The Essential Guide to Lewes, Delaware

Tucked in a cradle of sand and loblolly pines where the Delaware Bay meets the Atlantic Ocean is Lewes, Delaware. Located about 120 miles east of Washington, D.C., this historic coastal community boasts a vibrant restaurant scene, a plethora of fun outdoor activities, and easy access to three beaches—just don’t call it a beach town.

“It’s more like a small, charming town that happens to be at the beach,” says Kevin McGuiness, host of the “We in Lewes” podcast. “On the same day, you can kayak with the dolphins, listen to a celebrated author speak about her latest book, go fishing, and have your choice of Italian, French, American, Indian, and Mexican food.”

The list of things you can do in this town of approximately 3,300 people—with book festivals, art shows, concerts, and boat parades to attend—feels more like activities you’d find in a “big city,” McGuiness says. The crook of land that frames Lewes to the east, Cape Henlopen, was first spotted by an English explorer in 1609 and is now a lovely state park. However, the region was originally occupied by Algonquin-speaking Indigenous communities. By 1631, the Dutch had established a trading post and whaling station here, which became the first, albeit short-lived, European settlement in the state. By 1682, though, the area was thoroughly English.

Today, Lewes—which proudly claims to be the “first town in the first state”—stands apart from other mid-Atlantic coastal towns that bent the knee to kitschy mass tourism. You’ll find no boardwalk here, no Ferris wheel, no loud T-shirt shops—just a relaxing enclave lined with brick sidewalks, tasty seafood joints, and miles of sandy stretches flecked with sun-spangled sea foam.

As McGuiness says, “There’s a special spirit here.” Here’s everything you need to know before visiting Lewes.

Best Hotels & Resorts

The Inn at Canal Square

With 22 rooms and three luxury suites perched along the Lewes and Rehoboth Canal in the heart of the historic district, the Inn at Canal Square is arguably the most elegant place to stay. “It rivals the sort of place you might find in somewhere like Aspen,” McGuiness says. “Absolutely beautiful.” For the best views, book a Harbor Master room.

Dogfish Inn

Also set along the canal, the Dogfish Inn—an entrepreneurial offshoot of the popular Delaware-based Dogfish Head Craft Brewery—has 16 bright rooms decked out with Scandinavian-style design. Each room comes with a free growler, but there’s no beer for sale on site. “If they could get around state liquor laws, I’d bet they’d have a keg in every room,” McGuiness says, laughing. After checking out the cottage library, grab a complimentary bike and explore the town.

Blue Water House

Overdose on quirky, pastel, Key-West-meets-knickknack-store vibes at this bed-and-breakfast a few steps from the beach. Each of the 10 whimsical suites at the Blue Water House is themed, from “Nautical,” with oars and a life preserver on the wall, to “Islamorada,” featuring a monkey mural and a blue four-poster bed. The “Key Largo” comes with a porch swing. Complimentary beach chairs, oversized towels, bikes, and a gas grill make the transition to coastal living easy.

Best Things to Do

Catch the sunrise.

“One of the coolest things you can do is watch the sunrise and sunset over the water, all from the same place,” McGuiness says. To do that, head to Cape Henlopen State Park, which encompasses 5,000 acres of sand separating the Atlantic (best for sunrises) from the Delaware Bay (head here for sunsets). Borrow a bike from the Seaside Nature Center free of charge to explore the five-mile Gordons Pond Trail, loved by Delaware’s most famous couple, the Bidens.

Soak up some history.

The Fort Miles Museum and Historical Area is housed inside a 15,000-square-foot bunker that was once used as a top-secret Navy spy station during World War II. Climb the 115 steps to Tower 7 Observatory, a concrete bastion with sweeping ocean views, where U.S. soldiers once triangulated approaching enemy vessels. If you’d like to turn back the clock even more, make plans to attend Historic Lewes First Friday Community Night at Sussex Tavern, where the Lewes Historical Society gathers every month to celebrate the town’s colonial roots in grand fashion, with period costumes, live music, and even a pop-up antique shop.

Visit the Seaside Nature Center.

