14 Things People Miss The Most About Delaware When They Leave
By Kim Magaraci|Published July 07, 2016
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Kim Magaraci
Author
Kim Magaraci graduated Rutgers University with a degree in Geography and has spent the last seven years as a freelance travel writer. Contact: kmagaraci@onlyinyourstate.com
People from out of state don’t realize how hard it is to leave our tiny state, or how many things there are to miss about Delaware. We all know that Delaware will always be home – even if we have to leave for a period of time. Many Delawareans are getting ready to leave the state for their first semester of college, or they’re getting ready to move for family or career reasons. Whenever you find yourself having to part with our great state, you’ll realize exactly how much you love about Delaware, and you’ll find yourself thinking about the following things that everybody ends up missing about Delaware.
Please note, JP’s On The Warf is temporarily closed.
The one thing I would truly miss about Delaware... Punkin Chunkin. The best event in the First State, and absolutely the hardest to explain to anyone that isn't from Delaware. I've tried - don't waste your time. Out of staters just don't understand!
Sticky, sweet, and such an iconic part of growing up in Delaware! Sure, some town candy shops will carry something that they CALL "salt water taffy," but nothing can quite compare to the freshly made candy from Dolles.
Fries with vinegar aren't completely unheard of outside of Delaware, but they're definitely not common. And we all know that Thrashers makes the absolute best fries in the world, so if you move out, you'll certainly miss having a perfect bucket of Thrashers.
Some people think scrapple is a Philly thing, but the world's largest manufacturer is right here in Delaware at Rapa Scrapple. It's hard to find outside of the Delaware / Philadelphia area... and it's a hard sell to those in other parts of the country, especially if they ask what it's made out of... but hey, we in Delaware love it!
When you tell someone you miss having oysters in Delaware, they're sure to bring you to their favorite raw bar. Try not to hurt their feelings when you tell them it's just not the same! Same-day oysters from the Delaware Bay are common in our state, so out of this area, they're just not fresh enough. Even if you move to a coastal area, there's just something so delicious about Delaware Bay oysters, like this catch from JP's On The Warf in Bower's Beach.
It's not too uncommon to find Dogfish Head at select stores and bars around the country, but one of the things you'll miss about Delaware is the ability to order the 120 Minute IPA at nearly every single restaurant you visit. In our opinion, not carrying the best Dogfish Head beer should be a bar sin!
Unless you happen to move to Maryland, you'll miss Delaware's crab cakes. It's hard to beat the freshness of Delaware blue crabs turned into incredible crab cakes at a local, bayside bar.
There aren't many places in the world with such spectacular sunrises as the East coast of Delaware. Along the bay or the ocean, if you wake up early enough, you'll be treated to an unbelievable sight. Be sure to catch a few more sunrises before you head out of Delaware.
Outside of Delaware, New Jersey, Philly and New York, the rest of the country just doesn't know how to make pizza. One of the things I would really miss about Delaware, if I had to leave, is the Nic-o-Boli from Nicola's... and for pizza pies, I don't know how I'd live without Margherita in Newark.
Maybe I'm sheltered, but I was quite surprised when I visited friends from out of state and found out that you can't just decide to escape for an afternoon and visit a massive, ornate estate whenever you feel like it. All of the DuPont mansions and gardens that have been turned into beautiful museums have certainly spoiled me!
Delaware has some amazing ice cream - with so many fresh creameries in the state, it's so easy to get an outstanding cone. It might be harder to find something that lives up to your expectations in other states!
Oh, Wawa. Our midnight or 6 a.m. savior. Other states just don't understand - they say "Oh, we have a 7-11 here!" and expect us to accept that. There is nothing that could replace you, Wawa.
You know, it’s been a while since I’ve walked down the boardwalk with a bucket of Thrashers, and I haven’t wandered around Hagley much at all this year. Maybe I should take advantage of all of these great things before I regret it, if I ever have to leave Delaware. What would you miss about Delaware, if you had to spend some time away?
If these 14 things didn’t convince you, here’s a great article showing 11 photos of Delaware that are so amazing you won’t believe they’re real!
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