By CAROLYN QUINN

If you are looking for something to do on a warm, lazy summer day and want to experience a small town near the beach but not crowded with beach goers, take a trip to Milford, Del. 

Milford is located mid-way between the state capital of Dover and the southern Delaware beaches at the intersection of Routes 113 and 1. There you will find antiques galore, food to satisfy your cravings, a store devoted to everything ladybug and a museum with lots of baseball history and more. Just outside of town, you can commune with nature at the Dupont Nature Center, where you will learn all about the horseshoe crab and other sea creatures.

A stroll through downtown will take you past antique shops with treasures that need to be explored, a community theater, various other shops and onto the Mispillion Riverwalk greenway, along the Mispillion River. Historically, the river has been vital to life in Milford, providing much-needed power and a transportation route. If you get hungry along the way, stop at the Georgia House Restaurant at 18 S. Walnut Street. Built within the walls of a former hardware store, the restaurant has kept the brick walls and original wood floors. The menu features American cuisine with a southern flair: a good assortment of sandwiches, salads, soup, entrees, beverages and desserts. The salads are fresh and the food is good. If you haven’t had enough dessert, you can always stop by Dolce, up the street from the Georgia House, at 36 N. Walnut Street. There you will find ice cream, smoothies and other icy drinks, coffee and tea and bakery goods. There is WiFi as well.

Milford Museum

If you are visiting on a Saturday or Sunday, you should start off your visit at the Milford Museum, located at 121 S. Walnut Street. The museum, housed in the former Milford Post Office, contains exhibits on the Milford baseball team, World War II and Iwo Jima, mid-20th century Americana, antique dolls and the history of Milford, which was founded in 1787. 

There is also a special exhibit, which will be at the museum until the end of the year, to honor Abraham Lincoln’s 200th birthday. Some of the exhibits change and some are permanent. In the Lincoln exhibit, you can see a copy of a plaster cast of Lincoln’s head, which reflects the way he looked the year he was assassinated. Also, in the exhibit are chairs similar to the chairs that were in the Lincoln box at Ford’s theater, a copy of a playbill from that night, several photos, and other artifacts. The docents give detailed information about the night Lincoln was assassinated.  

If you are a baseball history buff, you will enjoy the baseball exhibit with photos going back to the early 1900s. There are also uniforms, baseball cards, a baseball glove from 1948, a signed baseball and much more.  Plan your visit for a weekend so you don’t miss out on this fascinating museum, which is open Saturday and Sunday from 2 p.m. to 4 p.m. For more information on Milford, visit http://downtownmilford.org. 

Ladybug Shop

Before you leave town, stop by the Ladybug Shop at 131 N. W. Front Street, where you will find ladybug everything, including baby items, household items, jewelry, artwork, collectibles, toys, garden items and more. The naming of the ladybug as the state bug of Delaware was the inspiration for the shop. Visit the ladybug website at www.ladybug-shop.com to learn more and see a list of products. 

DuPont Nature Center

If the great outdoors is calling you, plan a trip to the DuPont Nature Center, about a 15-minute drive from downtown Milford. The DuPont Nature Center, which is a part of the Delaware Division of Fish and Wildlife, is a delight for kids and adults alike. 

The hands-on exhibits, coloring activities, live sea creatures keep kids entertained while they are learning to appreciate and care for nature. You will learn about the horseshoe crab, which is the oldest creature in the world, and its relationship with the Red Knot, a bird that is endangered. Donna Argo and Dawn Webb, who manage the center, will enlighten you on the horseshoe crab and the other sea creatures that visit or live near the nature center. You can view birds from the wildlife video cam and from the telescopes on the deck. Or, borrow a pair of binoculars from the center and use them on the deck. About 10,000 visitors a year come through the center from many countries. 

The Dupont Nature Center is located at 2992 Lighthouse Road, off Route 36, at the mouth of the Mispillion River and the Delaware Bay. The Mispillion Harbor and the Delaware Bay are important horseshoe crab spawning and shorebird feeding areas. Visit the website for hours and more information at www.dupontnaturecenter.org.