State tourism office launches Delaware Discoveries Trail

The Delaware Tourism Office has unveiled a new way for travelers to experience the state with the Delaware Discoveries Trail, a series of interactive street art pieces that serve as Instagram-able attractions.

The trail features nine outdoor art pieces on buildings throughout the state. Each piece is unique to that particular building. Three of the pieces are in New Castle County, four in Kent County and two in Sussex. 

Delaware Tourism Director Liz Keller said when visitors take a photo of four of the nine pieces they will be eligible for a prize, a limited-edition paint pour kit. She said eight of the artists were chosen through a partnership with the Developing Artist Collaboration in Dewey Beach. A contest was held to select a ninth artist, she said. 

“They worked with the locations, and they were inspired by the ambience of the location to create their art,” Keller said. 

The artwork sites include Big Chill Beach Club near Bethany Beach, Bombay Hook National Wildlife Refuge, the Cape May-Lewes Ferry Terminal, DE Turf outside Milford, the Hagley Museum and Library, Delaware Children’s Museum and Delaware Art Museum in Wilmington, the town of Wyoming, and Mispillion River Brewing Company in Milford. 

Wheeler said themes include a sunrise for Big Chill, butterfly wings for Bombay refuge and a world map at the children’s museum.

The Mispillion River brewery piece was created by Michael Johnson, and it shows a brewery tap with beer flowing into a river that runs underneath the Milford Riverwalk bridge. A kayak floats along the river under the bridge.

Johnson said the piece took him about 20 hours over the course of three days to finish, using mostly acrylic paint with spray paint to accent the white areas. 

“Delaware Tourism was saying this was an active community, with kayaking and paddleboarding; they really wanted to see that reflected in it. Then talking with Eric Williams from Mispillion, and shipbuilding was a big piece of it. They wanted to see something cool encapsulating the space with beer, so it was a combination of those two things,” Johnson said. “I always liked waves, and being active in that way, so I wanted a surf wave coming out of the tap.”

Williams said, “We’ve worked with Delaware Tourism for quite a while. It was natural for us to be a part of it. Tourism is a huge deal for our business. When they pull up and see this, it’s pretty amazing.”

Johnson was brought in with the project through his activity with the nonprofit Developing Artist Collaboration, which helps grow the careers of local artists in exchange for the artists giving their time for community projects. 

Tom Little, head of the collaboration, said, “Delaware Tourism Office reached out and said, ‘Hey, we’re looking for a partner to try to spotlight some local artists.’ We have over 100 artists locally that we work with throughout the state. We felt Mike’s style would be perfect for this.’”

Besides the Mispillion mural, Johnson also painted the mural at DE Turf, the complex of soccer fields off Route 1 between Milford and Frederica. That mural features a soccer theme.

Secretary of State Jeffrey Bullock said, “These are challenging times for the state’s hospitality industry, and this innovative project provides visitors another reason to come to Delaware. Those travelers will boost the state’s hospitality industry by eating in local restaurants, staying in local hotels and visiting local attractions.”

To learn more and to explore the Delaware Discoveries Trail, go to www.delawarediscoveries.com.