Contributed by Jim Rapp 

Last month,  Mayor John Shwed and the Laurel Town Council welcomed Jim Rapp and Dave Wilson of Conservation Community Consulting to a Town Council meeting to share a nature and heritage-based tourism plan for the town, with Broad Creek and the Ramble as the centerpiece. The tourism plan is titled “Laurel, Delaware: Base Camp to Nanticoke Country,” and it details the process, resources and recommendations to reimagine Laurel as a Trail Town for paddlers, cyclists, wildlife watchers, and heritage tourists.

The process started at the Laurel Better Block event on September 26, 2015. Jim and Dave conducted a survey of locals and visitors, and asked two basic questions: “If you had a friend or relative visiting Laurel, what are three things you would want to show them, or three things you would want to do?” and “If you had a friend visiting Laurel, what are three things you would want to avoid?” They also asked survey participants to stick a pin on a map of their favorite and not-so-favorite places in and around Laurel.

A team of local tourism stakeholders was assembled to participate in a day-and-a-half long workshop on November 10-11, 2015, where the information from the Better Block survey was used to explore Laurel and the surrounding headwaters of the Nanticoke to better visualize the tourism assets and challenges that would inform the plan.

The stakeholders included leaders from the Reimagine Laurel team, town staff, local historians, state park employees, environmental stewards, chamber of commerce and tourism professionals, and folks who kayak, cycle, and watch wildlife. The group spent the better part of November 10, 2015, exploring within a ten-mile radius of the proposed Ramble project on a tour bus provided by Trap Pond State Park.

For many, this was the first time exploring the land and water around Laurel and Nanticoke country. Everyone had driven through Laurel along the Route 13 corridor, which is not a great advertisement for the incredible town, creek and countryside that exists just a few minutes off the highway.

The stakeholders quickly discovered the array of nature and heritage tourism assets that could be explored by car, or better yet — by bike and kayak. Some of these places are large gems, such as Laurel’s beloved Trap Pond State Park. Most are smaller jewels, such as the historic churches, mill ponds, and wildlife areas.

Together, the sum of these parts adds up to an exciting place to explore with your binoculars and camera by bike and kayak. For the cyclist, Laurel has miles and miles of scenic roads that will take you past working farms, over bridges, and to parks, preserves and historic sites.

For the paddler, the stakeholders discovered a “Bunny Slope to Black Diamond” array of opportunities. Beginning paddlers, perhaps a family with young kids, can start off on the tranquil waters of the more than a dozen historic bald cypress-laden mill ponds around Laurel. As skill levels advance, paddlers can graduate to Broad Creek and ultimately to the Nanticoke River. There are days and days of paddling opportunities around Laurel.

Birders and wildlife watchers can explore the trails at Trap Pond and the Nanticoke Wildlife Area, some of the best habitat on the Delmarva Peninsula to view more than 130 species of wild birds, including spring migrants such as the Prothonotary Warbler and wintering waterfowl on the ponds and river.

The history of these places provides a truly authentic context for an outdoor adventure. More than 400 years ago, Captain John Smith sailed up the Nanticoke and traded with Native Americans at Phillips Landing, the confluence of the river and Broad Creek. 240 years after John Smith, the Moses of Her People, Harriet Tubman, used the Nanticoke River as a passage along the Underground Railroad to help slaves escape to freedom. These American stories can be experienced by tapping into the developing plans for the Captain John Smith Chesapeake National Historic Trail and the Nanticoke Heritage Byway.

The Town of Laurel offers even more for the heritage tourist. Laurel is the birthplace of five Delaware Governors, and more than 800 buildings are listed on the National Historic Record. One of Laurel’s most unusual stories is that of the 1904 train accident that took place over Broad Creek. The engineer of the Norfolk Express failed to yield to an open drawbridge and landed on top of a schooner. The engineer was killed, but legend says that a quick-thinking baggage handler uncoupled the passenger cars to save all onboard.

These are just some of the stories, sites and experiences that make Nanticoke Country different from any other place in the world, and Laurel sits right in the middle. The recommendations listed in the plan will be used to help reimagine Laurel as a Trail Town, where you can launch your adventure into Nanticoke Country. Nature and heritage tourism will help bring more people and jobs back to downtown Laurel to eat, shop, play and stay.