Delaware bucket list: A ranking of 44 sports-related attractions to see, experience
Some of us might be a little closer to kicking the bucket than others.
But putting together and enjoying a “bucket list” of activities to attend, things to see or places to visit before it’s too late is an endeavor anyone can savor.
Sports destinations are particularly appealing for those aiming to open their eyes and ears to the best experiences, biggest events and most memorable attractions.
Delaware’s intimate size means nothing is ever more than a two-hour drive away, furthering the ease with which one can take in something new or curiously tempting.
With that in mind, we here at Delaware Online/The News Journal have put together a bucket list of First State sports attractions.
It’s a Top 44 hit parade of first-rate games, matchups, sites and competitions covering a wide array of sports. It certainly has plenty of the obvious high school and college sports events, many that are likely quite familiar, plus those involving Delaware’s minor-league outfits. Perhaps some are a bit off the beaten track and, therefore, additionally alluring.
Certainly, this listing could be longer and likely is missing other happenings and havens that may also have appeal to some. All should be lucky that Punkin’ Chunkin’, which surely would have been rated high, has taken its act to Oklahoma.
But Delaware still has plenty of winners:
44. Bear Triathlon
Of course, swimming, biking and running are fun outdoor activities. To do each in succession while racing against the clock is significantly more demanding. Every summer a couple hundred multi-sport denizens gather at Lums Pond State Park for events of both the sprint (.6-mile swim/10-mile bike/3-mile run) and Olympic (.9-mile swim/23-mile bike/6-mile run) distances.
43. Summer swim finals
Northern New Castle County has numerous neighborhood pools divided into two competitive organizations – the Suburban Swim League and North Brandywine Swim League – that culminate each summer in rousing league championship meets involving hundreds of youthful competitors and their families.
42. Great Wyoming Buffalo Stampede
Delaware has a slew of stellar running events at numerous distances, many with great beneficiaries, interesting courses and unusual themes. This one, which takes place in the little town of Wyoming a few miles south of Dover, has been among the more unique since its 1979 inception and has long billed itself as “The Best Little Race in America.” The Downstate Delaware Striders and Riders event has both 5K and 10K distances to double its appeal, plus many unique awards and, key for a running event, a festive postrace party.
41. Figure skating shows
Delaware has long been a training ground for nationally competitive and Olympic-level figure skaters. There are now three locations where that happens – the Skating Club of Wilmington, the University of Delaware’s High Performance Figure Skating Center and Newark’s Patriot Figure Skating Club. Each will frequently have send-off shows prior to major events.
40. Pro bowling strikes
Mid County Lanes in Middletown has hosted a Professional Bowlers Association’s tour event since 2009, though COVID-19 caused a two-year absence. The 2024 PBA Delaware Classic Feb. 26 to March 3 also earned national television airing on Fox Sports 1.
39. A night at the speedway
While Delaware has that one big-time racetrack in Dover, the state is sprinkled with other smaller venues offering different forms of auto racing with a unique appeal attracting local fans and drivers. They include Airport Speedway for micro-midget cars near New Castle, U.S. 13 Dragway and Delaware International Speedway in Delmar and Georgetown Speedway.
38. Watching the trotters at Harrington
Harness racing remains a popular attraction and the track at the Delaware State Fairgrounds in Harrington typically runs on several weeknights from April into October, less in July when the fair is on.
37. Slam Dunk to the Beach
The second version of the high school basketball tournament, which debuted in 1990 and resumed in 2014 after a 10-year absence, has annually brought some of the best teams and players in the country to Cape Henlopen High in Lewes for several days between Christmas and New Year’s. It's future, however, is uncertain due to increased costs.
36. Delaware Marathon Running Festival
This 20th edition coming on April 21, with the start/finish at Tubman Garrett Park on the Wilmington Riverfront, has evolved way beyond its initial purpose, which was to give those wanting to run a marathon in every state a Delaware race. It also includes half-marathon, 10K and 5K races plus relays, making it attractive to runners of all interests and abilities. The hilly course over city streets adds to the challenge.
