Small Towns Near Wilmington, Delaware
The best small towns near Wilmington, Delaware, are New Castle, Lewes and Cape May. New Castle was the colonial capital and has a free courthouse museum from 1732. Lewes calls itself the First Town in the First State, and Cape May is the country’s oldest seaside resort.
The ten towns below run nearest first, from New Castle about 5 miles out to Bethany Beach at about 85. Distances are straight-line miles from Wilmington, so the drive runs longer. The list covers colonial river towns, the Maryland shore, wildlife refuges and Delaware’s beach towns.
| Town | Distance | Best for |
|---|---|---|
| New Castle, Delaware | About 5 miles | colonial history, an easy half day |
| Delaware City, Delaware | About 10 miles | a Civil War fort, a ferry ride |
| Odessa, Delaware | About 20 miles | 18th-century houses, a tavern |
| Smyrna, Delaware | About 30 miles | a restored opera house, birding |
| Chestertown, Maryland | About 45 miles | colonial history, a college town |
| Cape May, New Jersey | About 65 miles | Victorian houses, birding, a weekend |
| Milton, Delaware | About 70 miles | river walks, old houses, a quiet base |
| Lewes, Delaware | About 70 miles | history, a bay beach, a ferry |
| Rehoboth Beach, Delaware | About 75 miles | a boardwalk, tax-free shopping, a beach day |
| Bethany Beach, Delaware | About 85 miles | a quiet beach, families |
Distances are straight-line miles from downtown Wilmington, Delaware, as the crow flies.
New Castle, Delaware
About 5 miles as the crow flies · Best for: colonial history, an easy half day
New Castle, population about 5,500, was settled by the Dutch in 1651 and served as Delaware’s colonial capital until 1777. William Penn landed here in 1682, and about 500 buildings sit in its landmark historic district.
Don’t miss: the New Castle Court House Museum, built in 1732, where Delaware voted to separate from Pennsylvania and Britain in 1776
★ Good to know The museum is free and open Wednesday through Sunday, by guided tour only.
Delaware City, Delaware
About 10 miles as the crow flies · Best for: a Civil War fort, a ferry ride
Delaware City, a town of about 1,900, sits at the eastern end of the Chesapeake and Delaware Canal. Its historic district is on the National Register, and it bills itself as the Port of History.
Don’t miss: the ferry to Fort Delaware on Pea Patch Island, a Union camp that once held more than 10,000 Confederate prisoners
★ Good to know Fort Delaware is open only from late April through September, weekends outside summer.
Odessa, Delaware
About 20 miles as the crow flies · Best for: 18th-century houses, a tavern
Odessa is a village of about 370 on the Appoquinimink River. It began as Cantwell’s Bridge after a toll bridge opened in 1721 and took its new name in the 1850s. Much of the town is a National Register historic district.
Don’t miss: the Historic Odessa Foundation’s house tours and a meal at the historic Cantwell’s Tavern
★ Good to know Historic Odessa is open March through December, Tuesday to Sunday.
Smyrna, Delaware
About 30 miles as the crow flies · Best for: a restored opera house, birding
Smyrna, population about 12,900, began as Duck Creek Cross Roads and took its current name in 1806. It shipped goods between Wilmington and Lewes until trade fell off in the 1850s.
Don’t miss: a show at the 1870 Smyrna Opera House, and the tidal salt marsh at Bombay Hook National Wildlife Refuge
★ Good to know Pay the Bombay Hook entrance fee on recreation.gov before you go; roads and trails close on some hunt days in fall and winter.
Chestertown, Maryland
About 45 miles as the crow flies · Best for: colonial history, a college town
Chestertown, founded in 1706, is the seat of Kent County, Maryland’s oldest county. Washington College, the tenth-oldest college in the country, was founded here in 1782. The town has about 5,500 people.
Don’t miss: the historic streets along the Chester River and the Washington College campus
★ Good to know The Chestertown Tea Party reenactment is held each Memorial Day weekend.
Cape May, New Jersey
About 65 miles as the crow flies · Best for: Victorian houses, birding, a weekend
Cape May, population about 2,800, is the country’s oldest seaside resort. It’s the only U.S. city designated a national historic district in full, and its Victorian homes are second in number only to San Francisco’s.
Don’t miss: the 1859 Cape May Lighthouse, with 199 steps to climb, and the hawkwatch platform at Cape May Point State Park
★ Good to know Fall is the season for migrating birds, and more than 400 species have been recorded here.
Milton, Delaware
About 70 miles as the crow flies · Best for: river walks, old houses, a quiet base
Milton is a town of about 3,300 on the Broadkill River, founded in 1763 and renamed for the poet John Milton in 1807. It built ships, and its historic district counts 198 contributing buildings. Dogfish Head brews its beer here.
Don’t miss: the Governors Walk along the Broadkill River and the free Prime Hook National Wildlife Refuge, more than 10,000 acres of mostly wetland
★ Good to know The river is good for canoeing and kayaking, with public docks in town.
Lewes, Delaware
About 70 miles as the crow flies · Best for: history, a bay beach, a ferry
Lewes, a town of about 3,300, calls itself the First Town in the First State. Dutch settlers founded Zwaanendael here in 1631, and the colony was destroyed a year later.
Don’t miss: the free Zwaanendael Museum, built in 1931 for the 300th anniversary, and Cape Henlopen State Park with Fort Miles and the Point
★ Good to know The Cape May-Lewes Ferry crosses Delaware Bay in about 85 minutes, so you can pair Lewes with Cape May.
Rehoboth Beach, Delaware
About 75 miles as the crow flies · Best for: a boardwalk, tax-free shopping, a beach day
Rehoboth Beach began in 1873 as a Methodist camp meeting and now has about 1,100 year-round residents. It calls itself the Nation’s Summer Capital for its Washington, D.C., crowd.
Don’t miss: the mile-long boardwalk and Delaware Seashore State Park, with 6.5 miles of ocean beach and an 1876 life-saving station
★ Good to know Delaware has no sales tax, which is part of the draw for shoppers.
Bethany Beach, Delaware
About 85 miles as the crow flies · Best for: a quiet beach, families
Bethany Beach was founded in 1901 by the Disciples of Christ as a Chautauqua-style gathering place. Fewer than 1,000 people live here year-round, and some 15,000 more arrive in summer.
Don’t miss: the short Joseph Olson Boardwalk and the Peter Toth sculpture Chief Little Owl at Garfield Parkway
★ Good to know With South Bethany and Fenwick Island, it’s one of the Quiet Resorts, a calmer choice than Rehoboth.
What’s the closest small town to Wilmington, Delaware?
New Castle, about 5 miles as the crow flies. Delaware City is next at about 10 miles.
What’s the best small-town weekend trip from Wilmington?
Lewes and Cape May, joined by the ferry across Delaware Bay. You get a Dutch colonial museum, a state park and a Victorian resort in two days.
Which small towns near Wilmington have beaches?
Lewes, Rehoboth Beach and Bethany Beach in Delaware, and Cape May in New Jersey.
What small towns near Wilmington are good for birding?
Smyrna, for Bombay Hook National Wildlife Refuge; Milton, for Prime Hook; and Cape May, for its fall migration.