Lewes
Small Historic Town At The Mouth Of Delaware Bay, Site Of The Dutch Zwaanendael Settlement Of 1631 And Known As The First Town In The First State · Lewes, Delaware
Lewes is a small, old town on Delaware Bay near Cape Henlopen, calling itself the First Town in the First State. Dutch settlers built a whaling post called Zwaanendael here in 1631; it was destroyed within a year, but the claim it gave helped shape Delaware's later borders. The Zwaanendael Museum, built in 1931 for the anniversary in the style of a Dutch town hall, tells that story. Around it lies a compact grid of shaded streets with colonial and Victorian houses. Second Street is the main street of shops, cafes and ice cream. The Lewes Historical Society keeps a campus of moved historic buildings on Shipcarpenter Street, and the Cannonball House on Front Street still shows damage from the British bombardment of 1813. Across the canal lies Lewes Beach on the bay, with calm, shallow water that suits small children. The Cape May-Lewes Ferry leaves nearby for New Jersey, and the Junction and Breakwater Trail runs to Rehoboth. Lewes is quieter than the ocean towns, and many visitors stay here to reach both.
Second Street and Savannah Road, Lewes, Delaware, 19958, United States
The town itself has no gates or hours; the streets, Canalfront Park and Lewes Beach are open and free, though the beach and downtown have seasonal rules. Parking meters and pay zones are enforced downtown and at the beach in the main season, roughly spring to autumn, usually through the day, and payment is mostly by app; confirm the current season. Lifeguards watch part of Lewes Beach only in summer, roughly Memorial Day to Labor Day, in daytime hours. The Zwaanendael Museum is a state museum with free entry that is closed some weekdays and keeps shorter winter hours. Lewes Historical Society buildings open on a seasonal schedule, often for guided tours only on certain days, and several close in winter. Shops on Second Street stay open year round but many close early on winter weekdays. The Cape May-Lewes Ferry runs all year, with many sailings a day in summer and far fewer from late autumn to spring, and some winter days have only a handful; bookings are advised for cars in summer and on holidays. Confirm all hours.