Delaware

The state

Get to know Delaware

Delaware is the second-smallest state in the country and occupies the northern part of the Delmarva Peninsula, between Delaware Bay and Maryland. It was the first state to ratify the Constitution, on December 7, 1787, and for that reason is called The First State. It does not charge sales tax, which draws shoppers from neighboring states to its stores and outlets.

In the north, the Brandywine Valley, near Wilmington, brings together the du Pont family properties: the Hagley Museum, at the old gunpowder works on the river, Winterthur, a house-museum of American decorative arts with extensive gardens, and Nemours, a mansion with French-style gardens. Across the border in Pennsylvania is Longwood Gardens.

New Castle, on the banks of the Delaware River, has a colonial center with brick streets, the old courthouse and houses from the 17th and 18th centuries, part of the First State National Historical Park. Dover, the capital, has the Old State House and, at the air base, a museum of military transport aircraft.

In the south, the Atlantic coast features Rehoboth Beach with its wooden boardwalk, Dewey Beach and Lewes, the state’s oldest town, next to Cape Henlopen State Park with dunes and beaches. On the table, blue crab from the bay and scrapple, a pan-fried pork loaf served at breakfast. For Brazilians, Delaware is often a stopover between Philadelphia and Washington.