35. Polar Bear Plunge
This is one popular sporting venture in which it’s perhaps better to be a fan than participant. But hundreds take part every February, running into and taking a quick dip in the frigid Atlantic Ocean in Rehoboth Beach, while others adequately dressed in winter coats observe. It raises money for Delaware Special Olympics.
34. The Delaware Sports Hall of Fame & Museum
Located on the first-base side outside Frawley Stadium, the Delaware Sports Museum and Hall of Fame is a treasure trove of First State sports history. Visitors can actually walk through time thanks to displays touting Delaware sports and its many luminaries, plus read about the 300-plus inductees and witness some of their exploits in video form.
33. Wilmington Grand Prix
It isn’t the Tour de France or even the Tour DuPont, a local 1989-96 attraction that began as the Tour de Trump because the future president and coup leader was sponsor. This mid-May USA Cycling event brings high-level bicycle racing to Wilmington, which is worth watching whether the competitors are zipping down and around city streets or tackling the tough climb up cobblestones in the Monkey Hill Time Trial in Brandywine Park.
32. Soccer’s state cup
Delaware Youth Soccer Association teams have periodically excelled enough to win at the very competitive U.S. Youth Soccer Eastern Regionals and make the U.S. nationals, a major fete. To get there, players ages 8 to 19 first must prevail in-state. The final age-group games typically occur on the same day in the spring, often in somewhat of a soccer festival at Kirkwood that fans of the game would enjoy.
31. A Wilmington University softball game
The Wildcats play games that are quick and crisp at easy-to-reach Asbury Field, which straddles Basin Road and Route 13 outside New Castle. They’ve had plenty of recent success that culminated in their first trip last year to the NCAA Division II Softball Championship.
30. Goldey-Beacom vs. Wilmington baseball at Wilson Field
Wilmington is a long-time baseball powerhouse that frequently reaches the NCAA Division II East Regionals, winning it in 2015 to make the Division II World Series. Central Atlantic Collegiate Conference rival Goldey-Beacom just re-started baseball in 2017 but has also quickly become prominent with a pair of NCAA appearances. A rivalry was born. Games between the two are passionately contested and typically have many former Delaware high school players. Bring a lawn chair for the April 27 double-header and sit below the sprawling tall pines just beyond the outfield fence and take it in.
29. Cape Henlopen vs. Salesianum in boys lacrosse
The skill level these two have exhibited on the lacrosse field the past 10 years in particular has been superior in Delaware. Regular-season battles -- May 14 at Cape this season -- regularly turn into state-title game rematches, as they’ve collided there seven of the last nine years with Salesianum winning five of those as well as two others against different schools.
28. St. Elizabeth vs. Ursuline in girls basketball
Wilmington’s winter-time evenings have frequently been heated up by this rivalry between nearby Catholic schools, which have regularly been among the state’s pre-eminent programs since the 1970s and the introduction of a state girls basketball championships. Old-timers can vouch for what games in St. Elizabeth’s tiny old gym, aptly nicknamed “The Box,” were like, But the modern St. E Center and Ursuline’s soon-to-be renovated Laffey McHugh Gymnasium are super settings.
27. Tower Hill vs. Friends in football
These schools have met 105 times in football dating back to 1928. When Friends won 35-0 last year it actually gave the Quakers the lead in the series for the first time – 52-51 with two ties. That coincided with Bob Tattersall becoming Friends coach from 1968 to 2021, with son Rob now in charge. The settings in which each play – collegial Groat Field at Tower Hill or tree-cloaked Tattersall Field in Alapocas – add to the ambience. The next matchup is Nov. 1 at Tower Hill.
26. SL24 Basketball Classic
Basketball basically gets an assist in this annual January event at the Chase Fieldhouse, which scores because it raises money and attention about mental health and steers those struggling toward a better tomorrow. It honors Sean Locke, the former Saint Mark’s and University of Delaware player who took his life, and the UnLocke the Light Foundation.
