Drive guide · 3 days, 3 campuses

La Salle, Delaware State and Coppin State in 3 Days: A Philadelphia, Dover and Baltimore College Drive Trip

A parent-first plan for seeing La Salle University, Delaware State University and Coppin State University in three days: how each school's tour works and where to sign up, La Salle's tour parking lot, Delaware State's Lot 18 and Coppin's pay-station visitor lots, five hotels from budget to upscale including a Hilton Garden Inn about 2 minutes from Delaware State, drive times from Philadelphia International and to BWI, sibling stops like the Philadelphia Zoo and the National Aquarium, and Dover weather by season, every fact sourced and checked Oct 30, 2026.

A red-brick Georgian mansion with black shutters, white-trimmed windows and a white doorway beside a tall gray historical marker titled Loockerman Hall, framed by a leafy tree under a dusky sky with a wisp of cloud
Loockerman Hall and its historical marker at Delaware State University, Dover (September 2014). Photo: Codenamesam · CC BY-SA 4.0 · Wikimedia Commons · resized and cropped

Last checked Oct 30, 2026. Every fact comes from the pages listed in Sources at the bottom. Some hotel and tour links are affiliate links (disclosure).

The short version

Trip at a glance

Schools
La Salle University (Philadelphia, PA) · Delaware State University (Dover, DE) · Coppin State University (Baltimore, MD)
Days
3 days: La Salle on day 1, then about 1 hour 50 minutes south to Dover; Delaware State on day 2, then about 2 hours 7 minutes to Baltimore; Coppin State on day 3.
Fly into
Philadelphia International (PHL), about 30 minutes from La Salle with no traffic. Fly home from Baltimore/Washington International (BWI), about 24 minutes from Coppin State.
Best base
Hilton Garden Inn Dover, about 2 minutes by car from Delaware State, with free self-parking.
Car or no car
Bring or rent a car. The three campuses are spread over about 180 miles of I-95 and Delaware Route 1, and each has visitor parking.
Registration
Book each visit on the school's own sign-up page: La Salle's Campus Tour & Information Session, Delaware State's Visit DSU booking site and Coppin State's campus tour portal.

1. Who this guide is for

This plan is for parents bringing a high schooler, and maybe younger siblings, to see three Division I schools along the I-95 corridor: the La Salle Explorers in Philadelphia, the Delaware State Hornets in Dover and the Coppin State Eagles in Baltimore.

Delaware State and Coppin State are both historically Black universities in the Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference. The photo in this guide shows Loockerman Hall on Delaware State's campus.

Why this order

  • Day 1: fly into Philadelphia, about 30 minutes from La Salle, for a campus tour and information session, then drive about 1 hour 50 minutes to Dover.
  • Day 2: a Delaware State walking tour led by Hornet Ambassadors, then about 2 hours 7 minutes to Baltimore's Inner Harbor.
  • Day 3: a Coppin State family tour with campus ambassadors, then about 24 minutes to BWI for the flight home.
Plan ahead: registration and timing
  • La Salle's Campus Tour & Information Session runs Monday through Friday and on select Saturdays and lasts about two hours. Book on La Salle's visit portal.
  • La Salle says students who visit campus and enroll as first-time, full-time undergraduates earn its $2,000 Experience La Salle Grant on top of scholarships and financial aid.
  • Delaware State's Family and Friends Tours are for a prospective student plus up to 2 guests. If no times show on the booking site, that date is full; a waitlist form is on the Visit DSU page.
  • Delaware State's spring 2027 tours run from mid-January through April and open for booking at the beginning of December.
  • Coppin State's Family / Individual Tour is for a prospective student plus up to two guests, and self-guided tours are not permitted. Elementary and middle school students are not permitted on Coppin campus tours.
Tour availability varies by season.
  • Winters in Dover are chilly: January averages about 44°F highs and 28°F lows.
  • August is the wettest month in Dover, averaging about 4.9 inches of rain, so pack an umbrella for a late-summer walking tour.
  • Delaware State won't run a scheduled tour if the university closes for extreme weather; Hornet Ambassadors will reach out to reschedule.
  • Check each school's athletics calendar for home games on your dates, since game days bring extra traffic and parking demand.

