Newark Things to Do

Main Street Newark is the heart of the town. The stretch from Library St to Deer Park Tavern offers a variety of restaurants, shops and eclectic spots to stop. There are at least 3 coffee houses, 4 pizza joints, a handful of traditional restaurants and the occasional chain speckled within.

Walking down Main Street you'll see a mix of locals and college students. Main street cuts through part of the University of Delaware so many students spend weekends and afternoons hanging out here, as well as living above some storefronts. Locals of all ages enjoy sitting in the used bookstores or enjoying a lunch on one of the outside terraces.

This street shows what happens when college town meets real world. It's a really nice place to stop and spend an afternoon or evening.

Main St. Warnings:
- Don't park in a lot that is designated for a particular business unless you are using the business, you WILL get towed. Parking is abundant, look for signs pointing to pay lots behind buildings (it's cheap) or keep an eye out for street metered parking.
- If you're driving through, keep alert for pedestrians as many of the crosswalks give them the right-of-way regardless of the streetlight - and college kids don't always look both ways first.

Most people would not associate Newark (or Delaware in general) with the Olympics, but the Ice Arena at the University of Delaware is the training center for many of the United States' best skaters and some foreign Olympians as well. Kimmie Meissner, Shaun Rogers and Russian ice dancers Anjelika Krylova and Oleg Ovsiannikov.

When skaters aren't training, the arena is open for public skating. It's a fun way to spend a Sunday afternoon in town. The arena is open to the public Friday and Saturday evenings and Sunday during the day. There is plenty of parking surrounding the arena (it's next to the stadium so they share a large lot).

Aside from skating yourself, the arena offers plenty of spectator events. UD Hockey games (mens and womens) and periodic ice shows are open to the public. Check the website for times and ticket prices.

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UD was established as a private college in 1743 and now has almost 20,000 full-time students. The campus is a beautiful, open layout with large red brick buildings evoking a very old feel similar to the University of Virginia.

The center of the campus is Memorial Hall, built in 1924 in honor of the men from Delaware who died in World War I. It houses a book in the central hall with names of those who died serving the country.

Some of UD's most famous alumni include Senator Joe Biden, singer George Thorogood, former NFL quarterback Rich Gannon, and three signers of the Declaration of Independence.

White Clay State Park is over 3300 acres of forest with areas for picnicing and sports. A creek runs through the park (the White Clay Creek). It's open years round and in nice weather is full of people hanging out, running and bike riding. Fishing is open in some areas of the creek as well. If you like to hike, there are 37-miles worth of trails to explore, winding through the shaded areas (very pretty in the fall).

Around Halloween you'll find hayrides that are great for kids and families (throughout the rest of the year there are weekend hayrides available for kids birthday parties). Throughout the year the park holds events that are open to the public (birdwatching tours, educational programs, etc). Certain areas of the park are open to white-tail deer hunting as well.

It's a really pretty area, close to Wilmington, where you can relax and enjoy the outdoors all year long. There is abundant parking and amenities are spread out nicely. Good spot to spend a nice Saturday afternoon.

UD was established as a private college in 1743 and now has almost 20,000 full-time students. Now a state university, the campus is a beautiful, open layout with large red brick buildings evoking a very old feel similar to the University of Virginia.

The center of the campus is Memorial Hall, built in 1924 in honor of the men from Delaware who died in World War I. Originally the school's library, it currently contains the English Department. The main lobby houses a book in the central hall with names of those who died in battle.

A midszied public university with a small college town atmosphere. About 15,000 undergrads attend UD. University was founded in the 1700's, and has evolved into popular mid atlantic college. Ration is 60% female to 40% male at the University. About 45% of undergrads are from the state of Delaware. I've included an overhead shot of Delaware Stadium, home of the Fightin Blue Hens, a consitently ranked 1-AA football program.