Campgrounds to visit. If you’re really looking to get away from it all, Blackbird State Forest is home to isolated, primitive camp sites. The park is open year-round and has over 40 miles of trails to hike and explore. Amenities include BBQ grills, fire ring pits and shelters if protection from the elements is needed.
Houston is home to G&R Campground, a family-owned, year-round campground with tent and recreational vehicle sites and cottages for rent with air conditioning and heat. Guests of the grounds also have access to the pool and play areas, a picnic pavilion, outdoor games like horseshoes and volleyball and a general store. A 10,000 square foot activity hall is also on the property and is available for rent for private events with catering, too.
For an activity and amenity-filled camping experience, Killens Pond State Park is worth a visit. Another park that is open year-round, it offers something for both tent and recreational vehicle campers. Here you’ll find your choice of a primitive walk-in camping loop for tent-camping, campsites with electric and water hookups, and family cabins for rent with efficiency kitchens, bathrooms, heat and A/C. Activities include the Killens Pond Water Park, fishing, canoes and kayaks rentals on the 66-acre mill pond and the mile-long cross country running course. The Killens Pond State Park Nature Center is a LEED-certified conference and meeting space with educational facilities surrounded by nature.
Outdoor activities to try. Outdoor enthusiasts and animal lovers will also love the beauty and nature in the wildlife refuge and reserves throughout Delaware’s Quaint Villages. Consider these ideas just a snapshot and starting point for the many activities and places to discover here in Kent County.
Start your adventure by hopping on the Delaware Bayshore Byway. The route boasts some of the best birding in the East Coast and is great for peaceful drive to with picturesque scenery. Bombay Hook National Wildlife Refuge stretches eight miles along Delaware Bay. In the refuge you’ll find tidal salt marsh, brushy and timbered swamps, a 12-mile wildlife drive, observation towers, five walking trails for birding and photography opportunities during your visit.
On the north shore of the St. Jones River, the St. Jones Reserve is a part of the Delaware National Estuarine Research Reserve. Open to the public, the reserve provides a two-mile nature and hiking trail, fresh water estuaries, and hands-on interactive activities and exhibits for visitors of all ages.
Walk the pet-friendly trails of Atlantic White Cedar woodlands at Abbott’s Mill Nature Center. The center occupies 376 acres of the Milford Millponds Nature Preserve and is open to the public. Sections of the trails are handicap-accessible, making it easy to reach the picnic area and the Garden for Wildlife idea garden.
The St. Jones Greenway is a pathway designed to connect the residential communities of the cities and towns throughout Kent County along the St. Jones River. The 14-mile path is perfect for pedestrians and bicyclists and will offer recreational and natural resource educational experiences.
With bay beaches, quaint villages, nature preserves and small-town charm, there’s so much to explore in Kent County. Plan your next Quaint Village vacation in Delaware.