Tubing The Brandywine Is A Perfect Way To Spend A Hot Summer Day

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 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!

Since July is National Ice Cream Month, we thought we would find out where Delawareans like to go for their favorite scoop.

We took to Facebook and simply asked, "Where Do You Go In Delaware For Your Favorite Ice Cream?"  The response was pretty good.  So, why not put a list together to let others know where the locals like to go?   We promise we won't tell too many people.  Wink, wink.  Long lines are no fun when you have a hankering for something sweet.

There were plenty of local shops mentioned in the comments.  Delawareans certainly take their Ice Cream seriously, and not just during National Ice Cream Month.

According to National Calendar Day,  July is National Ice Cream Month.  It makes perfect sense.  July is most definitely one of the hottest months of the year across the country.

Some fun ice cream facts:

We definitely have some clear local favorites here in Delaware.  Amongst the many, many responses, these locations were shown some love, so we didn't want to leave them out.   Tre Sorelle Docle, Rita's, Vanderwende Farm Creamery, Wawa, Charcoal Pit, Uncle Mike's Ice Cream and Water Ice, Friendly's and the Creamery at St. George's.

Not listed in any particular order.

Clearly a Delaware favorite.  UDairy is on the campus of the UDel, and their ice cream is made with milk from the cows on the on-campus farm, and flavors are developed, produced and sold by students..  Serving up original flavors like, 1st State Cobbler, peach ice cream with a blueberry swirl and cinnamon crumble pieces and Blue Hen Tracks, vanilla ice cream with peanut butter cups, fudge swirl and blue/yellow sprinkles.

3201 Concord Pike , Wilmington, DE 19803

Sweet Lucy's Ice Cream & Treats is a charming and colorful ice cream parlor that's become a family favorite in Wilmington!

1310 Little Baltimore Road Hockessin, DE 19707

Once named a must try ice cream shop in America. They’ve also been named as Delaware’s Best Ice Cream by Delaware Today.  And they’re serving up some out of the box flavors.  Their menu lists Bacon, Peanut Butter and Jelly and Motor Oil!  Motor Oil?  What’s that?  According to the flavor list, motor oil is Coffee ice cream with a caramel & fudge swirl.  And the caramel is GREEN!

2394 Pulaski Highway in Glasgow

465 West Main St. in Middletown

3616 Kirkwood Highway in Wilmington

 At least 24 ever-changing flavors made fresh in our ice cream shops daily. With over 150 handcrafted flavor recipes in rotation, Bruster’s is a community staple where you can treat yourself.

2 Jay Dr, New Castle, DE 19720

Traditional, locally owned business since 1956. Joy Parker continues her family's love for ice cream.

133 N Dupont Blvd, Smyrna, DE 19977

It's new but was mentioned as a fave by many!

Marmy's Creamery is owned and operated by The McCracken Family of Smyrna, DE.  They put a modern day spin on the classic old-time creamery experience.  Offering a variety of items from the classic sundae (stacker) to ice cream nachos.

https://marmyscreamery.com/

700 Philadelphia Pike, Wilmington, DE 19809

The Ice Cream Shoppe was by far mentioned most when we asked where Delawareans go for ice cream.

Serving Up Plenty of Fun!!!  Along with serving up the best that ice cream has to offer, they also serve up plenty of fun hosting car shows and other events.

3198 Frazer Rd, Newark, DE 19702

Not only do they serve Woodside's Ice Cream, according to a Facebook comment, they have the best salted caramel too.

I mean, I think everyone knows about DQ.  In this case, sometimes you can't beat the classics.

900 East Division Street  Dover, DE  19901

Providing homemade ice creams and hand crafted desserts to friends and local families to become the favorite dessert shop with a personal touch.

204 Christiana Rd #3010, New Castle, DE 19720

 18186 Dairy Farm Rd, Lewes, DE 19958

Hopkins Farm Creamery opened in 2008, and has been creating new flavors of ice cream and selling them to the public ever since.