A beer garden is slated to open on the Wilmington riverfront.
Known as Constitution Yards, the seasonal beer garden will be at Justison Landing, along the Christina Riverwalk.
Delaware Online.com reported the beer garden is slated to open later this month. Work is still continuing at the site with excavating equipment and shipping containers part of the landscape.
“Helping to round out what has already become the area’s go-to place for summertime fun, Constitution Yards will feature an ever-changing rotation of craft beers, frozen cocktails, classic summer BBQ fare, and plenty of space for backyard games like corn hole toss, bocce, and wiffleball,” a post on the venture’s website reported.
Beer gardens have become increasingly popular in large cities and have also popped up in the Delaware Valley in communities as varied as Philadelphia and Kennett Square. The area’s museums have also been known to add pop-up beer gardens.
The popularity of beer gardens has been accompanied by the growth and popularity of more expensive craft beers. The Philadelphia tourism website listed more than 20 beer gardens that have popped up in recent years.
The riverfront, while having a cinema and restaurants with outdoor dining, has lacked an entertainment venue like the former Big Kahuna complex that is now partially occupied by Delaware Children’s Museum.
At the time, neighbors who had been moving into the riverfront area were uneasy with noise and other issues from the indoor-outdoor venue.
The Delaware Riverfront Development Corp. has been looking to bring more people to the riverfront and has operated an ice skating rink during the past two winters.
Also supporting the effort is Buccini/Pollin group, which has continued to add housing options on the riverfront. The beer garden will be at the site of the winter skating rink.
The target audience is now younger millennials who have been moving into the city, and have been seeking amenities and a “sense of place.”
The focus of residential development along the riverfront has shifted to apartments, rather than condominiums as real estate markets changed and loans were difficult to get in the years during and after the recession of 2008.