25. Homecoming football game at Delaware State
The Hornets have struggled on the football field the past 10 years. But proud alums still turn out for Delaware State’s annual homecoming football game, often against one of its MEAC rivals, at Alumni Stadium, where any visit is enhanced by the presence of DSU’s Approaching Storm band.
24. A Delaware State home basketball game
"They manufacture noise as well as any place I've ever been to," Delaware coach Martin Ingelsby said after the Blue Hens’ visit to Memorial Hall last November. This is a great atmosphere for college hoops and one that puts opposing teams on their heels. Best to pop in when the Blue Hens visit or Delaware State is hosting one of its MEAC foes.
23. The Joe O’Neill Cross Country Invitational
O’Neill was the long-time track and cross country coach at Saint Mark’s who was popular among his athletes and highly regarded by opposing coaches and teams. He died in 2009. This annual October meet, amidst the fall foliage at gorgeous Bellevue State Park, typically has more of the state’s best high school runners going head-to-head – or foot-to-foot – than the more highly publicized DIAA and New Castle County meets.
23. Delaware Open Golf Tournament
Delaware has had plenty of standout golfers, many of whom have won this prestigious event held every summer since 1966. It helped make multiple winners such as Richard Osberg, Pete Oakley, Chris Anderson and others familiar names to First State sports followers. The Delaware State Golf Association – now affiliated with the Golf Association of Philadelphia – will hold its 59th Open at Fieldstone Aug. 12-13.
21. Rehoboth Beach Patrol Lifeguard Olympics
Delaware’s beaches are, we can agree, its best attraction. They, of course, are protected by lifeguard crews. Each summer, patrols from many Delaware and nearby Maryland beaches gather for the Rehoboth Beach Patrol Lifeguard Olympics and the U.S. Lifesaving Association Mid-Atlantic Championships. They demonstrate their strength and stamina in various sand and sea running, swimming and paddling duels, including relays and a tug of war. It’s worth putting down that book or magazine to behold.
20. A Delaware Blue Coats game
Delaware is too small for a major-league team in any pro sport, though we’re certainly fortunate Philadelphia and Baltimore are so close. But minor-league teams have a long and successful track record in the First State. The Blue Coats players are on the cusp of the NBA, trying to get there or return. The team is the 76ers’ affiliate in the NBA G League, having won its title last year. The Blue Coats arrived as the 87ers, who played at the University of Delaware’s Bob Carpenter Center beginning in 2013-14. The name change came in 2018 just before the move to the newly constructed 76ers – now Chase – Fieldhouse, a 2,500-seat facility that opened in January of 2019.
19. Blue Hens field hockey at Rullo Stadium
Few home fields portray an NCAA championship banner, but Rullo Stadium is one. It touts the Blue Hens’ 2016 NCAA title. Delaware’s status as a national field hockey power dates to the 1970s and its location in the sport’s Mid-Atlantic hotbed helps keep it there, with the Blue Hens frequently playing host to other top collegiate squads.
18. Blue Hens baseball at Hannah Stadium
Few May weekend afternoons are better spent than lounging in the stands that rise behind the backstop at Hannah Stadium, where the outfield wall celebrates Delaware’s 1970 College World Series appearance and its many other accomplishments. The way the Blue Hens often hit, the baseball is likely to clear that wall several times in a typical game.
17. Beast of the East
The Beast of the East has truly lived up to its name, bringing hundreds of high school wrestlers and top teams to the Bob Carpenter Center on a weekend before Christmas for what is widely viewed as the nation’s most competitive tournament. Those who reach the top of the championship podium, as a pair of Salesianum wrestlers have the past two years, earn their climb.
16. The Senior Little League Softball World Series
Lower Sussex Little League in Roxana is located about 10 miles west of Bethany Beach and Fenwick Island. Every August, it’s almost as big an attraction as the nearby Atlantic Ocean beaches, as the world’s best teams play games that are nationally televised when championships are at stake. Delaware teams have frequently fared well here, adding to the local lure.
