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Voykit pocket guide · United States
Delaware, Ohio
Delaware
Give Delaware one night or a half-day: a small college downtown, two state parks and the Olentangy caverns. Skip it if you want big-city sights.
Delaware is a county seat of about 35,000 people 30–40 minutes north of Columbus, built around Ohio Wesleyan University and a compact Sandusky Street downtown of pizza shops, brewpubs and a 19th-century courthouse square. It is a base for the Little Brown Jug harness race in September, the Olentangy Indian Caverns and two state parks, not a destination in itself. Most travellers see it as a half-day or an overnight on the way between Columbus and central Ohio's small towns.
- Country
- United States
- Local name
- Delaware
- Best months
- May–Oct
- Avoid
- Jan–Feb (cold, ice)
- Stay
- 1 night
Checked 2026-09. Prices, hours and rules change; anything marked (check) is not confirmed.
Essentials
- Currency
- USD
- Money
- Currency is the US dollar (USD, $). Cards and phone payments work almost everywhere; carry a little cash for tips and small vendors.
- Daily spend
- Budget $60–100 excl. bed · Mid $110–180 excl. bed · High $200+ excl. bed (estimate; check)
- SIM and data
- AT&T, Verizon and T-Mobile cover the country; prepaid SIMs at their stores and Walmart/Target (passport required), or an eSIM before you fly.
- Emergency
- Police, fire, ambulance 911 · Delaware Police non-emergency 740-203-1111
- Plugs
- Types A, B · 120 V · 60 Hz · Chargers are dual-voltage; hair dryers and straighteners from 230 V countries need a converter.
- Tipping
- Sit-down restaurant: 18–22% of the pre-tax bill.; Bar: US$1–2 per drink or 20% of the tab.; Taxi / ride-hailing: 15–20%, in the app.; Hotel housekeeping: US$3–5 a night.; Porter / valet: US$2–5 per bag or car.; Tour guide: US$10–20 per person for a day tour.; Counter service / tablet prompts: Optional; 0–15%.
- Water
- Tap water is drinkable nearly everywhere; boil or treat water from streams in parks.
- Toilets
- Free public toilets are scarce in big cities; use cafés, department stores, libraries, stations. Rest areas on highways are free.
What things cost
| Item | Price |
|---|---|
| Coffee | $3–6 |
| Pizza, 12-inch | $14–20 |
| Deli sandwich | $9–14 |
| Draught beer in a downtown bar | $6–9 |
| 5 km taxi or rideshare3.1 mi taxi or rideshare | $12–18 |
| Olentangy Indian Caverns entry | $10–12 adult, $7–9 child (check) |
| eSIM or data SIM, about a week | $10–25 |
Desk estimates, checked 2026-09; check locally.
Get in
By air
- CMH · John Glenn Columbus International
- About 30–40 min south by car via I-71 and US 23; no direct bus to Delaware, so rent a car or take a rideshare.
Typical fares
- Rideshare CMH → downtown Delaware
- $50–70, about 35 min (check)
- Greyhound Columbus → Delaware
- about $10–15, about 30 min (check)
- DATA local bus
- small fare, day pass available (check)
Get around
Downtown is walkable in 10–15 minutes end to end. DATA buses run through town and onto the OWU campus, with service into the evening on college days. A car is the practical way to reach the caverns and both state parks; street parking downtown is metered and campus parking needs a visitor permit from Public Safety.
See and do
Known for
- Ohio Wesleyan University campus
- Little Brown Jug harness race
- Olentangy Indian Caverns
- Sandusky Street downtown
- Delaware State Park and Alum Creek
Day trips
| Where | How | Time |
|---|---|---|
| Columbus | Car via US 23 south and I-71, or Greyhound from Delaware | About 40 min by car; about 30 min by bus |
| Dublin, Ohio | Car via US 33 and I-270 | About 30–40 min |
| London, Ohio | Car via US 42 west | About 1 h |
| Mount Vernon, Ohio | Car via US 36 east | About 1 h 15 min |
| Gambier | Car via US 36 east and OH 229 | About 1 h 30 min |
| Newark, Ohio | Car via I-270 and OH 16 east | About 1 h 15 min |
Sleep
- Downtown / Sandusky Street
- Walk to restaurants, bars and the OWU campus; a handful of small inns and B&Bs, book ahead for race weekend.
- US 23 north strip
- Chain motels with free parking and easy highway access; 5–10 min drive from downtown.
- Delaware State Park
- Camping with electric sites, showers and a beach on the reservoir; 10 min north of town.
Phrase card
| English | Say or show |
|---|---|
| Where is the bus stop? | Where is the bus stop? |
| Can I pay by card? | Can I pay by card? |
| Is there parking here? | Is there parking here? |
| The check, please | The check, please |
Etiquette, safety and scams
Etiquette
- Greeting: Handshake and 'hi, how are you?' — reply 'good, thanks'; avoid: Treating the question as a real health enquiry
- Restaurants: Tip 18–22% and wait for the check; avoid: Leaving without tipping
- Personal space: Keep an arm's length in queues; avoid: Standing close to strangers
- Politics and religion: Listen more than you speak; avoid: Opening with hot-button topics
- Smoking: Smoke only in marked areas; avoid: Smoking near doors or in parks where banned
Scams and watch-outs
- Campus parking on a school day is the hardest parking in town: get a visitor permit from Public Safety or come by bus.
- Taxis are phone-only and can take an hour on cold or busy nights: plan around DATA buses or drive.
- The caverns close for the winter, roughly November to March: check before you drive out.
- Race weekend in September fills every bed in the county: book weeks ahead or stay in Columbus.
A low-crime small city; the real risks are winter ice on pavements, deer on US 23 at dusk and drinking on a college night out. Standard US precautions apply.
One and two days
No timed day plan for Delaware, Ohio yet. Suggested stay: 1 night. Build a day from the list below, mornings for the big sight.
- Ohio Wesleyan University campus
- Little Brown Jug harness race
- Olentangy Indian Caverns
- Sandusky Street downtown
- Delaware State Park and Alum Creek
Sources
Written by Voykit; facts cross-checked against these sources, last desk check 2026-09. Prices, hours and rules change: check on the day.
- City of Delaware, Ohio: www.delawareohio.net/
- Visit Delaware Ohio: www.visitdelohio.com/
- Ohio Department of Natural Resources — Delaware State Park: parks.ohiodnr.gov/delaware
- John Glenn Columbus International Airport: flycolumbus.com/
- Wikivoyage: Delaware (Ohio), revision 5237378 (CC BY-SA 4.0): en.wikivoyage.org/w/index.php?oldid=5237378
Pocket card
Cut along the border and keep it in your wallet. Show the local-script lines to a driver.
Delaware, OhioDelaware
To this address, please
To this address, please
My hotel (write the name and address in the local script)
- Police, fire, ambulance911
- Delaware Police non-emergency740-203-1111
No embassies in Delaware; consulates are in Chicago, New York and Washington, DC. Check your country's nearest consulate before you travel.
Tipping is expected: 18–22% at sit-down restaurants, $1–2 a drink, 15–20% for taxis and rideshares.
Voykit · checked 2026-09
Printed from Voykit (/delaware-ohio). Written by Voykit; checked 2026-09. Estimates only: confirm prices, hours and entry rules on the day.