Bring a light jacket in case of bad weather.Bring insect repellant and sunscreen or apply beforehand.Light snacks and soft drinks are available to buy on the island but quantities may be limited. Picnic tables and a pavilion are available. Bring a water bottle and/or a picnic lunch.The spores don’t affect humans but can be deadly to bats. Visitors will be asked to step onto wet biomats to prevent spreading of spores that cause white-nose syndrome in bats. Some of the terrain is uneven, with small stones and gravel. Tickets must be bought at least five minutes before the ferry leaves, and parking may be a five-minute or more walk away from the ticket office. No pets are allowed, but service dogs are welcome. Visitors under age 16 must be accompanied by someone 18 or older. If the park cancels tours because of bad weather, visitors will receive a refund. No refund will be given if the cancellation is less than seven days from the tour date. If reservations are canceled, a refund will be given if the cancellation is made at least seven days before the tour date, minus a $5 fee. For reservations, see the website or call 1-87. However, to ensure a place on the ferry at the time you want to visit, reservations are recommended. Same-day tickets are available on a first-come, first-served basis at the ticket office. What to know, what to bring, what not to bring Private boats including kayaks and canoes aren't permitted to dock on Pea Patch Island. Visitor access to Fort Delaware is only allowed on the ferry Delafort, operated by the Delaware River and Bay Authority. Operating hours, ferry schedule and admission fees For the schedule of special demonstrations, see the website. For example on Saturday, May 13, join the crew in a cannon-firing presentation at 12:15 p.m., followed by a musketry demonstration at 2:15 p.m. A hiking trail and observation platform provide places for photography and nature study.Īlong with the regular park tours, Fort Delaware staff offer special demonstrations free with park admission on certain days. Herons, egrets and ibis can be seen at one of the largest wading bird nesting areas on the East Coast. Ghost tours and mystery escape-room programs are offered at special times. The fort was featured on the TV show “Ghost Hunters” and other paranormal shows. Visitors can hear stories of great escapes, and watch a demonstration of the fort's Columbiad cannon, capable of firing a 65-pound ball over two miles. “The reenactors really put forth an amazing effort to portray the whole concept of life at Fort Delaware,” said Dickinson. Students can read the letters and journals of people who lived at the fort.ĭemonstrations are a real eye-opener – how difficult it was to fix meals, sew and wash clothes and make tools and building supplies at the blacksmith shop. The tours “put you in the shoes of people in history who shaped our lives,” said Dickinson. Ann School in Wilmington has been bringing students to the fort for about five years. Inside, tour the officers' quarters, barracks, kitchen, blacksmith shop and ordnance room. As you enter, check out the moat around the fort and the huge steel doors. The park is a living-history museum where visitors can experience life during the Civil War, as described and demonstrated by staff members in period clothing. What can you do and see at Fort Delaware? More than 10,000 toured the fort last year. Garvin said, “Our work today expands on generations of preservation efforts by park stewards and ensures Fort Delaware will remain a historical destination for generations of visitors to come.” Manned briefly during World War I and WWII, the island and fort were transferred back to Delaware in 1944. After the Battle of Gettysburg, the population of prisoners swelled to over 10,000. During the Civil War, the Union used it to house Confederate prisoners of war. The fort was built in the mid-1800s to protect Wilmington and Philadelphia from enemy attack.
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