2. The suggested 3-day plan

  • Drive times are no-traffic estimates from OpenStreetMap routing, and walking times use OpenStreetMap foot routing, with addresses geocoded by OpenStreetMap Nominatim. Times to La Salle are to 1900 W. Olney Ave., times to Delaware State are to 1200 N. DuPont Hwy., the address of the Claibourne D. Smith Administration Building where tours check in, and times to Coppin State are to the Miles Connor Administration Building, home of the Office of Admissions.

Day 1: fly into Philadelphia, La Salle University, then drive to Dover

  1. Philadelphia International Airport (PHL) → La Salle University

    Driving (no traffic)
    ~30 min, 16.4 mi
    Driving
    Rental car
  2. La Salle University → Philadelphia Zoo

    Driving (no traffic)
    ~16 min, 7.8 mi
    Driving
    Drive
  3. La Salle University → Hilton Garden Inn Dover

    Driving (no traffic)
    ~1 hr 50 min, 82.3 mi
    Driving
    Drive
  4. La Salle University → Red Roof Inn & Suites Dover Downtown

    Driving (no traffic)
    ~1 hr 53 min, 84.3 mi
    Driving
    Drive
  • Park in Lot J for La Salle campus tours.
  • Each La Salle visit starts with an information session led by a member of the Admissions team, followed by a guided walking tour of academic spaces, residence halls and campus life.

Day 2: Delaware State University, then drive to Baltimore

  1. Hilton Garden Inn Dover → DSU Claibourne D. Smith Administration Building

    Driving (no traffic)
    ~2 min, 1.1 mi
    Driving
    ~22 min walk, 1.0 mi
  2. Red Roof Inn & Suites Dover Downtown → DSU Claibourne D. Smith Administration Building

    Driving (no traffic)
    ~3 min, 1.3 mi
    Driving
    ~27 min walk, 1.3 mi
  3. Bally's Dover Casino Resort → DSU Claibourne D. Smith Administration Building

    Driving (no traffic)
    ~4 min, 0.8 mi
    Driving
    Drive
  4. DSU Claibourne D. Smith Administration Building → Courtyard Baltimore Downtown/Inner Harbor

    Driving (no traffic)
    ~2 hr 7 min, 96.8 mi
    Driving
    Drive
  5. DSU Claibourne D. Smith Administration Building → Tru by Hilton Baltimore Harbor East

    Driving (no traffic)
    ~2 hr 7 min, 96.6 mi
    Driving
    Drive
  • Check in at the Visitors Center kiosk in the first-floor lobby of the Claibourne D. Smith Administration Building, and park in Lot 18 next to it, entering through the main front entrance of campus.
  • Arrive on time: tours are student-led around class schedules, and arriving more than 15 minutes late forfeits the tour.

Day 3: Coppin State University, then fly home from BWI

  1. Courtyard Baltimore Downtown/Inner Harbor → Coppin State Miles Connor Administration Building

    Driving (no traffic)
    ~13 min, 5.1 mi
    Driving
    Drive
  2. Tru by Hilton Baltimore Harbor East → Coppin State Miles Connor Administration Building

    Driving (no traffic)
    ~13 min, 5.1 mi
    Driving
    Drive
  3. Coppin State Miles Connor Administration Building → National Aquarium

    Driving (no traffic)
    ~12 min, 4.5 mi
    Driving
    Drive
  4. Coppin State Miles Connor Administration Building → Baltimore/Washington International Airport (BWI)

    Driving (no traffic)
    ~24 min, 12.1 mi
    Driving
    Drive
  • Coppin's Office of Admissions is on the first floor of the Miles Connor Administration Building. Visitor parking is in Lots B, C, F and H, with a daily permit bought at a pay station and shown on your dashboard.
  • Coppin's Family / Individual Tour lasts about 1 hour 30 minutes and is guided by campus ambassadors.

