Fort Miles Historical Area
A WWII museum inside a bunker, with a battleship gun pointed at the ocean.
15099 Cape Henlopen Dr, Lewes, DE 19958
Hours
10 AM – 4 PM
Show the week Hide the week
| Sat | 10 AM – 4 PM |
|---|---|
| Sun | Closed |
| Mon | Closed |
| Tue | Closed |
| Wed | 10 AM – 4 PM |
| Thu | 10 AM – 4 PM |
| Fri | 10 AM – 4 PM |
Last checked 2026-08-24
- Cost
- Park entry $10/day Delaware-registered vehicle, $20/day non-Delaware; guided Battery 519 tours are extra adult · Included in the per-vehicle park fee child
- Best for
- 6-12
- Indoor / outdoor
- Indoor
- Typical visit
- 1-2 hours at the fort; a half or full day with the park
The Quick Version
- • The museum is inside Battery 519, a real WWII bunker under 13 feet of concrete beneath the Great Dune.
- • It's inside Cape Henlopen State Park, so you pay park entry: $10/day Delaware-registered vehicle, $20/day out of state, free on foot or bike.
- • Memorial Day to Labor Day the museum is open daily 10-4; the rest of the year it's Wed-Sat or Fri-Sat, same hours.
- • You don't need a tour to get in — skip the guided walk and you still get the free Oil Still Bleeds exhibit plus limited access to the museum exhibits.
- • Guided Battery 519 tours take reservations and register online; the evening Lantern Tour is $6 per person, ages 10 and up with a paying adult. For day-of reservations only, call 302-644-5007.
Best Ages
6-12
Plan For
1-2 hours at the fort; a half or full day with the park
Adults
Park entry $10/day Delaware-registered vehicle, $20/day non-Delaware; guided Battery 519 tours are extra
Kids
Included in the per-vehicle park fee
What to Expect
Fort Miles was a cornerstone of the country's WWII coastal defense, and what survives is unusually intact: a walkable artillery park, six barracks buildings, an orientation building, a fire control tower with long views, and the Battery 519 museum under the dune. More than 2,300 soldiers were stationed here on high alert, with heavy guns, mine fields and searchlights defending Wilmington, Philadelphia and beyond; as the Cold War began the fort shifted to classified work, including new weapons technology and listening for Soviet submarines. Current exhibits include the Civil Air Patrol, a U.S.S. Arizona relic, Stories of the 261st Coast Artillery, Civilian Service and the 21st Mine Planters, and the artwork of the Battery 519 Gallery.
The two things kids remember are guns. Inside, the South Gun Room holds a 12-inch gun taken off the USS Wyoming — it could throw a shell 17 miles, and volunteers rigged it so visitors press a button and hear a simulated firing. Outside stands a 16-inch barrel from the battleship USS Missouri, rescued from a Navy scrap lot and set in Artillery Park in May 2016. That barrel was aboard the Missouri the day the surrender documents ending WWII were signed in September 1945. Most of this exists because volunteers made it: in 2003 the bunker was full of graffiti and trash, and a crew called the Bunker Busters has met at least one day a week ever since.
One practical note before you drive down: guided tours are the good version of this visit and they run on a schedule with online registration. If you can't get a slot, you're not locked out — the free Oil Still Bleeds exhibit and limited museum access are open during museum hours.
Who It's Best For
A hit with elementary kids who like big machines and tunnels, and it holds teens better than most museums because the artifacts are the real thing. Under-5s get the least from the exhibits, though outdoor Artillery Park works at any age. The bunker is dark, cool, and echoey. The Lantern Tour has a hard floor of age 10 with a paying adult.
Highlights
Battery 519, the bunker museum
Ages 6+15,000 square feet under 13 feet of concrete beneath the Great Dune. Dark, cool, and genuinely underground — the setting is half the experience. Discover Battery 519 tours run on a posted schedule (recent dates: 11 a.m. and 2 p.m.) and register online.
The 16-inch USS Missouri gun barrel
All agesStanding in Artillery Park overlooking the Atlantic since May 2016. Guns like it could fire shells more than 20 miles.
The 12-inch gun and its sound button
Ages 4+In the South Gun Room, off the USS Wyoming, fitted with a period-style gun cart and wooden shell replicas. Press the button for the boom.
The Fort Miles Lantern Tour
Ages 10+$6 per person to walk Battery 519 by lantern light while a state parks guide tells stories of U-boats on the prowl and sailors in distress. Meets at the Orientation Building; ages 10 and up with a paying adult.
What to Skip with Little Ones
- • The bunker with a nervous toddler — it's dark, and loud when the gun button gets pressed. Do Artillery Park instead.
