Delaware may be the second-smallest state after Rhode Island, but it is the seat of a lot of US history, being the first US state. And our first stop would be Lewes, the first town in the first state. Lewes began as a colony by the Dutch West India Company in the spring of 1631. 28 men were sent to establish a whaling station, grow tobacco and engage in fur trade with Native Americans. It was the first European settlement in Delaware, originally named "Swaanendael" or "Valley of the Swans." The British took possession of the area in 1664, and it was renamed to Lewes in 1682. We hadn't heard of it prior to this trip, so we were pronouncing it "Loos," only to later meet people who would pronounce it "Lew-is," so now we know!
Tourists in Lewes
Lewes is smaller than New Castle, the other historical town we visited yesterday (population of 3,300 versus about 5,550), but because the attractions are all within walking distance, we had to circle the block a couple of times to find parking. We were immediately charmed by the Zwaanendael Museum, which was created to honor the 300th anniversary of Delaware's first European settlement, Zwaanendael, founded 1631. It's free admission, but unfortunately was closed (only open Wednesdays to Saturdays, and we were there on a Sunday). The building looks like it was transported from the Netherlands (it apparently models the former City Hall in Hoorn), and looked a bit like a gingerbread house!
We turned the corner onto 2nd Street, and around these streets are lots of cute little restaurants, cafes, boutique stores, and historic buildings. We grabbed a coffee from Notting Hill Coffee Roastery, a local cafe that roasts and grounds its beans in house. There were a ton of burlap bags when we walked in, and it smelled like delicious coffee beans, with a ton of bags of coffee for purchase on the other side, and a large glass case filled with pastries by the register. Michael ordered a coffee, although it wasn't as brewed as strong as he likes it. As we were sitting outside sipping our drinks, the couple next to us overheard us chatting (and our accents), and we got to talking with them, which is how we found out that Lewes is pronounced "Lew-is." Before we celebrate a friendly Delawarean interaction (particularly since our several ill-natured ones on the day we arrived), it turns out that neither of them are from this state! The man was originally from Philadelphia and the lady from New York, but they have plans to move to Lewes and were looking at properties. But hey, nice to chat to friendly folks!
Historic Lewes
The Ryves Holt House Museum & Mercantile is the oldest building in Delaware, dating back to 1686. The House served as both home and a simple tavern, which they operated into the 18th century. At the Lewes Historical Society Main Campus a block away, there are many other well-preserved buildings to walk around. This includes the Sussex Tavern at Rabbit's Ferry House, where visitors can still enjoy a cocktail during its monthly events. Taverns were an incredibly important part of colonial and early American life, providing travelers with a hot meal, refreshing drink and a warm bed, as well as being vital gathering spaces for the community. There's also the Menhaden Fishing Net Reel within the vicinity--menhaden are oily fish used for fish oil, animal feed, and fertilizer, and the net reel is a visual reminder of the workers who worked the commercial fishing ports for decades, up until the 1950s.
Speaking of historic houses, how many houses have you seen where there's still a cannonball wedged in it? The Lewes Maritime Museum has "The Cannonball House", which shows the marks from when the British attacked the town during the Bombardment of Lewes in 1813. The house is also now a local maritime museum, as evidenced by the old heavy anchor and chains out the front.
Our final stop in Lewes was perhaps designed with wishful thinking in mind: the Fountain of Youth is a roadside attraction that allegedly dates back to the founding of Lewes in 1631. It appears was built in 1937 by the Lewes Chamber of Commerce, and today, the owners of the historic Maull House across the road, repainted the gazebo and cleaned out the well so that it could once again produce water from its spring. We didn't try to drink from the well because that's just disgusting, but according to legend, those who want to take a sip need to do it using a conch shell cup. We're not sure that the waters will provide eternal youth, but we're certain that the waters will provide something...whether that's a lot of bacteria or something more!
Bethany Beach & BBQ
We would soon be crossing into Maryland and as we were nearing the coast, we noticed a lot of holiday seaside towns, which were all promoting seafood at the local restaurants. While the state of Maryland is known for its blue crabs--especially crab cakes--since we were hungry, we stopped for lunch at Bethany Beach, where Lisette decided we were close enough to the state border to find some crab cakes.
Seafood isn't particularly cheap, but we found some reasonably priced crab cakes (compared to other spots) at Bethany Blues BBQ Pit, a restaurant featuring barbecued meats in different BBQ styles, including Carolina and Texas. Sure, it was more of a BBQ restaurant, but the food was great! We ordered to go and sat in a little park with tables and benches next to where we parked the RV. The crab cakes were in a brioche bun, served with fries, while Michael absolutely loved his BBQ, which was served with a couple of delicious sauces on the side. Yum!
Many Mini Golfs
Crossing into Maryland was a bit of a "blink and you'll miss it" moment, as the sign for entering the state was so small and unnoticeable that we didn't see it in time! Maryland is state #47(!), although if we don't count Virginia as we have only driven across it, then it's state #46. Still, we're clearly getting to the end of the RV adventure no matter how we look at it, and missing one of the state signs is probably in line with how we're feeling towards the end of the trip--a bit tired, missing some bits of information, and now thinking about what's going to happen after this epic US journey!
We made our way to Ocean City, a resort town situated between the Atlantic Ocean and Isle of Wight Bay, which features miles of beach and a wooden boardwalk lined with restaurants, shops and hotels. The road along the coast with all the tourist attractions, reminded us of Pigeon Forge in Tennessee, with its endless blocks of (tacky) souvenir shops, swimwear and beach gear stores, family restaurants, motels and hotels. But while Pigeon Forge had a lot of mini golf courses, Ocean City was overflowing with them! We didn't even start counting from the beginning of us driving down the coast, but we still counted 18 of them along the strip as we neared our friend Kait and Brandon's home. If you want to play mini golf, you will not have any problems finding somewhere to go--and you'll have prime pick of what theme you're after, from Caribbean Pirates, to vikings, to dinosaurs, to racing cars, to perhaps something else!
A Reunion with Kait and Brandon
We were excited to arrive at Kait and Brandon's home. They've been living in Ocean City for a few years now, but we haven't seen them for a while, since they visited San Francisco when they got engaged. Since then, they've married and now have an adorable toddler, Jack, who is 14 months old, and also have a dog, Molly.
When we arrived Jack was eating lunch, and he gave us a hilarious I'm-silently-judging-you face, trying to figure out who we were and why we were there. Sheila is still apprehensive when meeting new dogs, but after a while, both dogs settled down and became comfortable around each other. In the evening, we chilled out with takeout, catching up and staying in the spare room, which was admittedly so warm and comfortable! We are so grateful for these moments and our kind, gracious and hospitable friends!