Dover Tourist Information and Tourism

(Dover, Delaware - DE, USA)

A stately city with lots of history and character, not to mention a thriving international speedway, Dover resides within the coastal plain area of the Delaware River and was established in 1683, becoming capital of Delaware in the early 1780s. The city has managed to retain a number of its earliest features, with many beautiful brick buildings and a noticeable quaint vibe in the oldest of neighborhoods.

The Green is a prominent feature of State Street and dates back to the early 1720s, when it was laid out at the request of local William Penn, a real estate entrepreneur from England who was responsible for much of the shaping and planning of early Dover.

The downtown district is a pleasant place to take a stroll, with its attractive boulevards lined by tall mature trees. Hard to miss, the Delaware State Capitol Building sits in between Liberty Street and Legislative Avenue, where free guided tours explain both the history of Dover and its state house.

Walking tours of the city depart close by, being led by costumed guides and also completely free of charge. For further information about the city's tourism, look out for the tourist information center, which stands on Federal Street, just down the road from the Capitol and alongside the Biggs Museum of American Art.

Dover Tourist Information and Tourism: Top Sights

If you have a hire car, then a selection of beaches are within driving distance of the city, such as those of Bowers, Bethany and Rehoboth. At Bethany, an attractive boardwalk runs alongside the beach, with its bandstand offering free concerts in the summer and drawing holiday makers from far and wide. However, it can become rather crowded here on sunny days, and so many tourists prefer to head to the more developed beachfront of Rehoboth, or perhaps to Ocean City, which is located roughly an hour and a half to the southeast, via Highway US-113. For some serious excitement, visitors often choose to time their vacation with one of the annual NASCAR race weekends at the Dover International Speedway, which is located on the North Dupont Highway, in between the campus of the Delaware State University and the North Dover Shopping Center. When a race is happening, the population of Dover rapidly expands and almost overflows, and it is not unusual for the city to see more than 200,000 people in town.

If you have a gambling side that you like to indulge from time to time, then the adjacent Downs Hotel and Casino is the place to come, with its gaming tables and seasonal horse racing, which are frequently accompanied by a variety of live entertainment. Further shows are staged at the Schwartz Center for the Arts, on South State Street, where ballet, jazz, musicals, plays and comedy events regularly appear on the calendar. More information about Dover Tourist Attractions.

Tourists looking to sightsee often choose to start at the Delaware State Capitol, before moving on to South State Street and its various landmarks. These include the Bradford-Loockerman House, the John Bullen House, Christ Church and the historic Greenwold residence, which dates from the early 1860s. Guided tours of the Delaware Governor's Mansion on the Kings Highway come recommended, and on West Water Street, the private Eden Hill House ranks amongst the oldest buildings in Dover, being built towards the end of the 1740s and featuring an interesting past. More information about Dover Landmarks and Monuments.

The Dover Air Force Base lies on the eastern side of the city and is actually the biggest air base in the United States. It is here where you will find the popular Air Mobility Command Museum and its multitude of vintage aircraft. For something more traditional, the Delaware State House Museum on The Green is filled with information about the city's origins. Many of the city's most important annual events are staged around the Delaware State House Museum and The Green, such as the hugely popular and extremely historic Dover Days Festival each May, which takes place at the beginning of the month and was first held in 1933, boasting attendance figures in the region of 50,000 people today. Further museums cover subject matters such as the police force, slavery and the related Underground Railway, phonograph records and agriculture. Visitors with an interest in art may like to check out the Biggs Museum of American Art on Federal Street, or head to the northern city of Wilmington, where the Delaware Art Museum is a noticeable highlight. More information about Dover Museums and Dover Art Galleries.

Wilmington is a popular day trip destination and is sited just over an hour to the north, being reached via Highway US-1 and home to the Brandywine Zoo. This is a larger city and although Dover is the state capital, Wilmington is actually Delaware's biggest city, with a population of more than 70,000 residents. Closer to Dover and still to the north is the small town of Smyrna, where a surprisingly high concentration of historical buildings await visitors. Amongst the oldest are Baynard House, Belmont Hall, Ivy Dale Farm and the Timothy Cummins House. A little further north is the town of Middletown, which is reachable in around 40 minutes by road. Each summer in August, Middleton welcomes an influx of tourists when it stages its annual Olde Tyme Peach Festival. More information about Dover Attractions Nearby.

More Dover Information / Fast Facts and Orientation

• Country: USA
• Location: Delaware State (DE), Kent County, Delmarva Region
• Status: city and state capital
• Area: approximately 23 square miles / 60 square kilometres
• Population: approximately 40,000
• Language: American English
• Currency: US Dollar (USD)
• Time zone: GMT - 5 hours Eastern Standard Time (daylight saving time is observed)
• Country dialling code: +1
• Telephone area code: 302
• Average daily Dover January temperature: 6°C / 43°F
• Average daily Dover July temperature: 31°C / 88°F