What an amazing, excellently organized library! I would expect nothing less. It's very spacious,…read moreeven for Pre-Covid, it's easy to navigate and manage personal space. The staff is very helpful, supportive, and upbeat. We did a self-tour and felt very comfortable. Easy parking for private front or back parking and easy entrance. We were told it was the largest library in the state, and it was done marvelously well! Come and check it out!

great place to go, read and check out books. you can do a scavenger hunt and get rewords, its a…read moregreat place to go!

Located just a stones throw from the capital complex, the pubic archives is the largest repository…read morefor all things Delaware. There is a public research room along with a an exhibit space. I found it best to alert archive staff in advance especially when you are in need of some older records.

I figured I would start with the Delaware Public Archives for my first review. My family is from…read moreDelaware and I am highly interested in Genealogy so I have spent many days pouring over property records, tax assessments, and other miscellaneous documents at the Archives. The building is beautiful and well maintained, it includes the older Hall of Records building as well as the much larger newer section that was build about 10 years ago. The research room is also clean, well lit, and very quiet, making it an ideal place to research. The staff have always been very helpful and eager to assist me with my research. They are all very knowledgeable archival professionals who clearly know Delaware and the Archives holdings. They also have great public programs every first Saturday of the month on topics ranging from Genealogy to the Beatles (believe it or not). They open up the behind the scenes areas of the Archives every once in awhile for tours. I have been through the vaults and processing rooms on a tour and it was great. They even show you the original William Penn charter document for 1682 as well as Delaware's ratification document! I highly recommend checking out the Archives if you need to do Delaware related research or if you are just stopping through Dover to see the capitol or Air Force base. I now live in Connecticut but whenever I'm in the area I usually go in to continue my ongoing geneaological research.

I applied to DESU in summer, 2025 admission. It was incredibly difficult to get a hold of the…read moreadmissions office, and when I did they told me I would have to wait an additional 1-2 weeks (on top of the week they initially mentioned) for a decision. They essentially said it was because there were only 2 admissions counselors for transfer students. It just was hard to get a clear answer. Whenever I reached out to the counselors regarding questions, they never replied. DESU was also the college to which I applied that wouldn't do a transcript evaluation before admitting me (I applied to 3 schools total). Upon acceptance, I was finally able to have a conversation with a counselor, after another week from reaching out. She kept saying how all my credits were "a waste of time" for their degree plan and I have a lot of credits that would be electives but I've already filled the # of credits for electives, so there's nowhere for these classes to go. That's not their fault, but I think the way she worded it (her bedside manner) was not the most professional. They told me I need ~80 credits, even though I would be a senior at the college I attended last time I was in college. The counselor didn't know that I'd been accepted to the school yet, even though admissions told me that was a requirement for advisement. Overall, the slow response (or lack thereof), lack of apparent communication between admissions and the schools themselves, and the professionalism with admin. staff are reasons I did not choose this school, and why I wouldn't recommend it to others.

The girl in the admissions office was very rude and unprofessional. I needed assistance contacting…read morethe right party to solve an issue and everytime that I called; I was met with disrespect. I was genuinely concerned and worried about my issue and just needed guidance, but she continuously answered with passive aggression and cut me off while speaking. The last time that I called up there she was audibly annoyed that I had yet another question and said to me "it hasn't even been a week yet and youreeee callingggg again? Did you ... have a question??" Mind you, I was calling about something unrelated and she had just assumed. That was VERY disrespectful. I had been trying to contact different departments since December of 2024 and was ghosted until recently in February of 2025. I felt left in the dark and at this point I have to advocate for myself to find a solution. Luckily, management was able to resolve my main concern and I'm so grateful. But, that employee whose name I unfortunately did not catch; was very nasty spirited. If someone sees my review can you please address the current staff in admissions, because it was very disheartening and stressful to deal with. Thank you.

A sweet little library. I understand they will be moving to a much larger place in a couple of…read moreyears. They really do need more space. It is in a lovely, historic town. Love the art inside and the gorgeous reference room desk. Fax available, computers and wifi. Stop in and say hello!

I love the smallness, the personal nature of books being inside an actual home, and yes, despite…read moretight corners, close quarters, and very packed space - I wonder, if a new library is indeed moved into, will it lose the personal, historical, home welcoming you feel when you go into Smyrna public library? There are so few public libraries that feel as if you walked into a comfortable bookstore or your own home, and I hope that occurs when a new location is designated. This is a place you want to just be able to hang out and watch the comings and going all day. it was so - not sure the word, but seeing people coming in, grabbing a nearby chair that would be in a living room, and take time to go through the newspaper of book of interest nearby. The residents must LOVE this public library, as I did from several towns away!

