Southern Delaware is a mecca for foodies and drinks enthusiasts – come and join them!
Sussex County, Delaware’s southernmost county, has long been known for its pristine Atlantic beaches and bays and friendly, welcoming atmosphere. More recently though, within the last couple of decades, Southern Delaware has also become widely recognized as the Culinary Coast™ thanks to its incredible concentration of top notch, James Beard-nominated and award-winning chefs and dining establishments, its abundance of popular wineries, breweries, and distilleries, and the wide variety of local producers who ensure that all of them are working with the freshest possible ingredients.
While it appears to many visiting beachgoers that Sussex County’s #1 industry is sunshine and surf, in reality agriculture is our county’s biggest economic driver and a driving force behind the emergence of the area as a fabulous culinary destination. In fact, most visitors to Southern Delaware have traveled farther to get here than the food they’re served once they arrive.
Plus, thanks to local agriculture, when you visit us you’ll find a thriving, nationally recognized farmers market culture with active participation from our restaurants and many local specialty producers. At least one farmers market takes place nearly every day of the week in season. And the area is home to a thriving aquaculture community, ensuring that our local restaurants serve up delicious oysters grown in Southern Delaware’s own back bays.
Southern Delaware also boasts many farms that welcome visitors and that sell their own home-grown products. You can check out wineries, visit a lavender farm, an alpaca farm, and enjoy ice cream on the dairy farm where it’s produced, all in the same day if you like! And you can pick your own peaches, blueberries, strawberries, wildflowers, and more when visiting local farms and nurseries.
Sussex County boasts three wineries, multiple breweries and distilleries, and a meadery (have you TRIED honey wine? If not, you Have. Not. Lived.) And Milton is home base for nationally-known Dogfish Head Craft Brewery. Wine tastings, winery, brewery, and distillery tours, walking food tours, and cooking classes offered by award-winning chefs from several popular dining establishments are must-dos for visitors and locals alike.
Those of us in Southern Delaware are grateful for the creativity, vision, hard work, and artistry of our local restaurateurs, chefs, brewers, winemakers, distillers, and producers. And we know you will be too! We welcome you to join us in savoring the amazing flavors of our Culinary Coast™.
P.S. Visit any time of year… This place stays open and DELICIOUS all year long!