3. Campus by campus

Campus

La Salle University (Philadelphia, PA)

Where visits start
  • The Campus Tour & Information Session runs Monday through Friday and on select Saturdays and lasts about two hours: an information session with a member of the Admissions team, then a guided walking tour of academic spaces, residence halls and campus life.
  • La Salle also holds a Fall Open House with faculty from your student's academic area, admissions and financial aid information, current students and a campus tour; register on its visit page.
  • Visit campus and enroll as a first-time, full-time undergraduate to earn La Salle's $2,000 Experience La Salle Grant.
Visitor parking
  • La Salle's Map and Directions page sends campus tour visitors to Lot J.
Getting there
  • La Salle is about 30 minutes by car from Philadelphia International with no traffic, and about 1 hour 50 minutes from the Dover hotels.
What to know
  • La Salle's tour page suggests Philadelphia stops like the Liberty Bell, Independence Hall, Reading Terminal Market and the Philadelphia Zoo, America's first zoo, in Fairmount Park.
Contact
La Salle University: 1900 West Olney Avenue, Philadelphia, PA 19141, 215.951.1000.

Last checked Oct 30, 2026. Tour and admissions details change often, so confirm them on the school's official visit page before you go.

Official pages: La Salle: Visits, Tours, & Events · La Salle: Map and Directions

A red-brick Georgian mansion with black shutters, white-trimmed windows and a white doorway beside a tall gray historical marker titled Loockerman Hall, framed by a leafy tree under a dusky sky with a wisp of cloud
Loockerman Hall and its historical marker at Delaware State University, Dover (September 2014). Photo: Codenamesam · CC BY-SA 4.0 · Wikimedia Commons · resized and cropped

Campus

Delaware State University (Dover, DE)

Where visits start
  • Tours are walking tours led by Hornet Ambassadors and run from 45 minutes to an hour, covering campus life, Delaware State history, academics and campus resources from a student's point of view.
  • Family and Friends Tours are for a prospective student plus up to 2 guests and are not scheduled on Sundays, holidays or when the university is closed. If your date is full, join the waitlist; Hornet Ambassadors reply the Friday before your requested tour.
  • Hornet Days let high school seniors sit in on classes, tour campus, have lunch in the Village Café and meet admissions counselors, and some students may be accepted on the spot if they meet all entrance requirements.
Visitor parking
  • Park in Lot 18 next to the Claibourne D. Smith Administration Building, entering through the main front entrance of campus.
Getting there
  • Campus is on U.S. Route 13 (DuPont Highway), across the street from Dover Downs, and Delaware State lists both PHL and BWI as its nearby airports.
  • The Hilton Garden Inn is about 2 minutes away by car, and Delaware State is about 1 hour 28 minutes from Philadelphia International with no traffic.
What to know
  • Tours stop at the Wellness and Recreation Center, the Bank of America building and the Martin Luther King Jr. Student Center.
Contact
Campus tours: campustours@desu.edu, 302.857.6351. Check in at the Visitors Center kiosk, 1st floor, Claibourne D. Smith Administration Building, 1200 N. DuPont Hwy., Dover, DE 19901.

Last checked Oct 30, 2026. Tour and admissions details change often, so confirm them on the school's official visit page before you go.

Official pages: DSU: Admissions Events · DSU: Directions to DSU · DSU: Local Accommodations

Campus

Coppin State University (Baltimore, MD)

Where visits start
  • The Family / Individual Tour lasts about 1 hour 30 minutes for a prospective student plus up to two guests, guided by campus ambassadors past key landmarks, student resources and campus life. Self-guided tours are not permitted.
  • Tours are for high school, transfer, second-bachelor's and other prospective college students; elementary and middle school students are not permitted, and such bookings are cancelled.
  • Take Flight Day is Coppin's free fall open house, hosted by the Office of Admissions.
Visitor parking
  • Visitor parking is in Lots B, C, F and H. Buy a daily permit at a pay station (Coppin lists $2.50 per hour, up to $15 a day) and display the receipt on the dashboard. Enforcement runs Monday through Friday, 7 a.m. to 6 p.m.
Getting there
  • Coppin's 65-acre campus is in West Baltimore at 2500 W. North Ave., about 13 minutes by car from the Inner Harbor hotels and about 24 minutes from BWI with no traffic.
  • Coppin lists MTA local bus, subway, light rail and MARC train service, plus Amtrak, as ways to reach campus.
What to know
  • Coppin's visit page points families to Baltimore hotspots like the Inner Harbor, the National Aquarium, the Visionary Art Museum, the Baltimore Museum of Art and Oriole Park at Camden Yards.
Contact
Office of Admissions: Miles Connor Administration Building, 1st floor, (410) 951-3628, tours@coppin.edu.