15. Little League baseball’s state championship
Only two Delaware baseball teams have ever qualified for the renowned Little League World Series in Williamsport, Pennsylvania -- Naamans in 2003 and Newark National in 2013. Doing so requires winning the Mid-Atlantic Tournament. Getting to that necessitates winning the state championship. Delaware’s double-elimination state tournament for the 11- and 12-year-olds who vie for Williamsport annually brings together champions from each of Delaware’s three northern, central and southern districts. Their quest and the thrill that comes with winning is a sight to see.
14. Special Olympics Summer Games
Special Olympics Delaware has long given athletic joy to a very unique group of sports enthusiasts and their families. While many events take place throughout the year, the annual Summer Games at the University of Delaware on a June weekend bring together hundreds of athletes, unified partners, coaches and volunteers for a vividly valuable exercise in camaraderie and competition.
13. An afternoon at Delaware Park
Going to Delaware Park, which opened in 1937, can feel like a step back in time, until one walks inside and hears the clanging of slot machines and other modern-day attractions. Certainly, casino gambling has enriched – actually saved – the horse-racing industry in Delaware. When the mighty thoroughbreds step onto the dirt oval in Stanton, it invokes ageless appeal, especially on a summer afternoon for a stakes race. Fans should be sure to gallop over to the gorgeous paddock area to watch the horses’ proud march toward the track.
12. DIAA wrestling finals
Winning a state title is the ambition of every Delaware high school wrestler, though few have the strength and savvy to accomplish that. Those who make the state finals position themselves for the sport’s ultimate challenge – six minutes, sometimes more – of individual warfare that results in everlasting satisfaction. Watching those duels is among the highlights of the state sports calendar.
11. DIAA Track and Field Championship at Dover High
This often-warm Saturday in May is a whirlwind of activity – sprinters dashing, distance runners straining, jumpers leaping and weight-throwers heaving – in which 48 individuals will win boys and girls Division I and II titles as will 16 relay foursomes and four fortunate team champions. The presence of Unified competitors, who often earn the day’s loudest and most deserved applause, adds to the attraction.
10. Friday night at the Blue Rocks
The second coming of the Wilmington Blue Rocks in 1993 was a huge boost to the First State sports scene. A previous Wilmington Blue Rocks franchise existed from 1940-52 in the now-defunct Interstate League and played at the since-razed Wilmington Ball Park at 30th Street and Gov. Printz Blvd. The present-day Rocks, since their rebirth, have been a high-Class A team, meaning players are three steps from the big leagues. The Blue Rocks were part of the Kansas City Royals’ organization from 1993-2020, except for two seasons (2005-06) with the Boston Red Sox. Since the 2021 reorganization of minor-league baseball, they have been Washington Nationals affiliates in the revamped South Atlantic League. Friday night games are particularly appealing with postgame fireworks, and teams with future Phillies, Mets, Orioles and Yankees often visit.
9. Drexel at Delaware in basketball
Delaware and Drexel have met 169 times in men’s basketball in a series Delaware leads 85-84. While it doesn’t come close to other Eastern rivalries with 200-plus meetings such as Lehigh-Lafayette, Penn-Princeton or Harvard-Yale, it is the oldest and most-played rivalry in the Coastal Athletic Association and surpasses any Philadelphia Big Five series. It’s fiercely contested and frequently close when the Blue Hens and Dragons collide. The women’s games between the two can be equally hard-fought and tempestuous.
8. Towson at Delaware in men’s lacrosse
This may be the best rivalry in UD sports. The physical nature of men’s lacrosse helps make it that way, as does the fact opposing players often know each other – hammering one another for 60 minutes then hugging afterward. Towson being situated in the lacrosse hotbed of Baltimore and the air of superiority that comes with it has also long fueled Blue Hen passions. This year's bout is April 26 at Delaware Stadium.
7. State championship baseball game at Frawley Stadium
A record crowd of 3,160 watched last June’s championship showdown matching two nearby schools as Delaware Military Academy downed Conrad. This game has been a popular draw since Frawley Stadium’s 1993 opening, giving baseball teams and fans the ideal venue in which to compete and entertain. The impending end of the school year and arrival of summer’s treasured warmth annually adds to the appeal. And Delawareans do love their baseball.
