Dewey vs Bethany vs Rehoboth vs Ocean City?
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Anonymous
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Anonymous
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We rented a house between Bethany and Dewey/rehobeth and it was perfect. We could walk to one restaurant (Matt's Fish camp). Rehobeth has a big boardwalk with rides for kids and tons of restaurants. It was very crowded. I had no idea it was still thought of as a gay Mecca, I have certainly not seen any of that.
Bethany is a much smaller board walk but there are several ice cream places and restaurants, and a nice playground for the kids. Dewey is where all my friends would go in our early 20s to get wasted on the weekend. Seemed like half of the young professionals from D.C. rented houses there. Ditto OC, but its huge so I'm sure there are more family friendly areas. They have (or at least had) a kids area with rides. I haven't been there in 10 years so I'm not sure if it's still there. I don't recall ever actually going to the beach, just the bars. We loved having a quiet, private beach and would just drive a few minutes in either direction to get to one of the board walks depending on what we wanted to do. |
Anonymous
...said the owner of a tiny, decrepit condo in OC who is trying to justify his/her crappy investment. Everyone knows OC is trashy. |
Anonymous
I am a little surprised by the Dewey hate here. We went earlier this summer with our kids, 2 and 4, and had a very nice time and didn't feel inundated with drunkenness. We went to Rehobeth for a meal one night and it looked a little more upscale than Dewey, but we didn't feel like we had missed out or made a mistake. |
Anonymous
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Dewey is dog friendly if that matters to anyone. Off season they can be on the beach all the time. During the summer they can be on the beach in the early morning and early evening hours. ( cant remember exact hours)
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Anonymous
No. Only DCUM riches and racists think so because they don't want to mingle with too many colored folks. |
Anonymous
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OC - younger party atmosphere
Reboboth - older, more moneyed party atmosphere (but only if you're seeking it out - I don't consider it a bad family destination) Bethany - quiet and family-oriented Lewes - never been |
Anonymous
saw a bunch of dogs pooping right in the surf at dewey beach this year. nasty. |
Anonymous
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If you're interested in OC I suggest staying just north of the boardwalk around 29th street - family friendly but access to the boardwalk, jolly roger, both of which kids love. Kids love OC and don't really care if adults call it trashy. The Towers has 2 BR/2 bath condos on the beach with pool and Dunes Manor is has 1 BR suites for rent on the beach (with a laid back beachside bar). Overall there are not great restaurants but enough good ones for date nights while the grandparents babysit for us.
We go every year and, FWIW and if it's important to you, we are not "middle class" or "poor" by salary or by education, so I don't think anyone would call us "trashy." |
Anonymous
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a whole lot of bias and sarcasm in the replies on this post...so for my 2 cents
1, Rehoboth...not so gay oriented that that a straight family would not have a great time..lots of restaurants...shopping...best kiddie rides...but beach is the worst...tiny..crowded...shore breaki...of the bunch...still a beach is a beach and is better than no beach....our family went there for yeara s a relative had a place...we loved it 2. Dewey...party town for college and young adults and those who think they are 3. Bethany ...definitely a family town...beach a lot like Rehoboth.. lots of suburban Maryland ( DC area) families 4. Ocean CIty..wide..almost to wide beach....downtown Boardwalk area....large...busy noisy....lots of new and much better hotels than in the past...restaurants galore...some good...lots just beach town normal stuff....if you into a typical good beach and lots of attractions...hard to beat on East Coast.... 5. North Ocean CIty and Fenwick Island....saved this for last as I think its the best...but limited hotels and those that are there on bayside....and one caveat..if you are renting in this area or in Ocean City propper try to stay on ocean side of the highway....north OCean City from the 90th street bridge and up through Fenwick Island is quieter....beach is great....clean....restaurants tend to be a bit better and some on bay with great views....great bus service to the boardwalk, etc in downtown Ocean City so you can always stay here and go there....my recommendation.... |
Anonymous
ocean city goes from the inlet up to like 146 st - there is a lot to consider there. yes the inlet up to about 60th st is "trashy" aka people from philly and bmore getting wasted and going wild but if you like to party its all good. after 60-90th st it really quiets down as you go up toward fenwick and has great beach for families. yes oc is trashy, but not all of it 
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Anonymous
| My family goes to Ocean City for the following reasons: you can easily find spacious waterfront condos perfect for a large family or 2 small families (I prefer bayfront for the fishing/boating and sunsets). Not cheap of course, but waterfront accommodations in the other MD/DE towns are scarce. I don't particularly like any of the mid-Atlantic beaches for swimming - the water is cold and murky, and the waves break hard. That being said, the OC beaches are wide and generally clean. The OC boardwalk CAN be seedy, but during daytime hours, it can be a delight for small children. When my kids were little, they LOVED the tchotchke shops with the hermit crabs, the ice cream stands, kite shop, arcades, the carnival games at the inlet... The Chad's and Destynee's usually don't go out until later in the evening, they typically stay at the beach shacks on the cross streets. By the time things get rowdy, me and my family are having drinks on the porch and doing some evening fishing off the pier. My main complaint about it is that it is crowded and the food options aren't very good, although over the years we have found a few favorites that we go back to. |
Anonymous
You have said this before. It’s not remotely true. No one of any age is hooking up, dropping acid or smoking pot in Bethany Beach. There are a lot of rich folks, though. |
Anonymous
| Ocean City has life guards the entire stretch. When my kids were small and even now when the water is rough, I love having lifeguards. I can't say about the Delaware beaches. |
Anonymous
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One other OC thing that we love is that there are a lot of dining options with playgrounds or even waterfront. Mackeys, Da' Lazy Lizard, Dead Freddies, Rope Walk. All have playgrounds. Nice dining can be found at the Hobbit, Liquid Assets, Barn 34 (or something), Fagers. We love OC. Kids love mini golf and Ron Jon.
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