Last checked Oct 30, 2026. Tour and admissions details change often, so confirm them on the school's official visit page before you go.

Official pages: Coppin State: Campus Tours & Visits · Coppin State: Plan Your Campus Visit · Coppin State: Take Flight Day: Fall Open House

4. Where to stay: Dover near Delaware State, then Baltimore's Inner Harbor for Coppin State

Price tiers (Budget, Mid-range, Upscale) follow each hotel's star class on Expedia. Rates vary by date, so check your dates on Expedia.

Hotel · Our pickMid-range

Hilton Garden Inn Dover

1706 N. DuPont Hwy., Dover, DE 19901

Why here

  • Expedia lists this hotel as a 3-star property, so we place it in the Mid-range tier. Rates vary by date, so check your dates on Expedia.
  • It's about 2 minutes by car from Delaware State's Claibourne D. Smith Administration Building, about 1 hour 50 minutes from La Salle, and on Delaware State's own list of local accommodations.

Good to know

  • Expedia lists free self-parking, an indoor pool, a buffet breakfast for a fee, pets for a fee and a minimum check-in age of 21. Confirm details on the Expedia listing before you book.

Check rates on Expedia →

Expedia link is an affiliate link

Hotel · AlternateBudget

Red Roof Inn & Suites Dover Downtown

652 N. DuPont Hwy., Dover, DE 19901

Why here

  • Expedia lists this hotel as a 2-star property, so we place it in the Budget tier. Rates vary by date, so check your dates on Expedia.
  • It's about 3 minutes by car from Delaware State's administration building and on Delaware State's list of local accommodations.

Good to know

  • Expedia lists a free continental breakfast, free self-parking, pets with conditions and a minimum check-in age of 21. Confirm details on the Expedia listing before you book.

Check rates on Expedia →

Expedia link is an affiliate link

Hotel · AlternateUpscale

Bally's Dover Casino Resort

1131 N. DuPont Hwy., Dover, DE 19901

Why here

  • Expedia lists this hotel as a 4-star property, so we place it in the Upscale tier. Rates vary by date, so check your dates on Expedia.
  • It's about 4 minutes by car from Delaware State, at the Dover Downs complex, which Delaware State's directions place across the street from campus, and appears on Delaware State's list of local accommodations under its former name, Dover Downs Hotel & Casino.

Good to know

  • Expedia lists free self-parking, a hot tub, a gym, a restaurant with cooked-to-order breakfast for a fee, no pets and a minimum check-in age of 21. It is a casino resort. Confirm details on the Expedia listing before you book.

Check rates on Expedia →

Expedia link is an affiliate link

Hotel · AlternateMid-range

Courtyard by Marriott Baltimore Downtown/Inner Harbor

1000 Aliceanna St., Baltimore, MD 21202

Why here

  • Expedia lists this hotel as a 3-star property, so we place it in the Mid-range tier. Rates vary by date, so check your dates on Expedia.
  • It's one of the two hotels on Coppin's visit page, about 13 minutes by car from Coppin and a 13-minute walk from the National Aquarium, so it's our second-night base for day 3.

Good to know

  • Expedia lists a cooked-to-order breakfast for a fee, offsite parking for a fee with height restrictions, pets for a fee and a minimum check-in age of 21. Confirm details on the Expedia listing before you book.

Check rates on Expedia →

Expedia link is an affiliate link

Hotel · AlternateBudget

Tru by Hilton Baltimore Harbor East

411 S. Central Ave., Baltimore, MD 21202

Why here

  • Expedia lists this hotel as a 2.5-star property, so we place it in the Budget tier. Rates vary by date, so check your dates on Expedia.
  • It's the other hotel on Coppin's visit page, about 13 minutes by car from Coppin and a 13-minute walk from the National Aquarium.

Good to know

  • Expedia lists a free buffet breakfast, self-parking for a fee, pets for a fee and a minimum check-in age of 21. Confirm details on the Expedia listing before you book.

