Walking Tours
The Lewes Historical Society celebrates over 50 years of embracing Lewes’ history by offering multiple tour options to the public. Discover historic destinations downtown, learn intriguing facts about our region’s maritime history, and experience history as it comes alive. Find out about our lighthouses, cemeteries, historic architecture, maritime monuments, and more.
Online tickets are available for purchase now by clicking the button below.
All Walking Tour tickets Include FREE Admission to the Lewes Historical Society's Historic Campus Buildings and Grounds.
All walking tours (except the "Finding Their Voices" tour and Haunted Histories) leave from Ryves Holt House located at 218 Second Street, in Lewes, Delaware, 19958 on the corner of Second & Mulberry Streets.
The "Finding Their Voices" and Haunted Histories tours start at the 110 Shipcarpenter Street Historic Campus.
Please note: Tours often sell out quickly. Pre-registration is required for all tours and closes 30 minutes before the start time.
Lewes History Highlights Walking Tour
Short on time but keen on history? Explore key moments in Lewes' 300-year story that shaped the character of this First Town in the First State in this daily 45-minute spotlight tour! Running Tuesday-Saturdays* beginning on April 2, 2024, this guided tour meets in the Sussex Tavern building on the LHS Historic Shipcarpenter Street Campus (110 Shipcarpenter St.) at 11 a.m. Tickets are $10 per person, $5 for children 12 and under, and must be purchased before the tour's scheduled start time at the Sussex Tavern.
When: 11 a.m. on Tuesday-Saturdays, beginning on April 2, 2024*.
Where: The Sussex Tavern building on the LHS Historic Shipcarpenter Street Campus (110 Shipcarpenter St.)
Admission: $10 per person, $5 for children 12 and under, and must be purchased before the tour's scheduled start time at the Sussex Tavern
*select holiday and special event blackout dates apply
Haunted Histories Paranormal Investigations - NEW 2024 Dates Now Scheduled
NOTE: Due to the intimate nature of the investigations, registration is limited - get your tickets now!
Haunted Histories echo through time and Lewes is full of these eerie accounts. During this two-hour investigation, Lewes Historical Society and First State Paranormal Investigations invite you to hear the true tales of long-ago residents. This educational experience with a ghostly twist is not to be missed!
Begins from the LHS Historic Main Campus at 110 Shipcarpenter Street.
Flashlights are recommended. Personal paranormal equipment is welcome but not needed, equipment will be provided to share.
This is an outdoor walking tour, please plan to dress appropriately for the weather.
When: 8 p.m. -10:00 p.m.
Friday, January 26
Friday, February 23
Friday, March 22
Friday, April 19
Saturday, May 11
Friday, May 31
Friday, June 28
Friday, September 27
Friday, October 18
The date below runs through the witching hour, join us if you dare!
10 p.m. to 12:30 p.m. on Saturday, November 2, 2024
Where: Tour begins at the Lewes Historical Society's main campus located at 110 Shipcarpenter Street.
Admission: $35 per adult
30 people max per investigation. Attendees must be 13 years or older to participate.
Lewes Legends Evening Walking Tour
Lewes is rich with historic happenings, legends, and tall tales. This 90-minute walking tour will introduce you to stories of strange happenings in the town of Lewes. Enter the Cannonball House Maritime Museum after hours and hear heroic accounts of maritime history, and an eerie occurrence or two.
Dates from April through October
When: 6 p.m. - 7:30 p.m., Wednesdays and Sundays. Additionally every Thursday in October.
Where: Tour begins at the Ryves Holt House Museum & Mercantile (218 2nd St.)
Admission: $15 per adult, $5 for children 12 and under. Children under eight years old are discouraged from attending.
Revolutionary Lewes Walking Tour
Delawareans of all sorts were forced to come to terms with their changing world. Loyalties, ideals, and even family bonds were tested; lives and livelihoods were threatened; and independence was on the horizon.
Sitting prominently at the mouth of Delaware Bay, Lewes was a lynchpin in the defenses of America’s most vital waterway, just 89 nautical miles from Philadelphia, where whispers of independence were beginning to take hold.
Visit the Historic Shipcarpenter Street Campus (110 Shipcarpenter St.) The Historic Campus is home to nine historic structures, relocated from all over Sussex County.
See the Sussex Tavern a 1770s-inspired local gathering place along with the Lewistown Coffeehouse.
When: Saturdays at 2 p.m. and 2nd & 4th Fridays at 6 p.m. beginning April 26, 2024
Where: Tour begins at the Ryves Holt House Museum & Mercantile (218 2nd St.)
Admission: $15 per person, $5 for children 12 and under.
Artifact Highlight
Join a member of our dedicated team on the third Wednesday of each month for a special highlight of artifacts preserved in the Lewes Historical Society's Collections. Artifact Highlight Tours are held at the Lewes History Museum (101 Adams Ave.) at 1 p.m. Short versions are also released on TikTok and Facebook within 24 hours!
From Delaware Beach Life Magazine
Field Trips & Group Tours
Field trips can be arranged year-round to show the highlights of Lewes in a meaningful context.
Groups of 8 or more guests are considered large group tours and we ask that you contact us for tour options so that we can best meet your group's needs.
For additional information, please call 302-645-7670.