Delaware Beaches - can I please have the lowdown?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Rehoboth is more family-oriented and traditionally has an LGBTQ+ presence.

Dewey is drunk singles. 20-somethings piled into group houses.

Lewes and Bethany are pretty dead. Not much town life. No boardwalk.

With what you describe, I'd pick Rehoboth.

+1, except I’d say Bethany is also pretty family oriented— it’s just much, much smaller and has less going on. Rehoboth’s restaurant scene also has really picked up in recent years, especially compared to the other two, so you don’t need to eat boardwalk pizza every night.

[Anonymous]

The beaches are far superior anywhere in OC up to Fenwick (compared to the DE beaches.)

[Anonymous]

I highly suggest you don’t take advice from people who can’t spell Rehoboth…

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:They are all crowded in the summer. You'd probably like Bethany the best if you want a more laid-back experience. Rent a house in one of the private communities that are on the north and south ends of town.

Teens do NOT want to be in Bethany.

Get a rental in Rehoboth by the Sea, which is close to Dewey and the beach isn't as crowded as downtown Rehoboth.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:If you want walkable, then you need to stay near the action.

As a lifelong Marylander who has visited the local beaches 2-6 times a year for the last 50+ years, I feel equipped to weigh in here.

If you are taking tweens/teens and want them to be able to walk to Minigolf, restaurants, shops, whatever without having to drive them, then you should stay in North Ocean City in a low-rise condo within walking distance of the Fenwick border OR in the first handful of blocks in Fenwick (noting it will be more expensive than OC).

^^^
This is the sweet spot in terms of less crowded, wide beaches within walking distance of activities. (Google Fenwick boardwalk)

Sadly, Bethany proper has been destroyed; the beach is gone and it’s way too crowded. Sea Colony in Bethany is okay, but it’s crowded. The perk is you can walk to the boardwalk which is quaint. Parking in the summer is awful and the beach in front of the boardwalk is literally shoulder to shoulder seating. (It’s awesome off season though.)

Dewey smells like beer and vomit. Sorry not sorry.

Rehoboth will leave you fighting for parking, sitting in traffic, and stuck on a crowded beach. We still venture to the boardwalk one night whenever we head to the beach for a week, but we stopped staying there 20 years ago.

Note: if you have deep pockets and can afford to stay in a gated community or fancy enclave of houses in any of the DE beaches, go for it. The beaches are lovely and uncrowded…but you can’t really walk anywhere.

Lewes is on the bay. The public beach in town is ridiculously crowded and parking is a nightmare. Plus, the only amenity is a Dairy Queen. The actual Main Street area inland is very charming and worth a day trip.

PS - While we still love the local beaches for nostalgic reasons and visit each year (throughout the year, including day trips), the crowds and obscene rental costs have prompted us to schlep to other beaches. I’ve decided I just don’t like crowds on the beach anymore.

This is a good overview. Happy to go to Sea Colony every summer though. The restaurant scene in OC, Fenwick (Our Harvest/Catch 54), and Rehoboth has really picked up.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:They are all crowded in the summer. You'd probably like Bethany the best if you want a more laid-back experience. Rent a house in one of the private communities that are on the north and south ends of town.

Teens do NOT want to be in Bethany.

Get a rental in Rehoboth by the Sea, which is close to Dewey and the beach isn't as crowded as downtown Rehoboth.

I’m not a fan of catering to teens who find nothing interesting to do in Bethany.

Unless it’s Beach Week, and that’s something you are ok with for your kids.

[Anonymous]

None of these places sound great? I’d say you’re better off trekking down to NC / SC / Georgia or New England vs whatever this overpriced mess is. I really want to get behind the DE beaches so we can have a beach home that isn’t super far away but this just sounds… awful? Especially coming from New England with Nantucket, MV, Cape, hell even the CT shore out near Westbrook / Old Saybrook.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Rehoboth is more family-oriented and traditionally has an LGBTQ+ presence.

Dewey is drunk singles. 20-somethings piled into group houses.

Lewes and Bethany are pretty dead. Not much town life. No boardwalk.

With what you describe, I'd pick Rehoboth.

Bethany has a boardwalk.

No it has a block.

Bethany is gross. OP do Rehoboth

Rehoboth is trashy.

What’s trash about Rehoboth?

Rehoboth has gone downhill. We went there on a Saturday night last summer. I have not been in about 4-5 years. So crowded and the type of people there was resembling more like the OC crowd. I was shocked by the change.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:None of these places sound great? I’d say you’re better off trekking down to NC / SC / Georgia or New England vs whatever this overpriced mess is. I really want to get behind the DE beaches so we can have a beach home that isn’t super far away but this just sounds… awful? Especially coming from New England with Nantucket, MV, Cape, hell even the CT shore out near Westbrook / Old Saybrook.

