.
The one I’ve been determined to visit and haven’t yet is Trap Pond State Park in southern Sussex County, east of Laurel.
It contains one of the northernmost stands of bald cypress trees that one can ogle while canoeing in the 90-acre pond or hiking its surrounding trails. Hoping to get finally there this summer.
33587 Baldcypress Lane, Laurel. destateparks.com/PondsRivers/TrapPond (302) 875-5153
— Kevin Tresolini
Pick up Delaware's rarest beef at Big Al's
Delaware’s rarest roast beef is served rare.
Every year since 1988, cousins Charlie Jones and Joe Draper have pulled up to the Delaware State Fair in their wildly popular truck, Big Al’s Roast Beef, to serve sandwiches loaded up with blessedly pink, thin-sliced top round soaked in a proprietary au jus whose makeup Jones declines to describe.
Otherwise, good luck finding them. Each of the founders has a busy day job involving construction, and so Big Al's comes out to a scant few festivals each year: The Henlopen Springfest in Milton, the June Jam music festival in Houston, the All Wheels Car Show in Harrington and, of course, October's Apple Scrapple Festival.
The late Beau Biden was a fan of Big Al's. He showed up every year without fail, as attested by a post still up on the Attorney General’s Facebook page. So did the president, back when people just called him “Joe.”
Just like pretty much everyone else, they would order the Big Al’s Special: piled-up roast beef, horseradish, barbecue sauce, onions and provolone, served on a Kaiser roll that Big Al’s has ordered only ever from Tom Zabielski’s TZ Distributors out of Middletown.
The truck’s name comes from Joe’s father, who as a child lost a wallet with $13 in it at the state fair. He vowed never to return. But each year, even if Big Al doesn’t show, Big Al’s makes a guaranteed appearance — here, and almost nowhere else. Blink once too often, and you’ll miss it.The Delaware State Fair is July 20 to 29, 2023, at 18500 S. DuPont Highway, Harrington, delawarestatefair.com. Otherwise, check the Big Al's Facebook page to see when they'll appear.
— Matthew Korfhage
Kayak the Broadkill River
I've kayaked parts of the Broadkill before, but this summer I want to challenge myself to make a full, 13-mile one-way trip. If you're looking for something a little shorter, though, it's easily broken into multiple trips.
The Broadkill River stretches between Roosevelt Inlet in Lewes and Milton Memorial Park, and as with all kayaking in tidal waters, it'll be easier if you head ocean-ward during an outgoing tide and inland during an incoming tide. In the summertime, expect to see plenty of frogs, turtles, snakes, birds and, if you're lucky, some larger mammals like river otters and foxes.
A good starting trip on the Broadkill is from Milton Memorial Park to the Edward H. McCabe Nature Preserve. It's a little more than a mile and a half one way. After launching from the park, where parking is free, you can dock at the preserve for a quick break, some exploring and maybe a snack before heading back.
Further toward Lewes, there's a small, free parking lot and boat launch area at the end of Oyster Rocks Road. The Broadkill River winds nearly 10 miles between Oyster Rocks and Milton Memorial Park, traveling under Coastal Highway. There are a couple of campgrounds along the way if you get into serious trouble. It's a long paddle, but the views of remote areas of Prime Hook National Wildlife Refuge are more than worth it.
Finally, there are state-maintained boat launches in Lewes at the end of Pilottown Road, where a fee is required to park. The Broadkill's distance between there and Oyster Rocks is about 2½ miles, with incomparable views of the Great Marsh Preserve and, on the oceanside, Beach Plum Island State Park.
— Shannon Marvel McNaught
Love Seed Mama Jump on The Rusty Rudder deck
Love Seed Mama Jump has been around for 32 years and has owned The Rusty Rudder deck on Thursday night for decades.
If you want to be transported to beach nights of old, the covers they choose can make it happen whether it's "Take Me Home, Country Roads" by John Denver, "Break on Through" by The Doors or The Ramones' "I Wanna Be Sedated."
But for those who have followed the band from their University of Delaware days when they were releasing original albums, including the perfectly titled "Drunk at the Stone Balloon" from 2005, the real treats come when they dig into their own catalog.
Songs such as "She Likes the Dead," "Bored" and "Free" with frontman Rick Arzt whipping out his harmonica are still as special these days as they were back then.
Love Seed draws a crowd of all ages, sprinkling newer covers into their sets each year. And with a breeze coming off Rehoboth Bay, their Thursday night residency on the deck are a summertime highlight of Dewey Beach every season.
