Delaware may be the second smallest state in the country, but it’s big on flavor. From steamed crab and fresh-caught fish to farm-fresh ice cream and saltwater taffy, there is plenty to tempt the group’s collective palate throughout the state.
A great place for planners to start is to check out local calendars to see if any food festivals are in full swing when the group is in town. Annual favorites for attendees to enjoy after the meeting include the Rehoboth Beach Chocolate Festival and St. Anthony's Italian Festival in Wilmington.
The Wilmington area is also home to superb group-friendly dining, including Centreville, Del.-based Buckley’s Tavern, where Chef Tom Hannum is happy to spend a little time talking with attendees.
“The restaurant is wonderful,” said Jessica Bittmann, director of sales at the Greater Wilmington CVB. “The food is amazing and Chef Tom is really personable. The last group that I brought there was delighted to speak with him and to learn more about the history of Buckley’s.”
Located at the Hilton Wilmington/Christiana in Newark, Del., is the newly renovated Market Kitchen and Bar, which offers chef table experiences throughout the year in either a private dining room or outside in the courtyard garden.
In the garden, Chef Robert Fratticcioli, food and beverage director, plants and harvests vegetables and herbs that are used in the restaurant’s dishes.
“The addition of the herb and vegetable garden was brilliant,” Bittmann said. “It’s exciting to see the plants growing outside and then see them incorporated in the menu. The Hilton really takes their farm-to-table concept seriously—everything on their menu is sourced locally.”
Groups seeking a treat could visit the University of Delaware student-run UDairy Creamery, which has stores in Newark and Wilmington that serve flavors including 1st State Cobbler, a peach ice cream with blueberry swirl and cinnamon crumble, and All Nighter, a coffee ice cream with cookie dough and fudge swirls.
Southern Delaware is known as the Culinary Coast for a reason, according to Tina Coleman, communications manager for Southern Delaware Tourism.
“The area is home to an incredible concentration of top-notch, James Beard-nominated and award-winning chefs and dining establishments and has developed into a real foodie mecca,” she said.
The group-friendly Bluecoast Seafood Grill & Raw Bar opened in 2017 in Bethany Beach, Del., and has already won the 2018 Wine Spectator Award of Excellence.
“The food is all amazing, but definitely try the lobster cavatappi,” said Coleman.
Groups are also encouraged to explore the area’s bounty by taking the three-hour Eating Rehoboth Walking Food Tour, during which they’ll enjoy exclusive food tastings at five of Rehoboth Beach’s best eateries.
Another option, well suited for groups that prefer transportation, is a culinary tour of Coastal Highway with Delmarva Discovery Tours. It’s a progressive lunch experience starting in Dewey Beach and continuing north to Milton and back.
Many Southern Delaware chefs/restaurants offer customized cooking classes and demonstrations for groups, Coleman added, including Rehoboth Beach-based Big Fish Grill, which offers a fish-cutting demonstration and wine-and-cheese pairing.
Groups won’t go hungry in Kent County, where they could stop by Easy Speak Spirits, located in the Quaint Village of Milford.
According to Danielle Jonigan, marketing and communications manager for Kent County Tourism, Easy Speak is an all-in-one distillery and brewpub that serves wood-fired and smoked food dishes.
And located in historic downtown Dover is Grey Fox Grille & Public House, which Jonigan said is perfect for small meetings and offers groups a specialty banquet menu and private dining rooms.
Delaware CVB Informaiton
Greater Wilmington CVB
302.652.4088
Kent County Tourism
302.734.4888
Southern Delaware Tourism
302.856.1818
Click over to page two for more information on Delaware
PageBreakDrink Up, Delaware!
Beyond the ocean, inland bays and rivers, where groups could arrange fun waterborne activities from crabbing to paddleboarding, Delaware is also overflowing with tasty liquid opportunities.
The Delaware Beer Wine & Spirits Trail showcases more than 20 purveyors of beer, wine and booze across the state, including the Wilmington-based Stitch House Brewery, which opened in March, and Liquid Alchemy Beverages (LAB), which specializes in meads and ciders.
