The First State or The Worst State? Report: Delaware has country's worst nightlife

Ryan Cormier
The News Journal
Russian DJ/producer Zedd performs at Firefly Music Festival on June 19, 2015 in Dover.

If you believe the number-crunchers at the personal finance website WalletHub, Delaware has the worst nightlife in the entire country.

That's right, The First State is The Worst State according to a recently released  report, meaning states such as Mississippi, West Virginia, North Dakota and New Hampshire allegedly have more vibrant nightlife scenes than Delaware.

Sorry, but we don't buy it. 

While that may have been the case 20 years ago, the state's nightlife scene has bulked up in the past decade with the addition of Firefly Music Festival, a Live Nation music venue in the heart of Wilmington and the addition of 30-plus new breweries, distilleries and other craft alcohol sites.

And that's in addition to bustling bar scenes in Wilmington, Newark, Dewey Beach and Rehoboth Beach with crowds still flocking to our state's most beloved venues from The Starboard and the Bottle & Cork at the beach to The Grand in Wilmington and the Delaware State Fair in Harrington.

We'd certainly rather spend a night in Wilmington hopping from a dinner at Trolley Square Oyster House to an under-the-radar concert at Nomad Bar before even thinking of stepping foot in, say, Bismarck, North Dakota — a state better known for being the country's largest producer of oats than for its entertainment.

Dewey Beach's Bottle & Cork has been at the center of the beach town's nightlife for more than 80 years.

We asked readers for their reaction to Delaware's dismal ranking asking, "Are we that bad?"

Some were shocked — "How does Alaska have better nightlife than us?" — while others made a case for the state: "Delaware used to be kind of dull years ago, but now there are so many great bars, restaurants and cultural events that I can hardly keep track of everything going on."

Many others agreed that the state's scene was indeed that bad, directing most of their blame on the state's 1 a.m. last call.

"This is one of the reasons I moved away from my home state," wrote one Delawarean. Another turned the focus on Newark's Main Street: "We don’t even pretend to have a nightlife scene. Our biggest bar in Newark is a pizza store."

Being ranked dead last in nightlife wasn't Delaware's only bruising moment in the "Most Fun States in America" report, which used 26 different indicators to calculate an overall score and ranking.

Country singer Dierks Bentley headlines the Delaware State Fair in Harrington in 2013.

Delaware was also named the 48th "most fun state," beating out only Mississippi and West Virginia. It was also ranked 48th when it came to entertainment and recreation.

For that ranking, WalletHub factored in everything from number and variety of attractions to ideal weather and amusement parks per capita.

In fact, Delaware was dinged in many of those per capita rankings, ranked 50th in the number of movie theaters, 48th in performing arts theaters, 47th in golf courses and country clubs and 46th in restaurants.

In terms of Delaware's worst nightlife ranking, these were the factors taken into account: average beer and wine price, the time of last call and movie costs, as well as nightlife, bar options, music festivals, casinos and performing arts centers per capita.

But our readers were onto something.

It truly is tough to tout our state's nightlife scene when last call is at 1 a.m., putting Delaware among only a select few states where the drinks stop at 1 or earlier, including Utah, Rhode Island and Nebraska. 

The Starboard in Dewey Beach is one of the most popular nightspots in the state.

While Delaware is surrounded by three states with later last calls (Pennsylvania, Maryland and New Jersey), an attempt to extend Delaware's last call to 2 a.m. in 2013 by then Rep. Darryl Scott, D-Dover, never got a vote.

When we allow every state along our border to offer longer nights out and stubbornly remain among of the few 1 a.m. states, perhaps a dead-last ranking in nightlife should have been expected.

Even so, if you live in Delaware and love nightlife, it's not hard to find something fun to do each weekend, even if you do end up crossing the border to end your night a little later in another state.

Contact Ryan Cormier of The News Journal at rcormier@delawareonline.com or (302) 324-2863. Follow him on Facebook (@ryancormier), Twitter (@ryancormier) and Instagram (@ryancormier).

DELAWARE'S WALLETHUB RANKINGS

Nightlife: 50th (First: Nevada)

Movie theaters per capita: 50th (First: California and New York, tie)

Entertainment and recreation: 48th (First: California)

Performing arts theaters per capita: 48th (First: California and New York, tie)

Most fun state: 48th (First: California)

Golf courses and country clubs per capita: 47th (First: Michigan)

Restaurants per capita: 46th (First: California, New York, Florida, Texas, tie)