For those who like the idea of living in town, it’s about being able to walk to pick up a paper, go to the coffee shop and maybe do a little shopping. Had a call recently from George who is moving here from Indianapolis with his wife next year and that was something he said is important to him.

Walkability

Have you heard of a walkability score? Visit walkscore.com and enter your address or the address of the home you’re thinking of buying. When I entered my address, the score indicated 40 out of 100 and said it is a car-dependent location. I would have given a higher score because I can ride my bike almost everywhere three seasons of the year!  I live just down the street from my favorite wine store Teller Wines, close to  Quakertown Wellness where I go for Yoga classes, a short walk to the Village of Five Points with Food Lion, restaurants like Fish On! and Arenas and so much more.

I checked the walkscore for George’s current home; it was a 38. Then I looked up a community with retail shops, a bakery, restaurant, Salon here in the Lewes area, but the walkscore site did not know about the businesses located within the community so the score did not appear accurate to me.

Walkability is becoming more important in areas where Boomers are planning to live. At a holiday party last night in Lewes, I met a woman who is the founder of a new project called The  Village. It’s main goal is to transform our region into a network of walkable communities interlinked by quality transit services. I look forward to reporting on their initiatives and becoming involved.

We’d love to hear about projects in your town.

Want to watch the parade? Click here

We’d love to hear from you about your Christmas Parade and favorite things to do for the Holidays.

Hospitality Night

begins on Second Street at 6 pm and runs until 9 pm with the street blocked off for the party. Shop ’til you drop, meet up with old friends, dance to the music, and enjoy light refreshments provided by our local businesses.

If you’ve never visited the in-town shops, this would be a great time to start. From shops like Twila Farrell and Aquamarine for stylish women’s clothing and accessories to Shorebreak for some casual men’s clothing, then stop in at Kids’ Ketch for great toys and gifts for the kids. Blooming Boutique is the perfect place to find affordable and unique gifts for everyone on your list.

Hungry? Touch of Italy at the corner of 2nd and Savannah brings a little bit of The Bronx to Lewes and the tastings are bound to lead to more mozzarella and olives. The choice of restaurants extends from one end of Second Street to the other – Striper Bites to Agave, the Cake Bar or Jerry’s Seafood and The Buttery. For a great cup of coffee and wonderful pastry, stop in to The Lewes Bake Shop. Don’t forget to explore the side streets and First Street. There’s a lot of wonderful shops, restaurants and galleries packed into this delightful small town in Coastal Delaware.

Holiday House Tour

December 3rd, from 10 am to 4 pm, tour the historic homes of Lewes. What a great time of year to see inside some of those restored private and public homes in Historic Lewes…all dressed for the holidays.  A tour you don’t want to miss! For more information and to purchase your tickets now, visit the Lewes Historical Society.

Stay in town for the Lewes Hometown Christmas Parade beginning at 5 pm, followed by caroling and lighting of the Christmas Tree at the Zwaanendael Park.

Hope to see you there!

Independence

One popular active adult community with a beautiful tree line is the current phase at Independence. I wish I had snapped a photo last week before the big rain and wind. The colors were incredible! I asked John to email a photo – see it to the right. This was before the fall colors but it does show you the density of the tree line.

Once these lots are gone, there won’t be more on a tree line for at least a year or more.

Where else can you find treed lots in an Active Adult community?

Bay Crossing

The oldest homes in communities like Bay Crossing in Lewes, Delaware, were only built in 2005. The good news for those of you that want to back to a tree line is that the Final Phase has some lovely lots but they are going fast.

I just took this photo this morning when I drove through this last section being built at Bay Crossing. One of my clients asked where they would be building next, when they are all SOLD OUT and I had to say no one knows. First, large parcels of land with a Lewes address are not plentiful, especially East of Route 1. Lewes is a premium location and a sought after address in Coastal Delaware. New development will likely not begin until developers are pretty sure that prices have recovered. Who will the builders be and what will they build? Will there be additional 55+ active adult communities and where will prices be at that time?

We tell our clients “If you’re  looking to retire to the Lewes area there is no better time than now to secure the most desirable locations in communities like Bay Crossing or Independence before they are all gone”.

Saturday mornings – Historic Lewes Farmers Market (voted BEST in  Delaware 2011) – the last month of Saturday morning Farmers Markets at the Lewes Historical Society Complex (LHS) – October 1st at Sheilds Elementary School.

October 1st – Lewes Historical Society Craft Faire at the Lewes Historical Society Complex (LHS) – this show features some fantastic artists and artisans. What will I find this year?

October 1st – Lewes in Bloom Fall Festival Plant Sale in town, Boast the Coast Maritime Festival presented by the Chamber of Commerce and so much more all weekend long.

October 15th – Coastal Concerts presents Israeli Chamber Project. What an unusual, eclectic schedule for this coming year of classical music in Lewes! And you wondered what we did here in the off-season?

Just a few ideas to entice you to come visit Lewes in the Autumn.

Buy now and use as an investment property, then use it later as a vacation getaway at the beach in Delaware. When you’re ready, your retirement home will be waiting.

MLS #589954 is priced to sell at $315,000 and we encourage all offers. Final bank approval is required.

Everything good was packed into THE Week made possible by Extreme Home Makeover, Schell Brothers and hundreds of volunteers in Sussex County. Our Broker and Owner of Delaware Realty, Dick Bryan, donated many decorative items and antique accessories that will make this a home for Chris and Dale. This build will be the featured 2-hour special on Thanksgiving Day. Please watch and join us as we celebrate the new home for the very deserving Jusst Sooup Ministry.

I discovered some plants like the Acanthus shown here that I had never seen before. Since I am planting new gardens at our home on Savannah Road, I was able to get ideas and see what the Akuba and Hydrangea I already planted may look like in a few years. Take the tour!

Lewes Chamber of Commerce

Tickets are available at the Lewes Chamber of Commerce, 120 Kings Highway, and other local businesses.  For credit card orders or for more information, call 302-645-8073 or www.leweschamber.com.

This year there will be 8 private gardens on the tour throughout town. Most are in walking distance but there is also free trolley service to shuttle you from garden to garden.

Don’t miss the Public Herb Garden next door to the Visitor Center in the fisher-Martin House, 120 Kings Highway, next to the Zwaanendael Museum.

Look for me from 3:00 to 5:00 pm at Garden #6 where I will be one of the many volunteer docents this year. I am hoping to get around to see the other gardens before I go on duty. I’ll be bringing my camera with me so look for lots of pictures and maybe a video next week.

Following the Garden Tour, enjoy the week long 13th Annual Chautauqua Tent Show with free events at Zwaanendael Park, the Lewes Historical Society complex and in Stango Park by the Lewes Public Library. For a complete list of activities, CLICK HERE!