113 Dickinson Ave., Dewey Beach. rustyrudder.com; (302) 227-3888
— Ryan Cormier
Biking the Junction & Breakwater Trail
One of my favorite things to do in Sussex County in the summer, besides lying on the beach or dining out at a restaurant, is jumping on a beach cruiser and biking all around Rehoboth Beach and Lewes.
In Rehoboth, it's fun to wheel around the back streets and leafy, shady neighborhoods, especially the roads through posh Henlopen Acres and North Shores.
Just keep in mind, the Bidens live in North Shores, and if the prez and first lady are at home, the street where they live will be closed. If they're not in town, the Secret Service could have a checkpoint and might let you bike through, but they give very strict orders, and we do mean strict, not to stop or get off your bike. Don't mess with the Secret Service. You've been warned.
Of course, you can always cycle the Junction & Breakwater Trail, a free Sussex County coastal walking and biking trail that starts in Lewes. The trail is named after a Pennsylvania Railroad line that ran between Lewes and Rehoboth in the mid-1800s but was abandoned in the 1970s. It was made into a trail in 2003.
You can rent bikes very easily in Rehoboth or Lewes. We usually start the trail at Gills Neck Road in Lewes, and it's about a 7-mile hike to Rehoboth. It's not a difficult ride since the trail is flat with a mix of crushed stone and asphalt.
There are many shady spots along the way so you're not in full sun. At the end of the trail in Rehoboth, you can wet your whistle at the Revolution Craft Brewing Co., and there's usually a food cart or two parked outside the brewery.
The Lewes Library Trailhead, 111 Adams Ave., also has bathrooms, water fountains, an informational kiosk, a bike station and plenty of parking.
Oh, and if you ride Gordons Pont Trail, another popular, free biking roadway that's close to the Biden's home, you just might see the commander in chief.
delawaregreenways.org/trail/junction-breakwater-trail
— Patricia Talorico
Catch a Wilmington Blue Rocks game at Frawley Stadium
Minor League Baseball is in full swing, and it’s time to go cheer on the Wilmington Blue Rocks at Frawley Stadium. General admission tickets go for as low as $13, and most games include a sweet deal for fans, from discounted beers to fun giveaways.
Fireworks light up the sky after every game on Friday, win or lose, and Sunday Family Fun Days come with a chance for kids to play catch on the field and run the bases. The full schedule is available online.
After the game, it’s just a short walk to the Riverfront, where you can grab a drink and play outdoor games at Constitution Yards, go mini-golfing outside the Delaware Children’s Museum or explore the DuPont Environmental Education Center.
801 Shipyard Drive, Wilmington. (302) 777-5772; frawleystadium.com/
— Hannah Edelman
Visiting the OG Grotto Pizza location
Despite how iconic Grotto Pizza is, I’ve never visited its original location on Rehoboth Avenue.
I'm happy ordering from their other spots, but I think it's time to finally eat a cheesy slice from their OG shop. Maybe my brain will trick me into believing the food there tastes a little better than their other locations. Or maybe it'll taste the same as all the others I've visited.
Either way, my mission is to drive down there and see for myself.
People have a love-hate relationship with the Delaware pizza giant. That's the nature of the beast when you're this popular.
But at the end of the day, I need Grotto’s red swirl in my life this summer.
36 Rehoboth Ave., Rehoboth Beach. (302) 227-3278; grottopizza.com/locations/rehoboth-avenue/
— Andre Lamar
And they're off at Delaware Park
Delaware Park’s thoroughbred racing meet runs through Oct. 28, highlighted by the $500,000 Delaware Handicap on July 8. The Grade II race for fillies and mares ages 3 and up annually attracts some of the nation’s best horses, jockeys and trainers.
The first post time for each of the 85 live racing days is 12:30 p.m. The track is located off Route 7 in Stanton. Check the website for a schedule of events and live racing dates.
777 Delaware Park Blvd., Stanton. 302-994-2521; delawarepark.com
— Brad Myers
Old school ice cream at Dairy Palace
Dairy Palace has been serving up soft-serve ice cream cones, shakes and other treats along Route 141 near New Castle since 1956. It’s as old school as it gets, and generations of Delawareans line up to satisfy their ice cream craving daily at this longtime favorite from April into October.
2 Jay Drive, New Castle. (302) 328-9740; facebook.com/DairyPalaceDE/
— Brad Myers
This article originally appeared on Delaware News Journal: Our Summer Bucket List will help you maximize fun in Delaware
