MILTON/HARBESON, Del. - From the beaches to the Broadkill River, the number of people moving to or visiting Milton is growing.
Of course, the Milton Theatre always has shows and events that bring people to town, but now the Milton Chamber of Commerce seems to have something happening every weekend. There's the Milton Farmers Market, Sounds of Summer Concerts in the Park, Second Saturday's, the fun never stops.
"We know that people are coming in from other states and making it a girl's shopping weekend for the holiday events," says Chamber of Commerce Executive Director Karen Falk.
Town Manager Kristy Rogers says there are currently six residential projects. They are as follows:
Heritage Creek Phase 1: 58 –Single Family Detached Dwellings (55 and over restriction)
Heritage Creek Phase 9A: 9 - Single Family Dwellings (6 detached and 3 semidetached)
Heritage Creek Phase 9B: 23 - Single Family Dwellings (16 detached and 7 semidetached)
Cannery Village Phase 4: 116 - Single Family Semidetached Dwellings
Cypress Grove: 240 Apartments – 52 One bedroom, 120 two bedroom, and 68 three bedroom. (Under construction.)
Granary: 1350 dwelling units. (999 detached, 351 semidetached)
Healthcare is getting a boost with Bayhealth Total Care open on Route 9 and Beebe Healthcare's Jerry Ann McLamb Medical Pavilion under construction on Route 16.
The Dogfish Head Craft Brewery has been attracting visitors for tours and tastings, but more recently Dewey Beer Company opened in Harbeson in 2021.
Kristen Latham has been doing business in Milton for six years. She owns Milton Dough Bar and SipUrban Farmhouse.
"There was nothing here, so I thought why not make our way and kind of start our own community and I feel like Milton's the next up and coming, I mean we've probably tripled in size," Latham says.
Not only is Milton growing, it's also evolving with the current community. When a family farm got too small, one member turned it into a 27-acre vineyard for the Twin Branch Winery.
Take the mile-long Twin Branch Road to get to this hidden oasis.
"It's a great place for people to come, get away from it all, you almost feel like you're someplace else," says owner Shauna Thompson.
The winery opened in April 2023 and is already becoming part of people's vacations here based on their customer feedback.
"They come by and say we heard about you, we stopped by, we were on our way to the beach and we stopped by to check you guys out," says Tasting Room General Manager Katie Hart.
Gov. John Carney even had Milton on his map of tourist destinations when he visited Lavender Fields back in May.
"They visit here at the beaches and they want to do other things," Carney says. "Those attractions are really important to tourism in lower Delaware."
There's still one final touch to top off the tourist destination.
"We do not have a hotel yet, but we have people who stay in other towns and they come in and they enjoy the theatre, they enjoy the culinary arts that we have with our restaurants," Falk says.
The next Milton and Harbeson Second Saturday event is July 8. Pictures of adoptable dogs from Grass Roots Rescue will be posted on the doors of chamber businesses.