Aviation lovers won’t want to miss the Air Mobility Command Museum, which features the largest and most complete collection of restored U.S. military cargo and tanker aircraft in the eastern U.S.
Milford, which sits south of Dover, is a charming small town known for its artsy edge and welcoming downtown lined with art museums, murals and inviting restaurants. The town’s scenic Riverwalk beckons walkers and cyclists to take a stroll along the water on their way to a farm-to-table lunch, tapped off by a craft beer sampling from the local Mispillion Brewing Company. Nature lovers won’t want to miss the two nearby gems, Abbott’s Mill and DuPont Nature Centers.
Just west of Milford lies Harrington, host of the annual Delaware State Fair each July. It’s also home of the exciting Harrington Raceway and Casino with slot machines, gaming tables and award-winning restaurants.
North of Milford on Route 1 lies the town of Frederica which not only provides headquarters for NASA spacesuit engineers, ILC Dover, but also boasts the state’s largest and only all-turf sports facility, the DE Turf Sports Complex. Athletes of all ages can enjoy playing on synthetic fields year-round at this expansive complex, despite weather conditions.
North of Dover, you’ll find another small, hospitable town, Smyrna, which offers close proximity to the ocean at Woodland Beach. This quiet beach is never crowded, and it’s the perfect place to escape and do a little fishing or sea glass collecting.
Outdoor enthusiasts can go bird watching in the salt marshes of Bombay Hook National Wildlife Refuge or fishing in the millpond at Killens Pond State Park.
Notable employers in the Central Delaware region include Bayhealth, Delaware State University, Delaware Technical Community College, Delaware State and Dover Downs. The central region is also a base for impressive companies like ILC Dover, Playtex, Kraft, Proctor and Gamble, and Miller Metal.
ILC Dover is a world leader in the innovative design and production of engineered products employing high-performance flexible materials. This is the company that outfitted the Apollo astronauts and all subsequent NASA manned missions, including present flights to the International Space Station. They are currently developing two new spacesuits for Extravehicular Activity (EVA) and Launch Entry and Abort (LEA).
Miller Metal Fabrication is a premier home-grown manufacturing company providing state-of-the-art (CAD) design, laser cutting, bending, machining, welding and assembly services to a global market.
High-quality healthcare options are just as accessible in the central region as the rest of Delaware. Bayhealth is Central Delaware’s healthcare leader with a hospital in Dover and most recently in Milford, investing over $314 million to build the new 165-acre health campus including a cutting-edge hospital and outpatient center. There is also a freestanding emergency department in Smyrna and numerous satellite facilities with employed physicians practicing a variety of specialties.