Delaware Seashore State Park offers programs for everyone

Staff members at Delaware Seashore State Park are geared up for another jam-packed schedule of educational programs this season. 

The park, which includes the Indian River Inlet, extends for 6.5 miles between Dewey and Bethany beaches. Park staff members have created a selection of programs each week to please all ages and interests, covering topics from maritime heritage to coastal ecology.

“We have included a nice mix of new programs, as well as some of our classic programs,” said Laura Scharle, interpretive programs manager for the park. “Our kayak eco-tours and our lantern tours continue to be our most popular programs. The lanterns tours create a really unique ambiance that helps transport people back to the turn of the century when surfmen patrolled these beaches looking for ships in distress. Kayak eco-tours meander through salt marsh creeks and go by some incredible nesting grounds for a variety of gulls and wading birds.”

But eco-tours and lantern tours are just the beginning of what this park has to offer this summer. Children’s nature programs, introductory surf fishing classes, upcycling craft events, and historic reenactments fill summer days throughout the season.

Scharle says she is most excited for some of the newest programs this summer. “This is the first time we have ever offered hayrides on the beach,” she said. “We are also offering a family-friendly beach clam bake event, once in July and once in August. This event will take place at the life-saving station museum to introduce visitors to the daily lives of the surfmen of the U.S. Life-Saving Service and some of the foods that they may have been eating over 100 years ago.”

For a full calendar of programs taking place at Delaware Seashore State Park, go to www.destateparks.com/beaches/delawareseashore.

For more information or to make reservations, call the Indian River Life-Saving Station at 302-227-6991.