Check rates on Expedia →

Expedia link is an affiliate link

Spend night 1 in Dover after La Salle so Delaware State is a short drive on day 2, then night 2 near Baltimore's Inner Harbor for Coppin State on day 3. Coppin's visit page lists the Courtyard and the Tru with a university rate through Coppin's own links; our links go to Expedia.

5. Meals between tours

Hours change, so check before you go.

At Delaware State

Hornet Days visitors have lunch in the Village Café. To eat on campus after a regular tour, Delaware State says to contact its Sodexo dining contact once your tour is confirmed.

In Philadelphia

La Salle's tour page suggests Reading Terminal Market and South Philadelphia's Italian Market for a Philly food stop.

At the hotels

The Red Roof and the Tru include breakfast, and the Hilton Garden Inn, Bally's and the Courtyard offer breakfast for a fee.

6. Things for siblings along the route

With siblings

Philadelphia Zoo

Fairmount Park, Philadelphia, PA

About 16 minutes from La Salle: America's first zoo, home to more than 1,900 rare and endangered animals.

Official page →

With siblings

National Aquarium

501 E. Pratt St., Baltimore, MD 21202

About a 13-minute walk from the Inner Harbor hotels and 12 minutes by car from Coppin, with thousands of animals from hundreds of species.

Official page →

7. Practical tips

Getting to campus

  • At La Salle, park in Lot J for campus tours.
  • At Delaware State, park in Lot 18 and check in at the Visitors Center kiosk in the Claibourne D. Smith Administration Building.
  • At Coppin State, park in visitor Lots B, C, F or H and buy a daily permit at the pay station.

Flying in and out

  • Fly into Philadelphia International (PHL), about 30 minutes from La Salle, and home from BWI, about 24 minutes from Coppin State. If you need to return to Philadelphia instead, Delaware State is about 1 hour 28 minutes from PHL.

Weather by season (1991–2020 NOAA normals: Dover, DE station)

  • Spring: April averages about 66°F highs and 45°F lows, with about 3.7 inches of rain.
  • Summer: July averages about 87°F/69°F, with about 4.1 inches of rain; August is the wettest month at about 4.9 inches.
  • Fall: October averages about 69°F/50°F, with about 4.1 inches of rain.
  • Winter: January averages about 44°F/28°F, with about 3.4 inches of precipitation and about 4 inches of snow.

Parent checklist

  • Book La Salle's Campus Tour & Information Session on its visit portal.
  • Book a Delaware State Family and Friends Tour from the Visit DSU page, or join the waitlist if your date is full.
  • Book Coppin State's Family / Individual Tour on its campus tour portal.
  • Book flights into Philadelphia and home from BWI, and plan a rental car.
  • Book a hotel in Dover for night 1 and near Baltimore's Inner Harbor for night 2.
  • Bring a card or exact cash for Coppin's visitor parking pay stations.
  • After each visit, take five minutes to jot down what stood out to your student.

8. Student-athlete recruiting visits

For families whose student hopes to play a college sport. Rules below are the NCAA's; each school's links were checked Oct 26, 2026.

Coaches arrange the recruiting part of a visit, not the admissions office. The tour sign-ups in this guide are for the regular family visit. An official (school-paid) visit is offered by the school, and contact with coaches follows NCAA rules that vary by division, sport and grade level.

Start with your sport's questionnaire, then email the coaches. The NCAA suggests emailing coaches with your achievements, highlight videos and interest in their program, including your name, position, NCAA ID and graduation year.

3 Division I

NCAA basics for parents

  • Unofficial visit: any campus visit you or your family pay for. You can take as many as you like; in Divisions I and II each one has to come after the first permissible date for your sport.
  • Official visit: a visit paid for by the school. Each school can offer your student only one. Before a Division I official visit, your student must be registered with the NCAA Eligibility Center, be on the school's institutional request list, and the school must have their high school transcripts.
  • Division I (La Salle University, Delaware State University and Coppin State University): on an official visit the school can pay for travel for the student and up to two family members, lodging, up to three meals a day for the student and up to four family members, and up to $60 a person in entertainment, including five home-game tickets. On an unofficial visit there are no free meals, but the school can give up to three home-game tickets. Division I uses recruiting calendars with contact, evaluation, quiet and dead periods; in a dead period, no in-person contact and no visits.
  • Rules change. Confirm with the coach, or check the NCAA's recruiting page and recruiting calendars, before you plan dates.

