In 2008, Forbes magazine ranked Delaware County as the fifth-best place in the United States to raise a family and the second-best in the state of Ohio. Delaware is famous for The Little Brown Jug, an internationally known harness race held at the Delaware County Fairgrounds horse racetrack since 1946. Additional places of interest in Delaware include the Columbus Zoo and Aquarium, Zoombezi Bay waterpark, Safari Golf club, the Strand Theater, Perkins Observatory, and more.

Alum Creek State Park and Delaware State Park attract millions of local, national, and international visitors to the area each year. Three major rivers run through Delaware County from north to south; these waterways include the Scioto River, Olentangy River, Alum Creek and the Big Walnut Creek. The Alum Creek Lake and the Delaware Lake are reservoirs formed on Alum Creek and the Olentangy River, respectively.