Conference Lodging

Doubletree by Hilton Hotel Downtown Wilmington-Legal District

700 North King Street

Wilmington, DE 19801

VAF has secured a block of rooms for Monday, May 12 - Sunday, May 18. To make reservations please contact the hotel directly via phone, (302) 351-0401. Use code word VAF to access our block of rooms. 

Hotel room rates quoted below are per room, per night, and subject to prevailing city, county, and state taxes, fees and assessments. Rates are guaranteed until Monday, APRIL 21, 2025.  

Standard and Double rooms are $169/$189. Parking is $17/day. 

METHOD OF RESERVATION  

You may register online. The link will take you to our conference hotel landing page with all needed prompts for our discount.

Check-in is at 3 pm and checkout is at 11 am.

Travel & Transportation

Locality 

Downtown Wilmington is rather compact and resides on a rocky hill between the confluence of the Christiana and the Brandywine Rivers just west of the much larger Delaware River. Wilmington has a rectilinear street plan with (mostly) alternating one-way streets.  East/West streets are numbered and tend to be small, while North/South streets are named.  The hotel lobby and small carport are on the left side of King Street (a major southbound street) at the corner of 8^th (a small westbound street).  Best to approach the hotel by car from the north on King Street. Market Street, the main commercial street with many restaurants and bars, is one block west and parallel to King Street.

By Train 

The Wilmington Train station is on French Street (one block east of King Street) and Front Street (aka 1^st Street).  This station is “on” the Amtrak Northeast Corridor and is served by Amtrak regional and ACELA trains from all along the East Coast.  One should book tickets in advance or purchase at the station (Amtrak tickets).  The Wilmington station is also on Philadelphia’s SEPTA system with ticket machines at the station, or one can pay the conductor on the train. One-way tickets cost approximately $10-15 from Philly to Wilmington.  The hotel is eight blocks up the hill on King Street from the station.  

By Car Overview

I-95 is only 24.5 miles long in Delaware and passes through downtown Wilmington, while I-495 is a north/south bypass around Wilmington, and I-295 is an east/west connection between I-95 just south of Wilmington, crossing the Delaware River, and the south end of the New Jersey Turnpike (NJT).  

From Philadelphia on I-95: Exit 7B for Delaware Avenue, take a left at first light onto Delaware Avenue (major east bound, two-way traffic) and keep left onto 11^th Street and continue to King Street, turn right. If you miss Exit 7B, the next Exit 7A will put you directly on 11^th Street (major east bound, one-way traffic), continue straight to King Street, turn right.

From further North:  I-95 and the NJT are the same road leaving New York City but split south of Trenton, NJ.  I-95 passes into PA and then south through Philadelphia.  To avoid Philadelphia traffic, take the NJT all the way south onto I-295 west and then a short stretch of I-95 heading north into Wilmington.   Take Exit 7 as if coming from the south.

From the South on I-95 (also from NJT / I-295): Exit 7 puts you at the corner of N. Adams Street (northbound alongside I-95) and 9^th Street (east bound, small street, many stop signs). Best to go two blocks north to Delaware Avenue and turn right at traffic light, continue straight to King Street and turn right again.

By Plane (PHL) 

The closest major airport to Wilmington is Philadelphia International Airport (PHL) which is served by many airlines.  The airport is on the south side of the city, directly on I-95 (toll-free) and approximately 23 miles from Wilmington. An Uber ride to Wilmington is ~$60 one way, airport shuttles are generally more expensive than Uber.  

Note that PHL airport has a SEPTA train station with trains leaving every 30 minutes for downtown Philly (airport line).  Take the SEPTA airport train two stops to Penn Medicine and change for the generally hourly southbound Wilmington SEPTA train (WIL schedule), approximately $14 but no late-night service. It is possible to take the SEPTA train one stop further to the 30^th Street Amtrak station and change to a southbound Amtrak train, occasionally faster but requires two separate tickets, ~$10 + ~$20.

By Plane (BWI) 

The Thurgood Marshall (Baltimore airport, BWI) is approximately 80 miles south of Wilmington (with tolls).  The airport is on the south side of the city and one can connect to I-95 northbound via I-895.  

Note that BWI also has an Amtrak station on the Northeast Corridor.  There is a shuttle bus from the airport to the train station followed by a ~one hour ride to the Wilmington station, approximately $20 depending on time of day.  

Only on American Airlines (ILG):  American Airlines has been offering connections to New Castle County airport (ILG).  Travel is to PHL by air and then by bus to ILG which is ~12 miles south of Wilmington. However, you will have to Uber / rideshare to the conference hotel. Not clear that this is advantageous.  

Contact Michelle Jones, VAF Conference Coordinator with questions about the conference conference@vafweb.org.