Over a cold, windy, and rainy weekend in April, Benjamin visited several locations in Delaware. In Wilmington, he toured the Hagley Museum at the grounds of the DuPont Gunpowder Mills. The museum not only includes the remains of the gunpowder facilities along the Brandywine River, but also the du Pont family home. Also in Wilmington, he made brief stops at Breck's Mill, Rockford Park, and the Hale-Byrnes House (which is a stop along the Washington-Rochambeau National Historic Trail).
Moving south to Dover, he visited the Delaware State Capitol, the Old State House, and the historic area known as "The Green" (which is a unit of First State National Historical Park). North of town, he toured Bombay Hook National Wildlife Refuge and saw several Bald Eagles, Great Blue Herons, Wild Turkey, a Swan, and various other shore birds.
Heading to the Atlantic Coast, Benjamin visited several areas including Delaware Seashore State Park (where he climbed to the top of WWII Artillery Fire Tower #3 for a view of the ocean), Fenwick Island Lighthouse, beaches, and he enjoyed a great meal at JR's Seafood Shack. In Lewes, he visited the Lightship Overfalls and Cape Henlopen State Park, where he walked through the Fort Miles Artillery Park, climbed to the top of Artillery Fire Tower #7, toured the nature center, and watched several kite surfers at The Point who were surfing near the Breakwater Lighthouse.
Finally, near Laurel, Benjamin hiked the 4.5-mile "Bob" trail around Trap Pond State Park through the cypress swamp, wetlands, and forest. While he did spend a night in Rehoboth Beach to try and see the boardwalk, the weather was horrible and did not make it enjoyable to be outside. Most shops and restaurants were also still closed for the season.
We drove through northern Delaware to First State National Historical Park where we hiked to Smith's Covered Bridge on Brandywine Creek. We then drove south through Wilmington.
We drove south through Delaware along Highway 1. This drive took us through Wilmington, Dover, and along the Atlantic coast. We passed by Dover Air Force Base, crossed the Indian River Inlet, and drove through Delaware Seashore State Park.