Overview
Georgetown is a town of 7,000 people (2020) in Delaware. It is known for its unusual town layout and for its many historic buildings. It is also the county seat for Sussex County.
2 sights · 3 things to do · 1 places to stay
Updated from Wikivoyage on 1 October 2026 · Something wrong or missing? Improve it on Wikivoyage
Best things about Georgetown
Sussex County Courthouse
The original courthouse was replaced by the current structure, which was built in 1837 on South Bedford Street. It was restored in 1976.
St. Paul's Episcopal Church
Georgetown's oldest church, it was constructed in 1844 and remodeled in 1881 in the early Victorian Gothic style; its congregation organized in 1794, shortly after the close of the American Revolutionary War. It is liste…
Georgetown Speedway
It has a fast, half-mile clay oval for high-speed racing. It has grandstands, parking, a large, flat pit area, and room for overnight camping.
Possum Point Players
Return Day
A half-day-long parade and festival two days after Election Day. It stems from colonial days, when the public would congregate in Georgetown two days after the election to hear the results (because it would take that lon…
Plan your trip
Best time to visit & weather
Most comfortable: Apr–Oct. Summer highs reach about 87°F; winter lows dip to about 30°F. Wettest: Jul and Aug. (climate data from nearby Dewey Beach)
Blue bars: average daily high and low (°F). Purple columns: average monthly rain and melted snow (inches).
Getting there
- From you: to see whether to drive or fly, and how long it takes.
- SBY Salisbury Ocean City Wicomico Regional Airport, Salisbury — 25 mi away. Directions
- OCE Ocean City Municipal Airport, Ocean City — 30 mi away. Directions
- BWI Baltimore/Washington International Thurgood Marshall Airport, Baltimore — 77 mi away (major hub). Directions
DE 404 passes through Georgetown as part of a route linking the Baltimore-Washington Metropolitan Area and the Chesapeake Bay Bridge to the Delaware Beaches
Full “Get in” guide ↓Budget & where to stay
No prices are listed for this place yet. See the Sleep guide ↓ for options.
Sample 1-day itinerary
Day 1
- Morning Possum Point Players, Sussex County Courthouse, St. Paul's Episcopal Church
- Afternoon Georgetown Speedway, Return Day
Stops are grouped by area so each day needs little backtracking. Check opening hours before you go.
Food for you
What to ask about, for your diet
Diet labels come from each listing's description and cuisine; “likely” means the cuisine usually has good choices, not a promise. Check with the restaurant. Open the food finder
Photos
Map
Every listing with a location. Tap a pin for its Google Maps link.
Understand
The town was founded in 1791.
The raising and processing of chickens in the area has been a mainstay of the economy since the mid-20th century. Purdue Farms has a large chicken processing plant in Georgetown. It has attracted numerous immigrants from Haiti and Guatemala as workers, stimulating growth of the population and changing the town's demographics. Georgetown has a more diverse population than might be expected in a small Delaware inland town. Some residents speak Haitian French or Creole, while many more have a primary language of Spanish, in addition to those whose first language is English. In 2000 slightly more than one-third of the population was ethnic Hispanic and one-fifth was Black (including Haitians).
Get in
DE 404 passes through Georgetown as part of a route linking the Baltimore-Washington Metropolitan Area and the Chesapeake Bay Bridge to the Delaware Beaches
The Delaware Coastal Airport is east of Georgetown, offering general aviation. The nearest airport with commercial air service is the Wicomico Regional Airport in Salisbury, Maryland.
Get around
DART First State provides bus service to Georgetown out of the Georgetown Transit Hub along Route 206, which connects the town to the Lewes Transit Center near Lewes; Route 212, which links Georgetown to Bridgeville, Seaford, Laurel, and Delmar; Route 303, which connects the town to Dover. DART First State also operates a microtransit service called DART Connect serving the Georgetown and Millsboro areas.
See
- Market Street: Georgetown is unusual among Delaware municipalities as the town was constructed around a circle, instead of the more traditional park square. The Town Hall, state and county buildings, and the historic Sussex County Courthouse are on The Circle.
See Sussex County Courthouse
The original courthouse was replaced by the current structure, which was built in 1837 on South Bedford Street. It was restored in 1976.
- Lawyers' offices, the newer Court of Chancery and Family Court buildings, a bank, and the Brick Hotel, which have been renovated into offices, also line the Circle.
- The center of Georgetown's circle is a small green park with a fountain.
See St. Paul's Episcopal Church
Georgetown's oldest church, it was constructed in 1844 and remodeled in 1881 in the early Victorian Gothic style; its congregation organized in 1794, shortly after the close of the American Revolutionary War. It is listed on the National Register of Historic Places (NRHP).
- Other recognized historic properties are the Joseph T. Adams House, Brick Hotel, Peter S. Faucett House, First Broiler House, Georgetown Coal Gasification Plant, Stella Pepper Gyles House, Judge's House and Law Office, Dr. John W. Messick House and Office, Old Sussex County Courthouse, David Carlton Pepper Farm, Redden Forest Lodge, Forester's House and Stable, Richards Mansion, St. John's Methodist Church, Short Homestead, Thomas Sipple House, Sussex County Courthouse and the Circle, Gardiner Wright Mansion and McColley's Chapel, all listed on the NRHP.
Do
Do Return Day
A half-day-long parade and festival two days after Election Day. It stems from colonial days, when the public would congregate in Georgetown two days after the election to hear the results (because it would take that long to deliver the results to the courthouse by horseback from the state capital in Dover, Delaware). The winners of that year's elections parade in horse-drawn carriages around The Circle. Together with the losers and the chairs of the county's political parties, they ceremonially "bury the hatchet" in a tub of sand. The day's events are marked by a traditional ox feast, and the beginning of the next round of campaigns.
Sleep
Nearby
Bridgeville
City / town · 9 listings · 12 mi away
Laurel
City / town · 4 listings · 14 mi away
Lewes
City / town · 6 listings · 14 mi away
Rehoboth Beach
City / town · 57 listings · 16 mi away
Dewey Beach
City / town · 44 listings · 17 mi away
Bethany Beach
City / town · 46 listings · 20 mi away
Fenwick Island
City / town · 30 listings · 24 mi away
Salisbury
City / town · 8 listings · 25 mi away
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