Tubing the Brandywine Creek has always been a favorite family activity! (When I am not DJing on WJBR, you’ll find me doing something fun outdoors!)
We are so fortunate to live here in the Brandywine Valley that offers so many different outdoor activity opportunities.
The Brandywine flows from Chester County PA all the way to Wilmington. Along the way there are great sections for kayaking, canoeing and my favorite-tubing!
Our favorite section for tubing the Brandywine starts at the Brandywine River Museum of Art to Thompson Bridge at Brandywine Creek State Park here in Delaware.
Your first step of course is securing your tubes! Your best bet for the best variety of tubes is to tap up Amazon. Local stores that carry a nice selection of tubes includes Cabela’s in Newark and Dicks Sporting Goods at 202 and Naamans Road.
Then once you pick the day you would like to go, you need to arrange your transportation between point A and B.
I suggest your group travel with two or three cars and drop one off in the parking lot on the southern end of the trip, at Thompson Bridge. (At last check, the lot at Thompson’s Bridge were charging $8 a car.)
Then you need to drive up Route 100 to Route 1 to the Brandywine River Museum in Chadds Ford.
Parking at the museum costs about $20 per car and there is always room at the lot just off US1. The trip can take 3 to about 6 hours depending on how quickly the river is flowing. Generally the creek is about 3 feet deep with some areas as deep as 6 feet. As of this writing the water is running a little slower and lower. Some sections may be shallow you would need to walk a little bit to get back to deeper water.
Once you are in the water, it’s time to relax, have fun with your friends, maybe take a swim! Remember to bring an extra tube to support a cooler for snacks and refreshing drinks!
Other items to remember are a dry bag for your keys and stuff, sunscreen, a hat and water shoes (I always forget those!)
And of course a great soundtrack is listening the the Brandywine Valley’s own radio station Mix 99.5 WJBR! Be sure to bring a waterproof Bluetooth speaker!
Enjoy the scenery along the way through our beautiful Brandywine Valley!
Bike Trails Near Wilmington - EJ's Favs!
Northern Delaware Greenway Trail Wilmington
The Northern Delaware Greenway Trail runs thru New Castle County, including Alapocas Run State Park, Rockwood County Park, Bringhurst Woods Park and Bellevue State Park. A few years ago we took a ride from Bellevue to the Brandywine Zoo. It’s a great ride, and you will encounter some hills along the way. Be sure to check out the rock ledges at Alapocas!
Jack A. Markell Trail Wilmington to New Castle
My favorite trail in Delaware is the Jack A. Markell Trail that is a rather easy 7.9 mile ride from Wilmington to New Castle Battery Park. It’s paved and includes a boardwalk through a freshwater tidal marsh refuge where you not only have a great view of the city of Wilmington, but also wildlife including bald eagles! We park at the DuPont Environmental Education Center and ride down to Battery Park. After spending some time enjoying the river views in New Castle, be sure to have lunch or a snack at the restaurants Delaware Street.
C&D Canal Bike Trail Chesapeake City MD to Delaware City DE
Last year for our wedding anniversary, my wife and I stayed at a cool Airbnb in Chesapeake City and of course we brought our bikes along!The C&D Canal Trail follows the Chesapeake-and-Delaware Canal from Chesapeake City to Delaware City. If you are up for a long ride, this is a great one! It’s 30 miles round trip on smooth asphalt with two short steep hills. If starting in Chesapeake City, you are greeted in Delaware City by many great restaurants and shops and a great view of the Delaware River.
Chester Creek Rail Trail Middletown And Aston Delco
My go to local trail close to my home is the Chester Creek Trail in Delaware County PA, running through the towns of Aston and Middletown Township. There are eventual plans where the trail will run from Septa’s new Wawa Station to Upland PA. The 2.8 mile section of the middle of the trail has been open since 2016. For now, this trail is better for walking and running due to it’s shorter length. However you can turn it into a longer bike ride by simply going up and down the length of the trail a few times. As the name indicates, it follows Chester Creek and there are nesting bald eagles nearby that I’ve seen swoop into the creek.
Delaware Dog Friendly Beaches In Summer
Just about all of Delaware’s beaches are dog friendly between September 30th and May 15th, but there are only a handful of Delaware dog friendly beaches that welcome your dogs to romp the beaches all summer long!
I have great memories of bringing our late dog Grace on family camping trips to Assateague Island National Seashore in Maryland. It was the best family time with our young kids at the time and to have Grace camping right there with us.
EJ’s dog Grace who was a Johnson Family Member from 1999 to 2012.
Some of our best days are beach days! And that goes for our K9 friends too!
Running, walking, chasing a ball or stick, and splashing around in the water is like heaven for our pets. I think you can actually see dogs smile while having fun with us on the beach! And what pet owner doesn’t love to see their four-legged friends having some good ole’ fashion fun with the rest of the family?
Assateague welcomes dogs on the Maryland side all year long. There are also a handful of other right here in Delaware where your dog is welcome in June, July, August and September.
Take a look at the list of we’ve put together of Delaware Dog Friendly Beaches in Summer.
Woodland Beach, DE
Find Woodland Beach on Delaware Route 6 near Smyrna. It’s pet friendly as long is your dog is leashed. Dogs can play in the sand and surf and reviewers say “it’s great for dogs, but it can get crowed in the summer”.
Special Mention: Higbee Beach near Cape May, NJ
Higbee Beach is owned by the State of New Jersey and is open from 5am to 9pm. The word on this beach is that while you may see dogs year round on this beach, it’s not technically permitted. Dogs are allowed from September 1 to April 30.