Dover Off The Beaten Path

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Port Mahon is a tiny little port with just a pier a little used marina and a petroleum offload area. The place is old, beat up, and seldom visited...unless you are a bird watcher or you like horseshoe crabs. Port Mahon road runs several miles through wetlands and along the shore of the Delware River offering superb habitat for both. This area also has the occasional fisherman.

Though it is run down, the federal government recently appropriated 8.1 million dollars to repair the shoreline and stabilize the habitat.

Port Mahon Road is at the north end of Little Creek, just a few miles east of Dover (via North Little Creed Rd or South Little Creek Rd)

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Little Creek is a good birding area once you get there and trek back to the towers. It is pleasant in the spring but a bit soggy, so wear good boots/hightops. It is pure agony in early fall when the mosquitoes swarms are large enough to bodily carry you off.

Access to the birding trails are off route 9. A quarter-mile past Pickering Road is the Headquarters entrance. Drive past the buildings (the paved road becomes a dirt road) to find the trails (or stop in the HQ to ask for directions). The trail leads to woods and marsh and large pond. Near the end of the trail is one of the towers where you can get a good view of the marsh birds and wading birds.

You will see warblers, vireos, robins, sparrows, catbird, lots of crows and starlings. From the tower you can see ducks, herons and plenty of gulls.

to get there:
US113 to route 8 (Little Creek Road). take route 8 east to route 9; go south a jog on route 9(main street, then baysidedrive) and look for the roads indicated above.

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This is a nice quiet spot along the St. Jones River for launching boats, fishing, picnicking, or just relaxing with a good book. The area has parking for about 5 cars, a few picnic tables, plus a pier and a boat launching ramp. You could canoe or kayak here if you bring your own boat. I used to come here occasionally on my lunch break to enjoy a sunny day.

It is located just south of Route 10 at 1400 Sorghum Mill Rd, Dover. This is a tiny little spot with no restrooms, no attendant, and no shops or restaurants within about 1/2 mile.

Smyrna is an ancient city in Izmir in Turkey. In the US there are different cities named Smyrna in nine states. Smyrna, Georgia is the largest Smyrna in America with about 50,000 people, while Smyrna, South Carolina has just 59 residents.

Smyrna, Delaware was founded as Salibury in about 1716, and it was also known as Duck Creek. In 1806 the town's name was changed to Smyrna. Smyrna claims 490 historic building, including Old Town Hall (1879), the Plank House (1700s),

Smyrna has a handful of good restaurants like Boondocks‎, a crab shack out in the ... boondocks.

Smyrna is located just 10 miles north of Dover.

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Not to be confused with the Naval Amphibious Base of the same name, Little Creek, Delaware, is just a tiny little town a few miles east of Dover. With just 195 people, little creek has just a fire department, a few small stores, and a restaurant or two.

Little Creek most significant building is the Old Stone Tavern or the Old Stone House on Main Street. It was built in the early 1800s, and the first record of the building is an 1829 sheriff's sale, and it later came to be owned by Abraham Nowell in 1858. This type of stone house is rare in central Delaware which has very little stone of suitable quality to build a large house.

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Open only on Tuesdays and Fridays, Spence's Bazaar is a bizarre place to shop. Mostly flea market, partly Amish crafts and foods, and a little bit of a vegetable market, you might find something here you like. This is a very good place to pick up a quick and unique lunch in downtown.

Located at 550 S. New Street.

Dover AFB, like most Air Force bases in the U.S., has air shows which are open to the public. They are usually held annually but some years the base does not hold one.

If your lucky enough to find yourself in the area when there is an air show at the air force base... be sure to check it out.

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Though maybe not officially the world's smallest, the Barclay Town Office is somewhat of a spectacle due to its minuscule size. The entire building is only about 12 feet by 8 feet. Luckily the town has only one employee, its part-time clerk/treasurer. Somehow the poor lady has to share the building with the town's 3 elected commissioners.

Barclay is on Rt 301 in Maryland about 20 miles from Dover, Delaware.