Want to have some fun on a budget? Here are cheap winter activities in, around Delaware

Winter can be a difficult time to find fun activities to do and weekend plans to keep your social calendar full, especially after a holiday season filled with spending a hefty amount of money on food, gifts and travel.

Maybe you have relatives in town that need to be entertained, kids on holiday break from school or are simply looking for something to do that won’t break the bank.

Whatever your reasoning is, we’ve got you covered with a list of low-cost fun in and around Delaware that’s cheap enough to keep your wallet happy but still fun enough to dispel looming boredom.

Buy a ticket for Longwood Gardens

Floral enthusiasts and plant lovers have long been hip to the allure of Longwood Gardens, but if you’re someone who has yet to see what the botanical garden is all about, winter is a perfect time to visit.

Open year-round, Longwood Gardens near Kennett Square, Pennsylvania, features more than 1,077 acres of gardens, woodlands and meadows. Longwood is known to present the latest innovations in horticulture with marvelous, themed displays throughout the grounds, featuring mesmerizing lighting, holiday décor, seasonal nods and much more.

Botanical installations you can enjoy this winter include:

• Garden Railway, which celebrates the site’s more than 20-year tradition of an outdoor railroad display and is open until Jan. 7.

• A Longwood Christmas, open until Jan. 7, invites visitors to stroll through half-a-million lights and enjoy fire pits amongst a holiday oasis.

• Winter Wonder, open from Jan. 20 to March 24, features nearly 200 acres of winter’s beauty in an outdoor arrangement, followed by a warm, colorful display in the grand conservatory.  

Admission for each display is $30 or less depending on age and applicable discounts. For more information, visit longwoodgardens.org.

Ride the ferry to Cape May

Traveling doesn’t have to be expensive or time-consuming, and luckily for Delaware, the Cape May-Lewes Ferry accommodates those seeking wallet-friendly and fast.

The ferry sets sail from Lewes for a short trip across the Delaware Bay to Cape May. Passengers can travel by vehicle, bicycle or on foot to meet Cape May’s shores in about 85 minutes.

Enjoy the open waters and breathtaking views along the 17-mile journey, along with visits from animal friends along the way like dolphins, seals, bald eagles and whales, before docking at Cape May and starting your adventure.

While in Cape May, you can visit Cape May Point State Park, the Cape May Lighthouse, Washington Street Mall, the Lobster House, Cape May Brewery, Beach Plum Farm and much more.

Cape May (and Lewes) have electric bikes available for rental during your trip that can help expand your exploration of the area and give you a workout!

More Cape May area attractions include the Cold Spring Village, Naval Air Station Wildwood Aviation, Cape May County Park and Zoo, Willow Creek Winery and Farm, Emlen Physick Estate (a historic Victorian house and museum) and many annual events.

The 2023–2024 fall/winter scheduling and fare began on Nov. 1 and remains in effect until March 31, 2024.

According to the winter fare, adults, ages 14 to 61 years old, pay $8 for a one-way ticket and $14 for a round trip. Seniors, ages 62 years old and up, pay $6 for a one-way ticket and $11 for a round trip. Children ages 13 years old and younger ride for free.

Daily departure times from both the Cape May and Lewes terminals vary based on day. Consult the winter schedule for more information about arrival and departure times.

Spend a few hours at the zoo

For those needing family-friendly entertainment, especially for younger children, the zoo is the perfect adventure.

The Brandywine Zoo in Wilmington features animals from the tropical and temperate areas of North America, South America, Asia and Africa, ranging from common species to those that are highly endangered. Animals you can find are the Florida bobcat, red pandas, toco toucans, a western burrowing owl, a radiated tortoise, a scarlet ibis, a prehensile tailed skink a green tree python and more.

Not only will visitors get to enjoy the animals on exhibit in natural settings, a trip to the zoo is also a great way to get some educational fun in through a normal visit or participation in one of the zoo's many special events. And who could pass up seeing the pudu fawn and crowned lemur born at the zoo this year?

