I was going to joke that nobody talks about New Jersey beaches because people from DC want to think that they are superior to Jersey people, while people in New Jersey think they have the best of everything including prox. to NYC. I was stunned when I first went there to find all the stereotypes were based on fact (Italian guys with medallions, big hair Jersey girls, the hilarious accents, zebra stripe everything, and the post-closing time hookups in the parking lot at the nightclubs, the girls doing the walk of shame from the frat boy beach house in the a.m.) but truly I have only been to Belmar. I think I may be more of a Cape May person but I've never been.
We should start a separate thread on New Jersey beaches!

Last time I was at OBX, the waves were so strong only the teenagers could actually go in.

Anonymous wrote:OBX is about as exciting as watching grass grow. Ocean City >>>>> OBX for little kids.

Isn't playing on the beach and swimming in the ocean exciting for most little kids - even if you were there for weeks!? I played for hours on end each day for weeks when my parents took me when I was little (spain, italy).... it was never boring!

Traffic, distance, cost, cleanliness, restaurants.... those are all valid points, but boredom on a beach vacation because there is no boardwalk?!

I would suggest Lewes, DE - just north of Rehoboth. The beach is wide and not as crowded as Rehoboth. Rehoboth is an easy drive away if you want the boardwalk and other diversions. Lewes is a beautiful little town which is great to just walk around. There is also a ferry that goes to Cape May if you want to make a great day trip. Cape Henelopen park is also right there which offers great bike riding, walking/running trails and even a nature center.

virginia beach aka 'the redneck riviera' is awful during the summer. much better and less crowded during the shoulder seasons (may and sept) for a long weekend.

OBX is about as exciting as watching grass grow. Ocean City >>>>> OBX for little kids.

Yup, we did this when my kids were little. We rented a really big house right on the beach, with a pool, and hung out with aunts, uncles, grandparents and cousins. We eent out a couple of time, but with so many people we thoroughly enjoyed taking turns cooking meals, hanging around with beer and wine, and just watching the kids on the beach or at the pool. It worked great for us.

Great posts pp, and right on point with everything!

PP 14:43 here...I have only stayed in Kitty Hawk and Avon but the Outer Banks does have its charms. Jockey Ridge State Park has these giant dunes where you can take hang gliding lessons and there are a lot of companies that can teach you to windsurf or kite surf or take you kayaking. The north end has the Currituck Lighthouse and a county nice park around the former Whalehead Club. I would recommend taking a cloudy day drive all the way down to Ocracoke and taking the free car ferry. I like to look for birds, sail, paddle, fish, take pictures of lighthouses and hike around, so I found it fun to stop at every naturey national park etc. along the way and explore (I wonder if our boat could get in here?) There is a cute toy store and coffee shop in Avon.
Our youngest is not a great car traveler yet so for us it is not worth the drive right now. The last time we went the sand blew a lot and stung the baby and the water was chilly (Mem Day.) But the truth is you can get a beachfront or beachview house for a lot less money than near here if you want, and there are giant mansions with lots of bedrooms and a pool if you have more money or a big group.
There is really nothing wrong with sitting around a comfortable rented beach house drinking beers and catching up with old friends and family.

Rehoboth is low rise and has a boardwalk, a small old timey amusement park geared towards little kids, and really nice tasteful houses to rent that cost a lot. It has better restaurants, a brewpub, cute shops and a nice little playground. Pools are few. Old money and nice gardens in the north part of town. It is gay friendly, has may cuter shops and generally quainter atmosphere. I love it. Parking is expensive and a bitch. There is the outlet mall. I DID see a guy in a crocheted banana hammock once, but that was in 1993.
Bethany has the houses, the boardwalk, no rides but it is kid friendly, a sun baked playground with no shade whatsoever, and some more good restaurants & coffeeshops. One thing that is nice is that if you rent at Sea Colony, which is a high rise but also has townhouses, you can use the pool and the kids can take swim lessons each day during the summer. My husband found it boring, like Bethesda on the beach. They also charge for parking but it is doable and many houses come with a parking permit.
Ocean City is high rise condo towers that blot out the sun on the beach in the afternoon, strip mall dining and the boardwalk and rides, it is my idea of a nightmare BUT Secrets, which is a rocking meat market at night, is kind of fun for a simple lunch with floating lounges where you can order strawberry virgin margaritas AND the Bayside Skillet which a great place for breakfast. Some families like the pools at their building overlooking the sea, how everything is right at the beach, the amusement park, the trolley. I find OC trashy but it can be enjoyable with the right ironically minded people. To me it feels like a concrete highway with a beach on one side. You can rent jetskis, though. Ocean Pines is a little known neighborhood on one of the back bay islands where you can find affordable rentals but you have to drive to the beach to a designated lot. There are mosquitoes so make sure your house has a screen porch.
Dewey Beach has a lot of bars, live music, college kids and 20 somethings and can be loud. It's probably more fun if you are going to w/o kids, or your husband/wife wink wink.
Chincoteague Island is becoming more known, especially since the Wallop Island NASA facility has been gearing up with more launches etc. and some former vacation houses are getting rented out with long term leases now. You have to drive to the beach but the town has quaint sections and Victorian houses, the beach is a national refuge so it is wilder, and there are the ponies. It's actually great for kids but there is not much to do at night besides go out for ice cream and the restaurants start closing up by 9 pm. Good fishing, boat and kayak rentals, a lighthouse, a small town donut shop, a farmer's market...they also have a great playground at Memorial Park with a fishing dock and a skatepark. You can do pony rides and read 'Misty of Chincoteague.' Also nice B&Bs there.
Lewes Del. is a cute little town but it is very small. It has the state park beach on the ocean and a bay beach with small waves that is good for little kids, they have fishing and boat rides out of the marina. Historic houses.
I would say do yourself a favor and check out each town on a weekend during the summer.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I think the PP who said Rehoboth is sleazy is hilarious.