Cape Henlopen State Park’s Seaside Nature Center includes five 1,000-gallon tanks full of native fish and touch tanks for getting up close and personal with sea life such as horseshoe crabs. It also has educational displays that demonstrate the breadth of Delaware’s diverse coastal ecosystems, from salt marshes to tide pools. Keep an eye out for special events such as dolphin-watching sessions, wagon rides down the beach, and ghost-crab night hikes.

Find a great beach book (and beer).

Taking place over three days in the fall, the History Book Festival attracts thousands of readers each year. Past attendees have included heavyweights like comic book artist Erik Larsen, National Public Radio host Steve Inskeep, and more. Can’t make it? Check out the Lewes Public Library’s Pints & Pages, a book discussion group that combines literature with beer tastings on every fourth Tuesday of the month.

Best Restaurants

Heirloom

The tri-state peninsula that includes Delaware, the eastern shores of Maryland, and Virginia (hence, Delmarva) was once an agricultural powerhouse that fed New York City, Philadelphia, Baltimore, and Washington, D.C., with fresh ingredients and seafood. The town’s two-time James Beard Award semifinalist restaurant, Heirloom, carries on that farm-to-table tradition with seasonal menus featuring ingredients like Virginia flounder and local grits, as well as creative dishes such as mushroom scrapple made with porcini johnnycakes. End your meal on a sweet note with a fun dessert like the miso butterscotch pudding.

The Station on Kings

Sitting inside Lewes’ old railroad station, The Station on Kings offers a pastry fix with a rotating roster of croissants and tarts, as well as savory options like house charcuterie served with brie and blueberry mint jam. While you’re there, check out the bakery’s curated selection of home goods and garden plants. “You wouldn’t think home decor and pastries would go together, but it’s actually brilliant,” says McGuiness.

Agave

Agave serves up Mexican comfort food made with local Delaware produce and seafood. Try the blue cheese and steak quesadillas or the chiles en nogada, a house specialty featuring roasted poblanos, ground tenderloin, and chorizo topped with cheese, nuts, and a cinnamon sauce. Pair it with a hand-squeezed lime margarita, or choose to sip on one of the many mezcals—the restaurant claims to have the largest tequila and mezcal collection in the state.

Lewes Oyster House

Located in the town’s historic district, Lewes Oyster House pays homage to the many oyster houses that sprang up along the mid-Atlantic coast during the late 18th century, aka the “golden age of oysters.” Order the Double D’s or the Nancy James, two types of oysters grown in floating cages, a relatively new technique that keeps the bivalves naturally sand-free and buttery.

Best Time to Visit

The best time to visit Lewes is in the spring or fall, when many summertime visitors return to work and school. “You have all of the amenities, but none of the crowds,” McGuiness says. Summer can also be a great time to plan a trip, but be forewarned: the Delmarva Peninsula can be very hot, muggy, and buggy during the height of the season.

How to Get There

Lewes is about 120 miles east of Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport (DCA) in Washington, D.C., 100 miles southeast of Baltimore/Washington International Thurgood Marshall Airport (BWI), and 110 miles south of Philadelphia International Airport (PHL). Salisbury Regional Airport (SBY) is the closest option, about 40 miles south of Lewes, and has direct American Airlines flights from Philadelphia and Charlotte, North Carolina. For the best and most convenient experience, you’ll want to rent a car and drive from there. If you’re coming from the north and want a bigger adventure, take the scenic Cape May-Lewes Ferry that steams between southern New Jersey and Delaware every day, year-round. Prices start at $22 per car or $8 per person.

How to Get Around

The Delaware Administration for Regional Transit, or DART for short, has beach buses that run from the Cape May-Lewes Ferry terminal to towns along the Delaware and Maryland coast (prices start at less than $1 one way). Other buses in the DART system run inland to towns like Georgetown, Milford, and Seaford (prices start at $6). If you don’t have a car, your best bet is to bike around Lewes, but ride-hailing services and taxis are options, too. The town is pretty walkable, so hoofing it isn’t a bad idea, either.