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Cape Henlopen State Park improvements expected to tempt Memorial Day crowd

Department of Natural Resources and Environmental Control

State officials hope long-waited updates to Cape Henlopen State Park will draw in more visitors starting this Memorial Day.

 

 

Cape Henlopen gets nearly two million visitors a year, but Delaware State Parks Regional Administrator Pat Cooper said it hasn’t exactly gotten all the maintenance it has needed to please visitors.

 

Updates to the state park include an expansion to the laundry facility and electricity at The Campground, which hadn’t seen any renovations since the 1970s. More than 100 RV sites in the park now have electrical and water connections.

 

Cape Henlopen’s Seaside Nature Center now has a touch-tank where visitors can watch stingrays and horseshoe crabs.

 

“We’re providing recreational opportunities for the public and for kids to get out,” Cooper said.

 

New renovations to The Campground include electricity, an upgraded camp store and more accommodations for laundry. Park manager Grant Melville said the upgrades reflect the changing needs of people who like to camp and feedback they've received from campers.

 

“This campground, with the renovations, makes this park and all natural areas around this park more accessible for different lifestyles,” Melville said.

 

Officials also point to the Fort Mile’s Historical Area - which now has a 90 millimeter gun to show off. The gun is part of the historical area’s new artillery park.

 

Cooper said he thinks these updates are something Delawareans and tourists alike will notice as the summer season starts this Memorial Day. He said Cape Henlopen staff are anticipating plenty of feedback. 

 

Other state parks will see renovations in the future, Cooper said. Officials finished fixing up a campground at Delaware Seashore State Park. There is also some talk of renovating Holts Landing State Park in Delaware.

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