For a long time, when I would try to name all 50 states, I would get to 49 and the one that I inevitably would have forgotten was Delaware. And then one of my best friends moved there! So not only did I have to remember that Delaware existed, but we would often meet halfway in Wilmington. It’s only about an hour from DC by Amtrak.
One of the quirky things about Delaware is that it is where almost every single US company is incorporated. Under their tax law, a company incorporated in Delaware can avoid paying state taxes. Not only are most companies incorporated there, but most companies also use the same registered address: 1209 North Orange Street. I know this because the company I work for uses that same registered address. I’ve filled it out on plenty of forms! 1209 North Orange Street is officially home to over 285,000 businesses. I cannot even fathom how much corporate mail they must get.
And yes, I am the kind of nerd who had to go see the address in person!
Wilmington has a charming little downtown. They are clearly trying to develop those public spaces, including both the Riverfront and Brandywine Park. As my friend is a mom, we spent a lot of our visits either at the Children’s Museum or at the Brandywine Zoo, both of which were pretty solid day trips for a toddler.
Brandywine Park was quite nice, and I do think the zoo punches above its weight considering how small Wilmington is and how many significantly larger cities there are nearby.
I don’t have as many photos from the Children’s Museum or the Riverfront, since I’m not posting any that include Emmy’s child, but I do leave you with one of the fun facts I learned from the Children’s Museum: Delaware’s state fish is the weakfish, which is a very funny name for a fish.
I wouldn’t have gone to Wilmington so many times if it wasn’t for Emmy, but it was always a nice day trip! And if you, like me, are interested in going to every state, there’s definitely enough there to spend a nice day or weekend there during a visit to the East Coast.