Off-Season on Delmarva

For travellers based on the east coast, the Delmarva Peninsula (includes Delaware, Maryland, and Virginia), is a super off-season destination.  It's accessible in a day's drive and if approaching from the north, the 80 minute trip on the Cape May, NJ - Lewes DE Ferry  makes you really feel like you've gotten away!

We've visited Delmarva several times during February, March, and April over the past few years and enjoyed deserted beaches, wildlife refuges teaming with birds, uncrowded nature trails, open campgrounds, great restaurants, and even a little outlet shopping. Here's a few of our favorites stops.

Cape Henlopen State Park

Cape Henlopen State Park, just a couple miles from the ferry in Lewes DE is a wonderful off-season campground that is open year round with electric hookups, dump station, and heated bathhouses.  Some of the sites are small, so it probably has a more crowded vibe in the summer, but off-season this state park with beaches, dunes, hiking/biking trails, historic WWII Fort Miles, gorgeous sunsets, and proximity to Lewes (the 'first city in the first state') is a super choice.

Prime Hook National Wildlife Refuge

Nectar Cafe and Juice Bar in downtown Lewes is our new favorite restaurant with breakfast available all day, and healthy soup, salad, and sandwiches for lunch and later.  Try the Nectar Punch and you add some protein or yogurt. Hopkins Farm Creamery is the place to go for ice cream right at a working dairy farm on the outskirts of town.

Just a short ride north of Lewes is Prime Hook National Wildlife Refuge in Milton where you can see bald eagles in flight, and diverse bird populations who winter here.  The trails are dog friendly.

After Prime Hook, stop at the Dogfish Head Brewery for a tour and some samples. And the tasting room is dog friendly!

Continuing south from Lewes to Rehoboth you can walk the boardwalk or beach both of which are dog friendly in off-season) and shop at the Tanger Outlet stores.

Assateague Island National Seashore is about an hour south of Lewes over the state line in Maryland.  Camping at the National Seashore opens on April 15 and you'll want to reserve a site even during the off-season.  There are no electric hookups but who needs them when you wake up to Assateague's famous wild ponies grazing in your campsite!  One of the campground loops allows limited generator use. We stocked up at a grocercy store and cooked our meals at Assateague--we didn't want to miss a moment in this beautiful place of salt air, tall dunes, ocean waves, and wild ponies.

Chincoteague National Wildlife Refuge in Virginia with more wild ponies is about an hour south of Assateague but sadly no dogs are allowed on the island. Wallops Flight Facility is just south of Chincoteague so be sure to check for any missions taking off.

Chesapeake Bay Bridge Tunnel

Another hour south takes you to the Chesapeake Bay Bridge Tunnel Observation Area.  The visitor's center allows 48 hours of free overnight parking.

OBX Capground

Then it was on to the Outer Banks of North Carolina, where we we found a water front campsite that was open in February.

Rosie enjoyed walking the grounds of the dog friendly Wright Brothers National Memorial in Kill Devil Hills, but stay on the hiking paths--there are some spiky plants that could damage paws.

Off season in Delmarva is delightful. The beaches were open for dog walking.  The temps were low 60s in February and upper 60s, low 70s in April.  No mosquitos, no crowds, and a surprising number of open campgrounds and restaurants. Our kind of vacation!