Good beaches near Maryland to buy a vacation home?

[Anonymous]

We live in NYC and have a house in Southampton. I have spent plenty of time in Bethany Beach, where my parents owned a home that we eventually sold a few years ago. Some thoughts about the two areas:

Driving from the DC area to the Hamptons--especially during the summer--is not fun. You will encounter heavy traffic the entire way. Yes, there is public transportation, but beware that the trains to and from NYC in the summer are crowded and often standing room only during peak weekend travel times.

The local traffic during the summer season can be insane and much worse than you'd encounter at the MD and DE beaches. There is also the whole scene out there that---while avoidable---can make eating out, shopping, and other normal kinds of things more difficult and somewhat unpleasant from Memorial Day to Labor Day.

Our home in Southampton needs a lot more maintenance than the Bethany house did. Landscaping in particular requires a lot of upkeep, and it's expensive. It's also much more common for people to have pools (and you will want one), so add that to the list of things that need attention.

Unless you have an 8-figure budget, your home will likely not be walking distance to the beach. Residents can get cheap parking permits for their town/village beaches, but it was a lot less of a hassle to get back and forth to the beach in Bethany.

The beaches are beautiful and the towns have lots of charm. I think that Bethany was more fun for my kids when they were little---they loved mini golf, quick access to the beach, the boardwalks, the rides, water slides, kid-friendly restaurants, crabbing, etc. As teens and older, they prefer the Hamptons---namely because their friends from the city are there and they get to hang out with them.

[Anonymous]

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Anonymous wrote:OP, have you considered Duck, NC? It is 4.5 hr drive if you time it right, which if you owned a place (so aren’t subject to the Sat-Sat rental hours), you could do. I think the beaches are so much nicer and quieter there than DE. Also, town of Duck is small but cute. Before the haters come in, it is definitely a quieter scene than DE, no boardwalk, mini golf, less restaurants. But the beaches are quiet and nice, the area is great for biking, the sound is fun for paddle boarding, kayaking, etc., and there are a handful decent to good restaurants, plenty of options for ice cream, coffee, etc.

Neither Duck nor the Hamptons makes sense for a DC-based family. They're both too far.

Duck and Corolla are filled with DC area families (which is somewhat of a drawback ☺️). It is 3 hrs to Rehoboth, 4.5 hrs to Duck (both drives can be much worse on a Saturday in summer - we always try to come and go on Fri or even better a Thurs night). You can hire a property manager if you won’t get to your house for awhile or need it checked on after a storm.

You're comparing DC>Rehoboth with some traffic to DC>Duck with no traffic.

DC to Rehoboth is usually around 2.5 hours without major traffic. I've made the drive several times very early in the morning with no traffic in 2 hours and 5-10 minutes. DC to Duck is 4.5 hours also during very off hours with zero traffic. It would take much longer heading there on a Friday afternoon.

That’s fine, I haven’t done the Rehoboth drive as often. And it’s also fine if OP doesn’t want to look in the OBX, of course My response was meant to the comments saying that the OBX is too far for a second home for people in the DC region, which I don’t agree with.

It is too far because lots of people with houses at DE beaches like us use it as a weekend getaway which is great. It takes us 2 and 1/2 hours door to door to get to Bethany.

We travel to Caribbean in winter. That’s when it’s best for beaches. International in spring/summer.
There is nothing need to deal with any summer traffic to DE beaches. And if we decide to go down in summer, don’t go on Friday or Saturdays

What people are here don’t get is that the wealthier crowd don’t use their DE house as a beach house. The draw is it is close for a weekend house especially in spring and fall which is the best time at DE beaches.

No one is doing a weekend getaway to OBX. Plus there is nothing to do down there. Lastly, the 95 corridor in the summer is terrible because thousands of people are going south on vacation, much more than DE beaches.

Except, fishing, crabbing, sailing, jet skiing, swimming, diving, beach driving, parasailing, surfing, kite boarding......

