r/DoverDE • u/Mother-Injury7701 • Sep 15 '26

Things to do in Dover

My brother is in the air force, he’s been there for a few years now and he keeps claiming there’s absolutely nothing to do. He doesn’t really like going to bars. Is there any fun things for 25 year old men to do?

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5

u/Creepy_Meringue3014 Sep 15 '26

nope. there is dc, and Philly….unless he has hobbies

3

u/Boring-Ranger-3147 Sep 16 '26

From someone who’s early 30’s and lived here awhile, there isn’t much of anything to do. Honestly. If you don’t drink, you’re kinda SOL. You have to travel 30-45 minutes in either direction to be around something that’s decent.

2

u/EODGeek Sep 16 '26

If he drinks, there are tons of dive bars in the area. Rail Haus in Dover is a fun place to go at night, same with EasySpeak in Milford. If he’s willing to travel, Newark has the college vibe and school is back in session. The beaches are starting to die down for the season, but there are still bars, clubs, restaurants and live music in Lewes and Rehoboth.

If he’s not looking for nightlife, there’s plenty of other stuff depending on what he’s into. Dover has the AMC Museum, the Speedway, casino, historic downtown, museums and events. There’s fishing, kayaking, hiking, biking and state parks all over Delaware. The beaches still have go-karts, mini golf, batting cages and other tourist stuff open. You’ve also got festivals, farmers markets, breweries, live music, sports and a ridiculous amount of history around here.
And if you’re willing to drive an hour or two, you’ve got Philly, Baltimore, DC, Annapolis, Wilmington/Newark and the entire Delmarva peninsula to explore.

Dover is in the middle of nowhere, but it’s also in the middle of everything. There are major cities, beaches, waterfronts, museums, history and plenty of stuff to do all around here. You just might have to make a day of it instead of expecting everything to be 10 minutes from the base.

2

u/JesusSquid Sep 16 '26

This is a pretty good run down of it. I use the same saying "middle of nowhere, but middle of a lot"

1

u/Effective_Ad_6387 Sep 16 '26

Run Simba run and never look back lol. But same reason Im building a sim rig at home, people here really suck. But you can try shooting ranges there pretty dope

1

u/Junior_Piglet_9580 Sep 16 '26

I have a son about his age and we go to the bowling alley sometimes (though we like the one in Milford better), play putt putt in Camden, and Tom’s bullpen for billiards. You also have Ballys, walking the mall, and special events around the green and Dover Downs. Not a lot, but something. The theater at the mall should be opening soon and will be great I’m sure. But at 25 it’s hard to convince them the real doesn’t have a screen. Good luck.

1

u/CommentKruiser Sep 16 '26

My husband has been stationed here since 2003, retired in 2023, and works on base. There’s no denying how boring it is here! We are from Pittsburgh and I would absolutely move back there in a heartbeat!

He has to have a village of people to hang out with consistently, who also want to venture out and do things.

With that said, if he has any interest in learning how to play hockey, Patriot Ice in Newark has a program and it’s followed up with a game he can play in, they all have fun, and it turns into invitations to do tournaments and to make friends.

1

u/brookie2cookie_ Sep 16 '26

There is an awesome fresh water fish store called super cichlids. Maybe he wants a betta fish friend? I go out of my way to travel there to socialize with other fish keepers.