Have you considered a beach home for winter months? Many people with beach homes visit during winter months, off-season to avoid large crowds.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:None of these places sound great? I’d say you’re better off trekking down to NC / SC / Georgia or New England vs whatever this overpriced mess is. I really want to get behind the DE beaches so we can have a beach home that isn’t super far away but this just sounds… awful? Especially coming from New England with Nantucket, MV, Cape, hell even the CT shore out near Westbrook / Old Saybrook.

I was going to say something similar. We go to Long Island several times a summer and it’s a slog but I find the drive to the DE beaches to be very annoying and OC and Chincoteague takes almost the same amount of time.

[Anonymous]

For walkable with teens, Rehoboth is the answer. Crowds of course depend on when you go, but most of the beaches will be pretty crowded in July and August.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:None of these places sound great? I’d say you’re better off trekking down to NC / SC / Georgia or New England vs whatever this overpriced mess is. I really want to get behind the DE beaches so we can have a beach home that isn’t super far away but this just sounds… awful? Especially coming from New England with Nantucket, MV, Cape, hell even the CT shore out near Westbrook / Old Saybrook.

I was going to say something similar. We go to Long Island several times a summer and it’s a slog but I find the drive to the DE beaches to be very annoying and OC and Chincoteague takes almost the same amount of time.

I hear you. I guess that. is the reason I've never been. I just want to go to Maine as usual, but we've got a senior and a sophomore, and it will be so much easier and more enjoyable for all if we stay local and they can see or bring friends. The senior will probably be working and may not come for the whole week, the sophomore will wither without friends etc etc.

[Anonymous]

As someone who currently lives in Lewes with teens, a lot of these posts are right on--
Bethany is pretty lame--- like DMV transplanted in the summer---not a ton of great things for teens besides the beach and a few mini golf places. People love Seacolony but I think of it as an old cruise ship on land.

Dewey is disgusting- total 20-something drunk party vibe. Parking is impossible and just gross at night.

Rehoboth is the best for teens IMO-my teens end up there with their friends if they want to hang out... if you get a house close-in, you don't have to worry about parking. Super easy to walk to a ton of restaurants, teens still like Funland and Jungle Jims (clean, well-run waterpark), and even though the beach can get crowded, you have a lot of options. Cape Henlopen State Park is awesome and biking on the Junction Breakwater path will get you easily into the park for free.

Lewes is a cute year-round town (no seedy beach town vibe) but is sleepy at night. The bay beach and the state park (Lewes side) are awesome, and you can drive away from the public bay beach parking and find free parking on the street with easy access to less crowded parts of the beach.

Between Lewes and Rehoboth, there is always outlet shopping, movies, mini golf, and go-karts. The best is the outdoor activities like fishing, hiking, running, biking (rent ebikes!).

Summer is super busy no matter what and rentals are usually Sat-Sat so traffic is the worst then. If you can travel to the beaches between Labor Day and Memorial Day, do that or try to avoid travel on the weekends!

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:The beaches are far superior anywhere in OC up to Fenwick (compared to the DE beaches.)

Mi do agre with this though I like Rehoboth better because I can walk everywhere. How old are these teens? Are they going to go to the beach or stroll the boardwalk? What’s your budget? Ocean city doesn’t really have houses, mostly condos, but much more oceanfront property. Rehoboth doesn’t really have oceanfront property, but tons to walk to in town. Bethany has more oceanfront property but it’s further from the downtown area of Bethany which won’t impress most teens unless they go to catholic school in DC/MD.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Rehoboth is more family-oriented and traditionally has an LGBTQ+ presence.

Dewey is drunk singles. 20-somethings piled into group houses.

Lewes and Bethany are pretty dead. Not much town life. No boardwalk.

With what you describe, I'd pick Rehoboth.

Bethany has a boardwalk.

No it has a block.

Bethany is gross. OP do Rehoboth

Rehoboth is trashy.

What’s trash about Rehoboth?

Rehoboth has gone downhill. We went there on a Saturday night last summer. I have not been in about 4-5 years. So crowded and the type of people there was resembling more like the OC crowd. I was shocked by the change.

Kind of true but so has OC. It’s much worse. New houses are going for $4-5m in Rehoboth and weekly rentals for $6-7k for a condo. A house for a week would be in the $12-$16k range.