First State National Historical Park

First State National Historical Park, established in 2013 and designated a full national park in 2015, protects a collection of sites across Delaware that represent pivotal moments in early American colonial and constitutional history. Unlike a conventional national park with contiguous acreage, First State NHP is a multi-unit site spanning Dover, New Castle, Wilmington, and the surrounding region, with each unit preserving a different facet of Delaware's role as the First State to ratify the U.S. Constitution in 1787. The primary visitor center is located on Martin Luther King Jr. Boulevard North in Dover.

The Dover unit encompasses the Old State House (c. 1791), Delaware's seat of government through much of the 19th century. Its period-furnished legislative chambers and interpretive exhibits on the Constitutional ratification are open for self-guided visits. The New Castle Court House (c. 1732) in New Castle — a companion unit — was Delaware's first capitol building and the site where colonial delegates first assembled; its fully restored courtroom is open free of charge to all visitors. The Fort Christina unit on Wilmington's Christina Riverfront marks the 1638 landing site of the Swedish expedition that established the first permanent European settlement in the Delaware Valley, commemorated with a monument and interpretive panels. The John Dickinson Plantation south of Dover interprets the life and legacy of a prominent Founding Father and Constitutional Convention delegate through period buildings and furnished interiors.

All park units are free to enter. Ranger-led programs and living history events are offered seasonally at the major units. A visit to all units in a single day requires a car and careful planning; focusing on the Dover and New Castle units together makes for a manageable and coherent half-day itinerary. National Park passport stamps are available at each staffed unit.