The Fodor’s travel site has listed Wilmington’s Riverfront as one of the top 15 in the nation.
The ranking included the famous San Antonio Riverwalk at No. 3, with the Ohio River Trail in Cincinnati in the top spot and Louisville, KY’s Waterfront Park at No. 2. Others in the top 15 were riverwalks in Tampa and Greenville, SC.
Not making the cut were waterfront areas in Baltimore and Savannah, GA.
The Constitution Yards beer garden, restaurants, and miniature golf course were mentioned in the Wilmington ranking.
The riverfront started in a desolate area once home to the city’s shipbuilding industry, with one building converted into the Chase Center on the Riverfront, adjacent to another early project, Frawley Stadium.
A state development corporation was formed to lead the development and attract private investment.
Pioneering the entertainment side was The Big Kahuna entertainment complex, complete with a volcano, now the site of the Delaware Childrens Museum. Hotels, a theater, and hundreds of apartments followed. The completion of the Markell Trail named after former Gov. Jack Markell, brought a bike-hike route from historic New Castle to the riverfront.
The riverfront was in the national spotlight when Joe Biden was declared the presidential election winner in 2020. The occasion was celebrated outside the Chase Center with speeches, fireworks, and a drone light display.
The riverfront was also mentioned in web, newspaper, and magazine pieces that came after Biden’s nomination and election win.
The area also includes the DuPont Environmental Educational Center and an urban wildlife refuge named in honor of the late Gov. Russell Peterson. Peterson championed the riverfront development and the environmental component.
The riverfront redevelopment is now expanding to the other side of the Christina River, with apartments, condos, a supermarket, and the Chase Fieldhouse, home of the G League champion Delaware Blue Coats.
Click here for the story and find out where Wilmington was ranked.