Planning around the season

  • Check each school's athletics schedule (linked above) before you pick dates, so a coach meeting doesn't land on a road trip or game day for your sport.
  • Our recommendation, not a school rule: ask the coach whether they can line up an admissions session or tour around your meeting. If not, book the regular family tour yourself through the official sign-up links in this guide, and leave time between the two.

Trip planner

Plan this trip

Add your dates and how you're getting there, and we'll pull this guide into one plan: tour sign-up links, the hotel base, parking or airport notes, the route and meals.

Which schools?
Driving or flying?

How the email works. Your plan appears right here on the page. If you add your email, we'll email you the full plan from hello@collegevisitguides.com, sent by our email provider, Resend. It isn't instant: a person reads each plan before it goes out, and it arrives once it's been reviewed. We store your request (your email, the trip, schools, dates and travel choice) privately to send it; we don't send or store the home city you type. If you tick the box, you'll also join our occasional newsletter, which is sent with Kit. Every email has a one-click unsubscribe link. Only if you use the route planner in your plan is the starting point you type there sent to our map provider, Geoapify, to plan the drive; we never store it. Privacy

Sources

All checked Oct 30, 2026. Tour schedules change constantly, so always confirm on each school's official sign-up page. Photo credits are under each photo and on our About page.

  1. Delaware State University: Visit DSU (tours and booking)
  2. Delaware State University: Admissions Events
  3. Delaware State University: Directions to DSU
  4. Delaware State University: Local Accommodations
  5. La Salle University: Visits, Tours, & Events
  6. La Salle University: Campus Tour & Information Session (official sign-up)
  7. La Salle University: Map and Directions
  8. Coppin State University: Campus Tours & Visits
  9. Coppin State University: Campus Tour sign-up (official sign-up)
  10. Coppin State University: Plan Your Campus Visit
  11. Coppin State University: Take Flight Day: Fall Open House
  12. Expedia listing: Hilton Garden Inn Dover (star class and amenities, checked 2026-10-30 via same-id Hotwire listing) (not linked: https://www.expedia.com/Dover-Hotels-Hilton-Garden-Inn-Dover.h2232384.Hotel-Information)
  13. Expedia listing: Red Roof Inn & Suites Dover Downtown (star class and amenities, checked 2026-10-30 via same-id Hotwire listing) (not linked: https://www.expedia.com/Dover-Hotels-Red-Roof-Inn-Suites-Dover-Downtown.h887960.Hotel-Information)
  14. Expedia listing: Bally's Dover Casino Resort (star class and amenities, checked 2026-10-30 via same-id Hotwire listing) (not linked: https://www.expedia.com/Dover-Hotels-Dover-Downs-Hotel-Casino.h1572988.Hotel-Information)
  15. Expedia listing: Courtyard by Marriott Baltimore Downtown/Inner Harbor (star class and amenities, checked 2026-10-30 via same-id Hotwire listing) (not linked: https://www.expedia.com/Baltimore-Hotels-Courtyard-By-Marriott-Baltimore-DowntownInner-Harbor.h566607.Hotel-Information)
  16. Expedia listing: Tru by Hilton Baltimore Harbor East (star class and amenities, checked 2026-10-30 via same-id Hotwire listing) (not linked: https://www.expedia.com/Baltimore-Hotels-Tru-By-Hilton-Baltimore-Harbor-East.h53955826.Hotel-Information)
  17. OSRM routing (OpenStreetMap), driving profile
  18. OSRM routing (OpenStreetMap), foot profile
  19. OpenStreetMap Nominatim geocoder
  20. NOAA NCEI 1991–2020 Monthly Normals, Dover, DE (USC00072730)
  21. Philadelphia Zoo
  22. National Aquarium
  23. Delaware State Hornets Athletics: Calendar
  24. La Salle Explorers Athletics: Calendar
  25. Coppin State Eagles Athletics: Calendar
  26. NCAA Directory: Delaware State University
  27. NCAA Directory: Coppin State University