The Brandywine Zoo is open daily from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. (closed on Christmas Day) and is free to enter from Dec. 1 to March 17 due to limited visibility of some animals on exhibit. The zoo is wheelchair and stroller accessible. For more information, visit brandywinezoo.org/.

In Townsend, 3 Palms Zoo & Education Center is open from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m., excluding holidays, and from 6 p.m. to 8 p.m. on Fridays and Saturdays this December for their Zoo Lights and Christmas Nights event.

Admission during the day is $6 per person no matter the age and $1 per scoop of petting zoo food. Kids under 1 are free before 12 p.m. with two or more paid admissions.

Zoo Lights and Christmas Nights finds the zoo transformed into a winter wonderland featuring displays of a classic nativity scene, “The Grinch,” “Rudolph & Friends,” Disney characters like Mickey and Minnie and more. This year’s event also features Santa’s Living Room.

As the sun sets, guests can visit Sienna the screech owl, Rosie the raccoon, Stanley the skunk and foxes as they come alive during the night. While enjoying the animals, visitors can drink hot chocolate and browse the site’s holiday shop. Admission is $6 per person.

For more information about the zoo and to RSVP to the winter event, visit 3palmszoo.org/.

Visit Delaware beach towns

Delaware beaches are a blast in the summer, but the cold weather doesn’t mean there isn’t fun to be had in local beach towns during the winter.

Rehoboth Beach, Lewes, Dewey Beach, Fenwick Island and Bethany Beach are home to an ample amount of outlet stores and small businesses and plenty of restaurants serving local cuisine. And there are plenty of lesser-known beaches to finally explore, too.

Spend a weekend trying a new brunch spot you didn’t get a chance to visit during the summer before perusing nearby shops and ending your day with a sunset walk along the beach or boardwalk. Another perk of visiting Delaware beach towns in the winter? Fewer crowds and more parking available.

The best part is that there’s so much to do in Delaware’s coastal towns that you’ll more than likely want to come back several times before the cold weather is through.

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Take the train out of town

Sometimes winter in your city can get a bit boring. If you’re hankering to get out of town for a quick trip or want to catch up with some pals you didn’t get to see during the holidays, take the train elsewhere for a quick trip.

Not only does Amtrak eliminate the dreaded middle seat dilemma by offering two seats per row, but the company also allows you to travel in green style by producing 72% less carbon emissions than flying and 83% less carbon emissions than driving, according to Amtrak. 

Trains also are a much cheaper option than flying if your wallet is on the rebound from Black Friday and holiday purchases.

Delaware has Amtrak stations in Wilmington and Newark with passenger trains traveling through major cities like Washington, D.C.; Baltimore; Providence, Rhode Island; Boston, Massachusetts and more.  Other passenger trains like the Carolinian can take you to one of 24 destinations located between New York City and Charlotte, North Carolina.

Wilmington Train Station upgrades: The Joseph R. Biden Jr. Railroad Station unveiled new upgrades in Wilmington on Oct. 23

Check out new stores at the mall

We know, we know. The Christiana Mall is older than many Delawareans, and it has long been a staple of the First State.

Although it’s easy to sleep on its appeal, it’s worth checking out the new stores you can shop in if you haven’t visited in a while. From Lululemon to Kendra Scott and more, plenty of retailers have set up shop at the beloved retail hub.

Even if you don’t want to buy anything, spending a day at the Christiana Mall and Christiana Fashion Center – which recently welcomed Bloomingdale’s Outlet and Crumbl Cookies – is a triple whammy of walking the grounds for exercise, dining out at one of the many eateries on location and wrapping up your day with some laser tag and arcade games at Main Event.

Make this trip a two-in-one by dropping off some holiday returns or using new gift cards while you’re at it.

Got a tip or a story idea? Contact Krys'tal Griffin at [email protected].

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This article originally appeared on Delaware News Journal: Cheap ways to have fun, save money in Delaware this winter