Woodland Beach Wildlife Area: Learning About the History of This Part of Delaware

 

One of the views from the Woodlands Beach Wildlife Area wetlands trail

About three miles inland from the shoreline village of Woodland Beach is Tony Florio Woodland Beach Wildlife Area. It has several spots of interest to visitors.

The first is the Aquatic Resources Education Center. If you’re traveling south on DE Route 9, turn right on Lighthouse Road, then turn left into the entrance to the Center. Unfortunately, the Center was closed when we visited because of the pandemic. We’re looking forward to seeing its aquariums and educational displays someday.

While we were in the Center's parking lot a small plane (cropduster?) repeatedly flew very close to the ground just north of us. Shades of Hitchcock’s North by Northwest! 

A second point of interest in Woodland Beach Wildlife Area is a short trail between the Aquatic Resources Education Center and Route 9 that has a number of wayfinding signs on the history of the area, including Collins Beach and the village of Woodland Beach. (This is where I found illustrations of the old hotels at those beaches and learned that there was once a razzle dazzle thrill ride at Collins Beach.)

Woodland Beach Wildlife Area history trail, with the Aquatic Resources Education Center in the background

One of the wayfinding signs along Woodland Beach Wildlife Area's history trail

A third point of interest is the trail and boardwalk through the wetlands on the east side of Route 9, near this gray house. There are two parking lots near the trail, one next to the gray house and the other on the west side of Route 9, across from this house. The trailhead is in the parking lot next to the gray house.

Parking is both next to and across the road from this house on DE Route 9. 

The history trail of the Aquatic Resources Education Center ends at parking lot across DE Route 9 from the gray house. So we parked at the Center, walked the history trail, then continued across the street to walk the wetlands trail and boardwalk.

The trail and boardwalk have some nice views of the wetlands and two ponds, but there aren’t any wayfinding signs, so we couldn’t learn much about what we were seeing.  

Lexie enjoying the views from the Woodland Beach Wildlife Area wetlands boardwalk

The trail has some wildlife viewing blinds, but they’re sadly overgrown and not usable. 

One of the overgrown wildlife viewing blinds at Woodland Beach Wildlife Area

As you drive south on DE Route 9 from the wetlands and history trails, in about half a mile the road crosses Taylors Gut, a creek that runs through marshes. It’s a scenic view, but the road is narrow here, with no place to pull over to take photos. After crossing Taylors Gut, the road bends right. At the bend there’s a narrow unpaved road on the left (east side), just big enough to hold a car or two. It leads to a wildlife observation tower with a view of a wildbird roosting platform a few yards away. Unfortunately the trail leading to the tower is so overgrown that we weren’t comfortable attempting it. A lot of birds were roosting on the tower, suggesting that it hasn’t been used in quite a while.  

Wildlife observation tower and roosting platform at Taylors Gut

Overgrown path to Taylors Gut wildlife observation platform

Just south of the bend in DE Route 9 at Taylors Gut, turn left (east) onto Florio Road to drive to Thomas Sutton House, built around 1733 of brick covered with stucco. It's a good example of farmhouses in this area from the 1700s. Sutton House is now the administrative headquarters of Woodland Beach Wildlife Area.

Thomas Sutton House

Historic houses are usually named for the original owner, but Thomas Sutton didn't own this house until the mid-1800s. The house was probably built by Ann French, who inherited the property from her father, and her husband Nicholas Ridgely. The house has had many owners over the years.

You’ll need a Conservation Access Pass to park anywhere at Woodland Beach Wildlife Area except at the Aquatic Resources Information Center. There's a picnic pavilion and portapotty at the head of the wetlands trail.

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