A brief stop here to enjoy the history of the first state to ratify the Constitution. Yes, it's…read moreDelaware. In early December 1787, the thirty delegates (ten from each of Delaware's three counties) to the Delaware ratifying convention were called upon to make a momentous decision. For five days, they considered whether to approve the new, stronger central government proposed at the Constitutional Convention in Philadelphia the previous summer. Finally, on the 7th, the delegates unanimously voted to ratify the United States Constitution, making Delaware the first state to do so. Delegates gathered at The Golden Fleece Tavern, the same place where the state assembly sometimes met. The tavern itself is long gone but its site is well-marked at the corner of State Street and The Green. [Review 11536 overall, 1316 of 2019.]

Very cool experience from an out of towner like me! I loved learning about the local history of…read moreDover, the exciting tales and history that link back to my own hometown of Philadelphia. The history guides were very knowledgable and I loved that they had folks dressed up and walking around to allow you to time travel a bit and to see the area from the perspective of the past. Great for kids, families, tour groups, etc.

Nice and free historic site of a childhood home for one of the nation's founding fathers. It's off…read morethe beaten path, but it's a big property. The visitor center has a small exhibit and an introductory film which is nice but the guide prefaces by saying it "focuses too much on John Dickinson" (?) The exhibit focuses more on the family and the enslaved/servants who lived there, which really rounded out the property, but we did come here because we wanted to learn more about John Dickinson. No gift shop, which was disappointing. The tour itself was very informative, and there was a big crowd visiting when I did. Again, the tour seemed to want to downplay Dickinson and his role in the American Revolution. Likely because he thought the colonies weren't prepared to go to war, he abstained from voting for independence, he is less remembered than other Founding Fathers, but I came to learn about him, and the guide wasn't all that interested in talking about him and what he did accomplish. Still, the furnishings were nice, and we got to learn about Dickinson's father, his wife and family, and his brother who all lived there with a focus on the lesser-known residents. I think that could have all been balanced better. The view of the river is lovely, and there are some out buildings and a garden to stroll through. It's a nice outdoor site, and for free, it's still a good site to visit to see history being preserved.

I like to go in old buildings, look at old furniture, but I am not much of a history person. The…read morehouse was interesting to see, and there were a few pieces of furniture that I loved- such as the rope beds, the chair that was oversized, the large loom, and the travel clock that one of the Dickinsons took with him when he traveled. The guide was nice and interesting. That is saying a lot, because I can get bored very easily. She spent an adequate amount of time in each room. Before we took the tour, we had to see a movie, that was about 15 minutes long, mostly about history. We were the only people there, and I got up during the movie and looked at the other exhibits in the room. I would say travel here if you like history or old houses/furniture.

Nice and simple, Depression-era constructed state capitol. Delaware is "The First State" to ratify…read morethe Constitution, but their Legislative Hall is one of the 5 newest state capitols. It was completed in 1933 with wings added in 1970 and 1994. Entrance, guided tours and parking are free (visit webpage: Planning a visit: Delaware General Assembly). Our guide gave a very informative 30-minute tour of the Delaware House of Representatives and Senate chambers. One tidbit of info from the tour: the majority party gets seats closest to the windows. It might be for the better view, better temperature or something totally different. There are series of 10 "Bicentennial Murals" painted by Delaware artist Jack Lewis that span the two chambers. They commemorate the 200th anniversary of Delaware signing the United States Constitution on 12/7/1787. Above the State Senate dais are 3 murals: The Dickinson Plantation (framer of the Constitution); Ratification on the Delaware Constitution; and Caesar Rodney's Ride. Above the State House of Reps dais are 3 murals: Landing of the Swedes (1638); George Washington at New Castle (wedding, 1784), and Old Swedes Church in Wilmington.

Legislative Hall is the official capitol of the state of Delaware. This building houses the…read morechambers and offices of the Delaware General Assembly and was built between 1931 and 1933. Additional wings were added to the building in 1965-1970 and 1994. The building is a Colonial Revival style and is quite similar to the Old Colony House in Newport RI. It is opposite the Old State House on the mall. The original capitol of Delaware was the State House (now known as the Old State House) and is located nearby on The Green. It was originally the Kent County Court House, which shared the building with the state government until 1873 when the Kent County Government relocated. Inside Legislative Hall is the Hall of Governors, which includes portraits of all of Delaware's past governors. There are also a number of other political and military portraits. If you're going to be officially visiting State Capitols as I am, then this is the correct building. This was my 35th on the way to all 50! [Review 11538 overall, 1318 of 2019.]