Middletown

Growing Delaware town on the Delmarva route, with farming roots and nearby Historic Odessa.

Middletown is a small but rapidly growing town in New Castle County, southern Delaware — about 50 km south of Wilmington on US Route 301, and one of the fastest-growing municipalities in the state. Historically a 19th-century farming community (the Middletown Historic District along Main Street is the surviving reminder), it has boomed in recent decades into a commuter suburb for the Wilmington and Philadelphia job markets.

There is not much to pull in travellers specifically, but Middletown is a convenient stop for anyone heading down the Delmarva Peninsula toward the Delaware beaches, and the surrounding countryside still has working farms and a scattering of pre-Revolutionary houses. Combine a visit with a side trip to Historic Odessa — a tiny, beautifully preserved 18th-century port village that is one of the best small historic sites in the state and absolutely worth the 10 km detour.

Guide

Getting There

Middletown is about 50 km south of Wilmington and 70 km southwest of Philadelphia on US Route 301. By car it is easily reached from both cities — about 45 minutes from Wilmington, about an hour from Philadelphia via I-95 and US-301. There is no passenger rail service to Middletown itself; the nearest Amtrak station is Wilmington. Delaware Transit (DART First State) runs bus routes connecting Middletown to Wilmington and Newark, but service is limited and the town is much more practical to visit by car. For Historic Odessa, you will definitely need a car.

Guide

Things to Do

Middletown's main historic interest lies in the Middletown Historic District, where a concentration of 19th-century commercial and residential buildings along Main Street gives a flavour of what a prosperous Delaware market town once looked like. The nearby village of Historic Odessa is the compelling nearby excursion — one of the best-preserved 18th-century villages on the Delmarva Peninsula.