HHen

I have traveled to 49 states. We need to get to Delaware to complete the 50 states. We are thinking about flying to Philadelphia and taking a train to somewhere (I would love some suggestions) in Delaware. This would be a 4 day weekend. Is it possible to get to Delaware by train? (We are not familiar with train travel at all. We live on a ranch in SD) and does anyone have any suggestions for good places to stay? Thanks!!

rkkwan

Septa R2 line goes all the way to Wilmington and Newark, DE from Central Philly.

However, on Saturdays only to Wilmington. On Sundays, the trains terminate at Marcus Hook. From what I'm reading, the station is in the PA side, but it's very close to the state line.

septa.com/service/rr_schedules.html

PaulRabe

All you need to (or possibly can) know about train travel is found at
www.amtrak.com
Trains from Philly to Wilmington travel often, or you can take a bus for less money. I myself would rent a car in order to see stuff near Wilmington (Longwood Gardens, Brandywine Museum, Winterthur).
If you are doing this in summer, a few days on the Delaware shore (reachable by bus) could also be nice.

rkkwan

Actually, it's about a mile from the Marcus Hook SEPTA station to the DE state line.

The reason I say use SEPTA is because one-way Philly to Wilmington is $5.5 peak, and $4.75 off-peak. Amtrak is $25 or more. 5x difference.

GBC

If you aren't familiar with Philadelphia either, consider a flight to Philadelphia, a shuttle train from the airport into the city for a night or two, rent a car and explore you way into Delaware which is only a short distance - perhaps forty miles. If you must do it by train you would take Amtrak from Philadelphia to Wilmington. There is lots to do in Philadelphia - not so much in Wilmington. Attractions in Delaware are either at the border with Pennsylvania or, depending upon the time of year, at the Delaware beaches.

Barbara_in_FL

Unfortunately, you can't really explore DE by public transportation, although there are some bus routes. You didn't say whether you really want to avoid using a car at all, but probably the most enjoyable thing to do would be to fly to Philadelphia and spend time exploring the area around Longwood Gardens and the other attractions already mentioned, with a quick trip across the border. I lived just outside Wilmington for several years and can't remember ever doing anything downtown except taking the train. (No offense intended, and I am happy to be corrected; it was a great place to live.) You can also canoe from PA into DE, if memory serves and if you like that kind of activity -- there are canoe rentals near West Chester.

The beach was also suggested -- if you like the beach, you could have an enjoyable few days down at Rehoboth, especially if you can wait until the summer crowds thin out.

Dukey

Can you tell that soke of these posters have never BEEN there and others have?

The train will ONLY take you to either Wilmington (the AMTRAK stop) or you could use a SEPTA commuter service to somewhere such as Newark or perhaps Claymont if all you want to do is say you have been in the state.

I think the best advice above would otherwise be to rent the car and explore the area either around Wilmington or take the drive to Lewes/Rehoboth for the beach.

rkkwan

Maybe I was wrong, but I thought the OP just wanted to cross DE off the list so he/she complete visiting 50 states.

And the OP also specifically asked whether it's reacheable by train from Philly. That was answered too.

So what if there's nothing to see in Wilmington?

bluestructure

HHen, I live in Newark and I would tell you NOT to take the train or SEPTA because when you get to Wilmington/Newark you'll still need a car to get around because you sure don't wanna ride the DART bus. If you have 4 days, rent a car and spend them entirely in DE or maybe half day in PA if you never been to Longwood Gardens.

Drive down to Lewes & Rehoboth Beaches to do a little tax free shopping at the Tanger outlets, walk along the beaches (DE has great beaches), enjoy some of the nice restaurants.

On the way down/up you can make a drive thru Dover to see the capitol building which is beautiful in my opinion. Dover is also home to Dover AFB and if you love airplanes they have a great Air Mobility Command Museum located there. The website has alot of good info and the planes they have in their collection. Btw, admission is FREE. Oh yeah, don't go when NASCAR is in town because of traffic unless your fan.

The historic area of New Castle is nice and might be worth a short visit. There isnt too much to see in Newark except UD which is a nice university campus and has some wonderful buildings. However its best to be visited when the 15K student body is gone for the summer, they just arrived back last weekend and Main St is packed!

Wilmington, hrmm well it has a nice 1.5 mile path right along the water which starts near Frawley Stadium/outlet shops. The area is really up and coming, slowly. There really is nothing there in terms of tourism. I think downtown is just a place where people go to work and leave by 6pm. Newark is more lively than Wilmington.

I would check out the Brandywine valley area as other posters have said. Winterthur is very nice, a former Dupont estate. This is located in Kennett Pike area of DE. Nemours Mansion is another great place to visit, the former estate of A.I. Dupont. It might be closed still for repairs, check the web. And if you love gardens, the drive up to PA to Longwood Gardens will be well worth it. That is if you would want to leave DE. lol