+1
where did that come from? It's almost exclusively young families. Maybe PP was thinking of Dewey, which we avoid.

The Sleazy OP might be a homophobe.

Oooohhhhh, maybe so. That didn't occur to me. I love Rehoboth.

Well, seeing men in black leather kissing may not be what some parents want their kids to see.

I've spent plenty of time in Rehoboth and have NEVER seen 2 men either wearing black leather (on a beach, really?) or kissing. Holding hands maybe.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

ridiculous two-lane road

This is why I don't understand why anyone stays in Duck or even worse, Corolla. We've been to OBX half a dozen times, with friends, other couples and with family. We have always stayed in Nags Head which totally avoids this problem. There is plenty to do. We're in Chevy Chase and it always takes us less than 6 hours - leave early. What separates OBX from Rehoboth (which I grew up with and love) and the Jersey Shore (which my husband grew up with and loves) is that you can rent a house right on the beach so there is none of the schlepping of the beach stuff to and fro. I would never go down there and not have an oceanfront house, and those are just not available or if they are, remotely affordable, anywhere else that I know of. Never been to Virginia Beach.

Yes, Nags Head is fabulous for young kids. There is the Aquarium, Festival Park, Jockey's Ridge, mini golf, beautiful beaches with plenty of public access, great restaurants, etc. I am from NC originally and grew up going to OBX, so I admit my bias. Before kids, DH and I went to Ocracoke, which is a bit of haul and definitely more isolated. Now that we have kids, Nags Head is perfect. Our kids love it and look forward to going every summer.

This is exactly what i was thinking. Seems like it would fill up 7 days of a vacation. Spend the day on the beach and the evening doing any of the above, or having a casual dinner on the beach and some frisbee on the beach-sounds like heaven to me!

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I think the PP who said Rehoboth is sleazy is hilarious.

+1
where did that come from? It's almost exclusively young families. Maybe PP was thinking of Dewey, which we avoid.

The Sleazy OP might be a homophobe.

Oooohhhhh, maybe so. That didn't occur to me. I love Rehoboth.

Well, seeing men in black leather kissing may not be what some parents want their kids to see.

Anonymous wrote:

ridiculous two-lane road

This is why I don't understand why anyone stays in Duck or even worse, Corolla. We've been to OBX half a dozen times, with friends, other couples and with family. We have always stayed in Nags Head which totally avoids this problem. There is plenty to do. We're in Chevy Chase and it always takes us less than 6 hours - leave early. What separates OBX from Rehoboth (which I grew up with and love) and the Jersey Shore (which my husband grew up with and loves) is that you can rent a house right on the beach so there is none of the schlepping of the beach stuff to and fro. I would never go down there and not have an oceanfront house, and those are just not available or if they are, remotely affordable, anywhere else that I know of. Never been to Virginia Beach.

Yes, Nags Head is fabulous for young kids. There is the Aquarium, Festival Park, Jockey's Ridge, mini golf, beautiful beaches with plenty of public access, great restaurants, etc. I am from NC originally and grew up going to OBX, so I admit my bias. Before kids, DH and I went to Ocracoke, which is a bit of haul and definitely more isolated. Now that we have kids, Nags Head is perfect. Our kids love it and look forward to going every summer.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I think the PP who said Rehoboth is sleazy is hilarious.

+1
where did that come from? It's almost exclusively young families. Maybe PP was thinking of Dewey, which we avoid.

The Sleazy OP might be a homophobe.

Oooohhhhh, maybe so. That didn't occur to me. I love Rehoboth.