6. DIAA basketball tournament Final Four double-header
It was even better when, until a few years ago, the DIAA held state basketball tournament quarterfinal quadruple-headers – the girls on Saturday and the boys on Sunday – at the Carpenter Center, a day-long festive of basketball. The Final Four double-headers are still a thrill, often more entertaining than the subsequent title games, as schools from different places and with different styles vie for a treasured spot in the final.
5. Point-to-Point
For nearly a half-century, Point-to-Point has provided a Sunday spring gathering in which its often-upscale crowd numbering in the thousands vies for fanciest car, best hat, prettiest outfit and biggest tailgate party while horses gallop across Winterthur’s splendid acreage in a series of steeplechase races. It's an experience worth seeing and savoring at least once. This year’s 46th annual event is May 5.
4. Friday night football at Middletown
One of the interesting things about Cavalier Stadium is, except for some recent modernizations, it looks and feels like the same stadium it was 40 years ago when Middletown was the lone, and rather small, high school in the area. The school district in which it resides now has three high schools, all quite large, and hopes to add a fourth in 2028 to meet the area’s explosive population growth. Middletown fans still clang their cowbells, an ode to the area’s rural roots. Middletown frequently has one of the state’s top teams and best time to visit this fall will be for battles against two powerful peers -- neighboring Smyrna on Oct. 4 and defending state champ Salesianum on Oct. 25.
3. DFRC Blue-Gold All-Star Football Game
One of the state’s true sporting treasures, Blue-Gold blends competition and camaraderie in the most enriching and everlasting ways. It matches the state’s best high school seniors from that year in a duel for North-South bragging rights. But since its debut in 1956, it has also raised money for – roughly $7 million so far -- and awareness about the state’s intellectually disabled children. Game co-founders Jim Williams and Bob Carpenter each were the father of such a child. The annual lead-up to the June game brings participants, which also includes cheerleaders, band members and school “ambassadors,” together for various events with their intellectually disabled “buddies.” Their pregame reunion, on the field minutes before the game’s Friday night kickoff at Delaware Stadium, has long been among the First State’s most stirring sporting scenes. The 68th edition is June 21.
2. NASCAR at Dover Motor Speedway
The biggest national sporting event in Delaware each year is the NASCAR race at Dover, with this year’s Würth 400 coming April 28. It’ll be the 106th NASCAR Cup Series race held at Dover Motor Speedway, which held two annually through 2019. As usual, it concludes a busy weekend featuring the ARCA General Tire 150 Friday and the NASCAR Xfinity Series BetRivers 200 Saturday. Venues help make an event worth seeing. The Monster Mile, the well-deserved nickname for Dover’s high-banked concrete track, challenges drivers. Seeing those cars whiz around the track is riveting. And while capacity has been significantly reduced from the 135,000 seats that would fill 25 years ago to 58,000 now, the fans still come, making this a colorful cultural event as well. Just don’t forget the earplugs.
1. University of Delaware football home opener
The Blue Hens are Delaware’s most popular team and their home games have long highlighted the state sports calendar, a tribute to the program’s historic success and national renown. There are no bad seats in Delaware Stadium’s East and West grandstands, the latter having benefitted from a 2019 facelift. The home opener, Bryant visits on Aug. 29 this season, is particularly great because it attracts more students than subsequent games, adding to the festive atmosphere. Delaware’s 2025 climb to the Football Bowl Subdivision as a Conference USA member should add to the ambience and energy UD crowds typically exude, continuing to make it the place to be on a late-summer or fall afternoon or evening.
Contact Kevin Tresolini at ktresolini@delawareonline.com and follow on Twitter @kevintresolini. Support local journalism by subscribing to delawareonline.com and our DE Game Day newsletter.
This article originally appeared on Delaware News Journal: A bucket list of 44 Delaware sports events for fans to see, experience