- • The Lantern Tour. Delaware State Parks sets it at ages 10 and up with a paying adult, and it runs after dark.
- • Arriving after 4 p.m. The park is open until sunset but the museum closes at 4 year-round.
Logistics
Admission
Adults
Park entry $10/day Delaware-registered vehicle, $20/day non-Delaware; guided Battery 519 tours are extra
Kids
Included in the per-vehicle park fee
Under
Included in the per-vehicle park fee
Delaware State Parks charges by the vehicle, not the head, and walking or biking in is free. Inside, the museum says that for those who don't join a guided tour, 'access to the free Oil Still Bleeds exhibit is available, as is limited access to Museum exhibits.' The Fort Miles Lantern Tour is $6 per person, ages 10 and up with a paying adult, meeting at the Fort Miles Orientation Building. A per-person price for the daytime Discover Battery 519 tour isn't posted — those slots register online through Delaware State Parks. Reservations are recommended for all tours; for day-of reservations only, call 302-644-5007.
Membership tip: Fort Miles Historical Association membership starts at $30 (Captain) and includes free Discover Battery 519 tours plus 10% off the gift shop.
Getting There
Parking
Cape Henlopen charges per vehicle at the park entrance — $10/day Delaware-registered, $20/day out of state, with an annual pass for repeat visits. The fee covers the whole park for the day, so pair the fort with the beach. Parking specific to the historical area is not described on the readable pages.
Entrance
15099 Cape Henlopen Drive, inside Cape Henlopen State Park, due east of the Cape May-Lewes Ferry terminal and the city of Lewes. The park is open daily 8 a.m. to sunset — a wider window than the museum's 10-4. Lantern tours meet at the Fort Miles Orientation Building.
Parent Logistics
Not confirmed. Battery 519 is a restored 1940s bunker, not a purpose-built museum — a carrier is the safer bet inside; use the stroller for Artillery Park.
Not confirmed at the historical area. Restrooms were part of the bunker's restoration and the park lists a bathhouse among its amenities, but the state parks amenity list for Fort Miles itself names only the historic site, structures, museums, Overlook tour and retail store — no restrooms.
Not confirmed.
The museum is underground — 15,000 square feet beneath the Great Dune, and the coolest place in the park on a hot afternoon. Artillery Park is open ground overlooking the ocean.
Food & Snacks
No food on-site. No food at the fort is posted; the state parks amenity list includes a retail store, and the gift shop keeps variable volunteer-staffed hours. The park lists concessions and picnic areas, but not at the historical area.
Snack strategy: Eat before you go underground, or picnic elsewhere in the park after. A bunker tour is not a snacking environment.
Pro Tips
- ✓ Reserve a tour ahead. Delaware State Parks recommends reservations for every Fort Miles tour and the Discover Battery 519 slots register online; for day-of reservations only, call 302-644-5007.
- ✓ No tour slot, no problem — the free Oil Still Bleeds exhibit and limited museum access are open during museum hours anyway.
- ✓ Bike or walk in and park entry is free; in a car it's $10 Delaware-plated, $20 otherwise.
- ✓ Build the day around the park: the Seaside Nature Center's touch tank is on the same ticket, and it loans bikes free courtesy of the Friends of Cape Henlopen. The swimming beach is guarded 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. daily, Memorial Day Saturday to Labor Day Monday.
- ✓ Traveling with a school or scout group? Fort Miles runs two standards-aligned programs, one for grades 4-12 on coastal defenses and fortifications and one for grades 6-12 that puts teams of kids to work practicing how artillery gets aimed.
When to Go
Best Time to Visit
Memorial Day through Labor Day, when the museum is open daily 10-4 and volunteer docents lead tours on Sundays. Shoulder-season Wednesdays through Saturdays are quieter and equally open.
Seasonal Notes
Museum hours: Jan 1-Mar 31 Fri-Sat 10-4; Apr 1 to Memorial Day Wed-Sat 10-4; Memorial Day to Labor Day daily 10-4; Labor Day to Nov 1 Wed-Sat 10-4; Nov 1-Dec 31 Fri-Sat 10-4. Those are the hours Delaware State Parks publishes; the museum's own Plan Your Visit page mentions only a Friday-Saturday 10-4 window, so confirm before a midweek shoulder-season trip. The association's two big annual events are Delaware Defense Day in April and the Salute to VJ Day in September — the 2026 ceremony is Sept 2.
Rainy Day?
This is the rainy-day plan — underground and indoors. The Seaside Nature Center is the second stop if you need more.
Upcoming Events
Know when something good is on near Fort Miles Historical Area
Free, one email a week — the weekend's best picks for New Castle County families, tailored to your kids' ages.