4 Best Sights in Lewes, Delaware

More than beautiful beaches highlight the 5,193 acres here. A 3-mile hiking trail passes a World War II observation tower, which you can climb to the top for a stunning 360-degree view, and there's more World War II history at Fort Miles Historic Area. You can also observe the marine life that inhabits five 1,000-gallon tanks at the Seaside Nature Center aquarium. Activities include kayaking, fishing from the pier, basketball courts, and an 18-hole disc-golf course.

In coastal areas unsuitable for lighthouse construction, lightships like this one were floating beacons that helped vessels find their way. The Overfalls, built in 1938, is one the 17 remaining lightships out of 179 built between 1820 and 1952. See the ship’s inner workings, crew quarters, the galley, and the top deck.

The current brick church was built in the mid-1800s, and its tall, pointed steeple was added in 1870, but St. Peter's has existed here since 1680. Modified colonial style decorates the interior, colored by 16 stained-glass windows mostly depicting the story of Jesus. Eighteen markers in the churchyard identify significant graves, including those of three Delaware governors.

The museum raises curiosity no matter where you look. The redbrick exterior’s carved stonework, stepped facade gable, and terra-cotta roof tiles are modeled after a town hall in Hoorn, in the Netherlands—a nod to Delaware's first Dutch settlement, established in 1631. Inside, displays showcase Lewes-area maritime, military, and social history.