Smyrna, Delaware

The historic Delaware town of Smyrna is located about 11 miles (18 kilometers) north of the capital, Dover, and a few miles west of Delaware Bay. The community was founded in the early 1700s, with its earlier names including Salisbury and Duck Creek Cross Roads.

In town, you can spend some of your spare time wandering around and checking out the almost 500 buildings that qualify for the National Register of Historic Homes. For history all in one place, check out the Smyrna Museum, which is housed former military barracks, and has a collection that includes toys and dolls, Native American artifacts, historical paintings, a large collection of pitchers, and a house dating from the mid-1700s.

Once you've had your fill of history, check out the outdoors. Smyrna's Bombay Hook National Wildlife Refuge, which contains one of the largest expanses of nearly unaltered tidal salt marsh in the mid-Atlantic region, is a great place to hike, cruise, and do a little birdwatching. You can also enjoy boating on and swimming in the town's Lake Como. For more fishing, head a short drive away to Woodland Beach.

And since Delaware is a small state, it's convenient for heading out to its many state parks. For example, about a half-hour drive north is Lums Pond State Park, built around the largest freshwater pond in the state, where you can hike, cycle, boat, fish, and picnic. Meanwhile, a half-hour drive south is Killens Pond State Park, where you can enjoy hiking, fishing, and boating, and take yourself and the kids to get soaked on hot summer days at the Killens Pond Water Park!

If you want something indoors, the Smyrna Opera House offers various performing arts events and visual arts displays throughout the year, and it also hosts occasional performances by the groups like the Dover Symphony.

So if you want a cozy historic town, with easy access to outdoor fun, within an easy drive of the state capital and other major centers, think about Smyrna.

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