You can do all that at the DE beaches in addition to:

Boardwalk
Dozen golf courses
Winery
Bookstore and author signings and story time (Bethany)
Free live concerts many
Amusement park and rides for kids
Farmers markets
Mini-golfs
Movies on beach
Movie theaters
Shopping outlets
Dozens of hiking trails and numerous state parks and nature preserve
museums and nature centers
fireworks
parades

I could go on and on, so much more. It’s not just beaches and water activities. Just so much other things going on which is part of the appeal. Lastly, quite a few quaint small town downtowns such as Lewes, Berlin, etc…

I had a Hampton House for 10 years straight and went every weekend and the last two weeks of July every year. That list above is not things anyone in the Hamptons actually does. I went to a movie once or twice on a raining day but the rest of list looks like the Low Brow type cheesy stuff. I go to be seen and to see people, eat at amazing restaurants, go to fantastic beaches, go clubbing and great bars. Hiking? Really? Discount shopping outlet? Really? Parades? Come on. Catch me Flying Point Beach, Lunch at Drivers Seat, Sunset at Dockers, Breakfast at Hampton Maid, maybe a show at Stephen Talkhouse and then off to the hot club at that time.

Bless your heart.

[Anonymous]

Rehoboth is trashy and full of poor, fat ass losers with low intelligence.

Hatteras island is a pristine National Seashore.

Enough said.

[Anonymous]

Boy this thread has gotten way off track.

OP is looking for beaches 3 hours and under driving wise with young kids. The obvious answer is Bethany.

I have no idea why people are going on and on about Hamptons and OBX.

[Anonymous]

I always suggest looking at the waterfront communities in Annapolis. Makes it easy to get to on the weekends with the convenience of a normal city. Look at Bay Ridge, Hillsmere, Oyster Harbor areas. Find an agent for that area that can help.

[Anonymous]

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Anonymous wrote:OP, have you considered Duck, NC? It is 4.5 hr drive if you time it right, which if you owned a place (so aren’t subject to the Sat-Sat rental hours), you could do. I think the beaches are so much nicer and quieter there than DE. Also, town of Duck is small but cute. Before the haters come in, it is definitely a quieter scene than DE, no boardwalk, mini golf, less restaurants. But the beaches are quiet and nice, the area is great for biking, the sound is fun for paddle boarding, kayaking, etc., and there are a handful decent to good restaurants, plenty of options for ice cream, coffee, etc.

Neither Duck nor the Hamptons makes sense for a DC-based family. They're both too far.

Duck and Corolla are filled with DC area families (which is somewhat of a drawback ☺️). It is 3 hrs to Rehoboth, 4.5 hrs to Duck (both drives can be much worse on a Saturday in summer - we always try to come and go on Fri or even better a Thurs night). You can hire a property manager if you won’t get to your house for awhile or need it checked on after a storm.

You're comparing DC>Rehoboth with some traffic to DC>Duck with no traffic.

DC to Rehoboth is usually around 2.5 hours without major traffic. I've made the drive several times very early in the morning with no traffic in 2 hours and 5-10 minutes. DC to Duck is 4.5 hours also during very off hours with zero traffic. It would take much longer heading there on a Friday afternoon.

That’s fine, I haven’t done the Rehoboth drive as often. And it’s also fine if OP doesn’t want to look in the OBX, of course My response was meant to the comments saying that the OBX is too far for a second home for people in the DC region, which I don’t agree with.

It is too far because lots of people with houses at DE beaches like us use it as a weekend getaway which is great. It takes us 2 and 1/2 hours door to door to get to Bethany.

We travel to Caribbean in winter. That’s when it’s best for beaches. International in spring/summer.
There is nothing need to deal with any summer traffic to DE beaches. And if we decide to go down in summer, don’t go on Friday or Saturdays

What people are here don’t get is that the wealthier crowd don’t use their DE house as a beach house. The draw is it is close for a weekend house especially in spring and fall which is the best time at DE beaches.

No one is doing a weekend getaway to OBX. Plus there is nothing to do down there. Lastly, the 95 corridor in the summer is terrible because thousands of people are going south on vacation, much more than DE beaches.

And this is why the Hamptons are as convenient as the Outer Banks unless you live somewhere like Woodbridge or Fredricksburg. The traffic on 95 below DC on Friday afternoon and on the weekends at any time in the summer is brutal.

And if traffic backs up from NYC to the Hamptons I can always take a break and explore Manhattan or Brooklyn on the way. Where can I stop on the way to Nags Head? Richmond? Chesapeake? Please.

Totally! Just find a parking spot with all your beach gear, kids and dog and go hit up Smorgasburg in Prospect Park for a few hours while traffic calms!

Do you have any idea how stupid you sound?

My beach gear is at the house and I don’t have a dog. You sound unhinged. The route to the Hamptons goes right through Brooklyn. I stop for great Italian seafood in Sheepshead Bay all the time.

