Delaware: Discover History and Trails

Delaware offers two distinct starting points for a trip: historic buildings and an urban park system with trails. In the city center, the Downtown Historic District protects historic buildings through adopted architectural standards. The park system includes 26 parks and 26 miles of trails. This gives you a clear choice when planning: focus on local history or spend days centered more on outdoor activity. Both themes give your stay a clear direction, without requiring you to commit to just one perspective in advance.

Historic Buildings and Local History

The Nash House was built in 1878 by the Slattery family. The Historic Jail and Sheriff’s Residence also dates to 1878 and was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1990. The shared year provides a point of reference for the two buildings. At the same time, their historical details differ: the Nash House has a specifically named builder and construction date, while the Historic Jail and Sheriff’s Residence also has a later addition to the register. This lets you explore Delaware through different chapters of its architectural history, rather than reducing local history to a single year.

The cell block of the Historic Jail and Sheriff’s Residence is open for tours. Check the current tour arrangements before you arrive if you want to make a tour a firm part of your plans.

The Downtown Historic District adds a city-center perspective to the history of individual buildings. It protects historic buildings there through adopted architectural standards. This is also about preserving historic structures, not just the construction date of a single house. Those interested in architecture can explore both individual buildings and their histories, as well as the framework for protecting historic buildings in the city center.

Parks and Trails in Everyday City Life

The park system includes 26 parks and 26 miles of trails. The trails are maintained for walkers, runners, and cyclists. This also makes it easy to plan a stay around outdoor activity: walking offers a different experience from running or cycling, and trail maintenance takes all three uses into account. The number of parks and the length of the trails give you an overview of what the city offers; the activities listed provide practical guidance for your time outdoors. You can consider which form of exercise fits your daily plans without making sports the focus of your entire stay.

Choose a Vacation Rental That Fits Your Plans

When looking for a vacation rental in Delaware, it helps to first decide what you want to focus on during your trip. Would you rather plan around the historic buildings and the protection of buildings in the city center, or would you like walking, running, and cycling to play a bigger role? When choosing a specific vacation rental, check how its location fits the activities that matter to you. This way, you can factor your travel plans into your choice of where to stay, rather than searching only by accommodation name.

Discover More Destinations

Discover more destinations: Orange, Powell.

Return to the main travel overview: Delaware County.