Need the lowdown on Delaware beaches

[Anonymous]

My sister would like to visit with my nieces (age 4 & 8) during the last week of March. I thought it would be fun for us to rent a condo or cottage in Delaware at the beach --- I will have my 9 month old son with me.

I no next to nothing about the beaches & towns in Delaware --- mostly just the names. Can someone give me the lowdown on which is most family-friendly? Since it is off-season I imagine that anywhere would be quite quiet, so I am more interested in knowing about restaurants, things to do, etc. I prefer a quaint beach town over a more commercial area. Thanks!

[Anonymous]

OP here...I "know" next to nothing about the beaches in Delaware. I also Know that I need to sleep before I attempt to type again

[Anonymous]

I don't know much, so take this with a grain of salt. I like Rehoboth for family-friendliness, although it is absolutely commercial.

For renting houses, we rented through Jack Lingo realtors - I'm sure there are others but we've gone twice and both houses were nice.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:My sister would like to visit with my nieces (age 4 & 8) during the last week of March. I thought it would be fun for us to rent a condo or cottage in Delaware at the beach --- I will have my 9 month old son with me.

I no next to nothing about the beaches & towns in Delaware --- mostly just the names. Can someone give me the lowdown on which is most family-friendly? Since it is off-season I imagine that anywhere would be quite quiet, so I am more interested in knowing about restaurants, things to do, etc. I prefer a quaint beach town over a more commercial area. Thanks!

IMO there is nothing quaint at the Delaware shore. If you want quaint, I would consider e.g. Stone Harbor, NJ, or Cape May.

Bethany Beach is family-friendly and Rehobeth is fun. All of that area is very commercial.

[Anonymous]

Lewes is a little more quaint and there are shops and restaurants open in the off season. Cape Henlopen park is there and is beautiful. You could do a day trip to Cape may on the ferry too.

[Anonymous]

Just don't stay at Dewey Beach, that is the party beach. No boardwalk to speak of, just a lot of bars and motels that cater to the 20 and 30 something crowd. (Ah, those were the days!)

[Anonymous]

Quaint is Bethany or Lewes (Bethany being bigger and more restaurants, Lewes being more historical).

There is a cute library in Lewes, as well as Cape Henlopen PArk that does little hikes. Lewes has some historical tours and is simply really cute.

[Anonymous]

Bethany is pretty much 100 percent families. A nice quiet little beach town with a little boardwalk with some restaurants and shops (no rides). You can rent at Sea Colony (big condo resort w/ oceanfront units as well as units across the street) or you can rent a house through tons of local realtors (Tansey Warner, Lingo, etc.). Rehobeth has a larger boardwalk with rides and is more crowded than Bethany. Fenwick is mostly homes and some condos (no boardwalk). If you stay in Lewes, you'll likely have to drive to the beach. Stay away from Dewey --- it's a beach for single yuppies (not family oriented at all). Regardless of where you stay, you can always drive to visit the other towns --- everything is nearby. We stay in Bethany every summer, but we always make it into Fenwick, Rehobeth and Lewes (and we drive through Dewey and stare at the drunk 20-30 somethings in line at the bars and remember what it was like to be young, single and party).

[Anonymous]

PP here again: and there's nothing wrong with Ocean City, MD. There are lots of condos and even hotel suites in the northern part. Just stay away from the boardwalk area and look for something north of 65 street.

[Anonymous]

I love the Rehobeth Boardwalk. There is an old fashioned amusement park that my elementary school aged child loved. Plenty of rides for the 4 y.o. too and ski ball and carnival games. Plus wandering up and down the boardwalk for an ice cream or a funnel cake. We killed whole afternoons wandering.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I love the Rehobeth Boardwalk. There is an old fashioned amusement park that my elementary school aged child loved. Plenty of rides for the 4 y.o. too and ski ball and carnival games. Plus wandering up and down the boardwalk for an ice cream or a funnel cake. We killed whole afternoons wandering.

How much of that is open in March? The town is usually pretty lively but the boardwalk may not be.

[Anonymous]

I would not suggest Bethany Beach this time of year, only a few places are open. You will find most places open in Rehoboth. They have great restaurants.

[Anonymous]

The amusement park in Rehobeth won't be open.

[Anonymous]

Nothing is quaint there. It is nice, but far, far, far from quaint.

That said, it's March, so there will be less tourism.

Personally, I think the restaurants are fairly mediocre in Rehoboth. There's a great fish place a few miles inland from Bethany - considered one of the best in Delaware. Other than that, its all mediocre.

[Anonymous]

Really? I think Lewes is very quaint. Lots of history. I think Lewes would make the most sense for you. You can always go into Rehoboth for some variety.