If you want to drive through places with Dixie flags and trailer parks on your way to subpar beaches in Nags Head and the Eastern Shore be my guest. That’s not my thing and is depressing imo.

None of these beaches are even approaching the beauty of the best beaches in the Hamptons. Nags Head and Rehobeth are backwater s-holes compared to Sag Harbor and Southampton. There is a reason hedge fund managers and celebrities go to the Hamptons and not Duck. It’s because the beaches, towns, and homes are that nice. If Nags Head and Rehobeth were nicer, prices and tastes would reflect that.

Sure if you got 20-30 million, you can get a nice place in the Hamptons maybe. Hedge fund managers can afford that.

But if you only have a few millions for a beach house, the NY people are coming to the DE beaches. We have a place and have noticed in the past 10 years lots more NY and northern NJ who also drive up prices. It’s easy to drive to Cape May and then take a nice leisurely ferry ride with your car to DE.

The other big draw is basically no property taxes in DE. It’s like miniscule and laughable. Not so in NJ and NY which has incredibly high taxes.

That is why DE draws from DC, NY, Philadelphia besides DE cities.

+1

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:We are looking to purchase a vacation home in the next couple years, ideally something near a beach that is peaceful, quiet, and not too crowded. Would like it to be no more than 3-3.5 hrs from Baltimore with moderate traffic. Does such a place even exist? We've looked at Ocean City, it's too congested and not particularly relaxing. Would love to hear if anyone has a vacation spot around here that they love.

North Shores or Henlopen Acres in Rehoboth Beach

[Anonymous]

OP, there are many beach cams you can google

https://oceancitylive.com/ocean-city-webcams/ocean-city-beach-cam-inlet-view/

https://www.townofbethanybeach.com/365/Beach-Cams

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:We are looking to purchase a vacation home in the next couple years, ideally something near a beach that is peaceful, quiet, and not too crowded. Would like it to be no more than 3-3.5 hrs from Baltimore with moderate traffic. Does such a place even exist? We've looked at Ocean City, it's too congested and not particularly relaxing. Would love to hear if anyone has a vacation spot around here that they love.

What's your budget?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:We are looking to purchase a vacation home in the next couple years, ideally something near a beach that is peaceful, quiet, and not too crowded. Would like it to be no more than 3-3.5 hrs from Baltimore with moderate traffic. Does such a place even exist? We've looked at Ocean City, it's too congested and not particularly relaxing. Would love to hear if anyone has a vacation spot around here that they love.

North Shores or Henlopen Acres in Rehoboth Beach

If you have the budget, monitor homes for sale in these communities. They are truly the gems of Rehoboth Beach because of location and great amenities, and offer exactly what you are looking for. Peaceful, quiet, not crowded, but also next door to downtown Rehoboth for the fun and action when you want it. Beach access is private, only for residents and guests, so the beach is not crowded. The issue is inventory is very low. There are a few empty lots in North Shores, which I've wondered about, especially the one on Cedar Rd.

[Anonymous]

Spring Lake, Sea Girt, Bay Head, or Mantoloking NJ if you have the budget.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Spring Lake, Sea Girt, Bay Head, or Mantoloking NJ if you have the budget.

Oof, all of those areas make me think of Superstorm Sandy. Dear friends of ours lost their beachfront home in Mantoloking. Just gone, completely wiped out. They did not rebuild, the sold the lot and that was it.

[Anonymous]

https://redf.in/hnoMHC

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:We are looking to purchase a vacation home in the next couple years, ideally something near a beach that is peaceful, quiet, and not too crowded. Would like it to be no more than 3-3.5 hrs from Baltimore with moderate traffic. Does such a place even exist? We've looked at Ocean City, it's too congested and not particularly relaxing. Would love to hear if anyone has a vacation spot around here that they love.

Wonderful. When you airBnB it, I will rent.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:We are looking to purchase a vacation home in the next couple years, ideally something near a beach that is peaceful, quiet, and not too crowded. Would like it to be no more than 3-3.5 hrs from Baltimore with moderate traffic. Does such a place even exist? We've looked at Ocean City, it's too congested and not particularly relaxing. Would love to hear if anyone has a vacation spot around here that they love.

Wonderful. When you airBnB it, I will rent.

DP but AirBNB and VRBO are awful. Not transparent, bookings cancelled at the last minute, so much work required by guests