As well as private tours and tastings, LAB hosts events for up to 32 people with partners including Plant Nite, which facilitates entertaining terrarium-building activities.
“The team at LAB understands groups and they’re flexible in creating an event that works for them rather than fitting them into a cookie cutter option,” said Jessica Bittmann, director of sales at the Greater Wilmington CVB. “We’ve received excellent feedback when hosting events with them, and a bottle of mead makes a great gift at the close of a meeting.”
Nearby Wilmington in Hockessin, Del., is Mt. Cuba Center, a must-visit botanical garden that offers fun group tours and hayrides, including one called Hay Bales & Brews.
“A hayride through our stunning natural areas takes passengers to a bonfire for s’mores, snacks and beers,” said Katie Bohri, Mt. Cuba Center’s marketing and communications specialist. “It’s perfect for groups!”
Beverage experiences are at the top of many groups’ lists in Southern Delaware, which is home to more than 10 craft breweries, two wineries, a meadery and three distilleries, according to Tina Coleman, communications manager for Southern Delaware Tourism.
“There are regularly scheduled experiences available, and both tour operators and individual beverage producers are welcoming of requests for custom tours,” she said.
Regularly scheduled group tours include the 3.5-hour Beach Brews & Booze Tour with Rehoboth Beach-based Sun Otter Tours, during which participants will tour Dogfish Head Brewery and Brimming Horn Meadery, and take a cocktail class at a local bar or pub.
Craft beverage tours are also facilitated by Rehoboth Beach-based Delmarva Discovery Tours, which offers a popular Wine & Garden Tour.
Groups could toast over a glass of wine during a meeting in Kent County, too, including at Felton, Del.-based Pizzadili Vineyard & Winery, which is known for using locally grown Delaware grapes.
“Kent County’s oldest winery is modeled after the wine cellar caves of Tuscany,” said Danielle Jonigan, marketing and communications manager for Kent County Tourism. “Groups will enjoy the intimate setting of Pizzadili Winery, its picturesque landscape with gardens and vineyards.”
If the group prefers something a bit stronger, Painted Stave Distilling offers tours and tastings of handcrafted bourbon, vodka and gin.
“Host your meeting inside a 1940s era movie theater at Painted Stave Distilling, located in the Quaint Villages of Smyrna,” Jonigan said.
Latest & Greatest
Greater Wilmington
The 120-room Homewood Suites Wilmington broke ground in May 2018. The expected completion date for the hotel, which will be connected via an overhead walkway to Chase Center on the Riverfront, is September 2019.
Residence Inn Wilmington Downtown opened in March 2018 with 96 guest accommodations and two meeting rooms.
A 114-room Hyatt Place is scheduled to open in May 2019 on the Wilmington Riverfront. The hotel will have a 13,000-square-foot banquet center with 4,000 square feet of event space.
The 132-room Springhill Suites Newark Downtown opened in May 2018 within walking distance to much of the University of Delaware campus. The property has one meeting room.
Southern Delaware
The Rehoboth Beach Convention Center reopened in early 2018 after a nearly two-year renovation, including a new larger lobby area, an upgraded kitchen and a new entranceway.
The Bellmoor Inn and Spa in downtown Rehoboth Beach recently completed a redesign project including guest room, common area and meeting space updates. The property has over 3,000 square feet of meeting space.
Also in Rehoboth Beach is Atlantic Sands Hotel and Conference Center, which recently completed renovations to its oceanfront and ocean view rooms on the 3rd and 4th floors. Renovations of oceanfront and ocean view rooms on the 1st and 2nd floors are scheduled for completion by early spring 2019.
Kent County
Alkridge Scout Reservation, located in Delaware’s Quaint Villages of Kent County, opened in spring 2018. The Reservation sits on 85 acres and features three pavilions covering over 10,000 square feet of covered space, and an outdoor seating pavilion for 1,000 people.