Fort Delaware

Fort Delaware is a sightseeing stop in Delaware City, DE, part of the Philadelphia guide. Cost: under $25. Open late April through late September; weekends only in spring and fall.

45 Clinton Street (ferry dock and ticket office) · Delaware City, DE

Why you should go…

Fort Delaware stands on Pea Patch Island in the middle of the Delaware River and is reached only by ferry from the dock in Delaware City. The pentagon-shaped fort held Confederate prisoners of war during the Civil War, and costumed interpreters now explain daily life there. You can climb the ramparts to watch the Columbiad cannon fire. The Prison Camp Trail leads to an observation platform over a large nesting colony of herons, egrets and ibises.

#civil war fort
#living history
#ferry ride
#state park
#birdwatching

What's around here?

The closest stops to Fort Delaware, ordered by straight-line distance. A few more like it, plus some different kinds of fun so you can build a full day.

Sightseeing
Local Gem
Wilmington & the Brandywine Valley
Free
Delaware's largest city and the du Pont family's Brandywine Valley estates, gardens, and museums.
11 mi awayMore like this
Museums
Rainy-Day Pick
Delaware Art Museum
Under $25
See Pre-Raphaelite paintings, Howard Pyle illustrations and John Sloan works, then walk the sculpture garden and labyrinth outside.
12 mi awaySwitch it up: Museums
Museums
Family Favorite
Delaware Museum of Nature & Science
Under $25
Natural history museum near Wilmington with dinosaur, shell, and bird exhibits plus a planetarium.
12 mi awaySwitch it up: Museums
Sightseeing
History Buff
Nemours Estate
Under $25
Tour Alfred I. du Pont's 77-room mansion, stroll French formal gardens, and see vintage cars in the Chauffeur's Garage.
13 mi awayMore like this
Museums
History Buff
Hagley Museum and Library
Under $25
Tour the original du Pont gunpowder mills on the Brandywine, the family's first American home, and a gallery of patent models.
13 mi awaySwitch it up: Museums
Sightseeing
Outdoor Adventure
Delaware County
Free
A Philadelphia-suburb county nicknamed 'America's Garden County' for its public gardens and historic estates.
23 mi awayMore like this