Cape Charles is a cute town on the bay with amazing sunsets. The positives is the “beach” is on the bay so it’s not as stressful with young kids to have to watch out for big waves. I think it is a nice vacation just a little more low key.

Outerbanks- we personally avoid because I think the waves are too rough and I just don’t really like it there.

Rehoboth- Love boardwalk and Funland. It can be pretty crowded. Definitely feels like you are at the beach.

Lewes- cute town and it is on the bay so less stressful with the waves. You can drive to Rehoboth for the boardwalk, but there can be a ton of traffic in the summer.

We have enjoyed each of these places. Let us know where you go after your trip!

Anonymous wrote:Check out Sea Colony in Bethany Beach DE.

Sea Colony apartments on the beach are great. Get the chair & umbrella service so you don’t have to carry anything. It’s a private beach for Sea Colony so the public can’t hang there. If a kid gets too tired, too hot, or needs a diaper change, you just walk 5 minutes and take the elevator to the ocean front apartment. Tons of pools for the kids to enjoy.

Check out Sea Colony in Bethany Beach DE.

Anonymous wrote:I'd go for the Jersey Shore beaches (Spring Lake is adorable) or the Delaware beaches. The drive from DC to OBX is a death march in the summer, especially the return drive when everyone vacates their McMansion rentals at the exact same time and crawls to 95 for the drive north. Cape Charles is cute but there's very little by way of dining and entertainment, which is FINE if you don't mind cooking/ meal prep for most of your vacation. We had a nice trip there -- pleasant locals, wasn't commercialized, etc, but no break from Mom Life. Delaware beaches are very nice, plenty of restaurant options.

(By the way, you have to pay to enter the beach in New Jersey, so bring a little cash if that's the route you go!)

DP, and I feel the opposite. Cape Charles is a great break from Mom Life because it’s so low key and we can walk to almost everything. The kids get Froot Loops for breakfast, and DH and I can walk to the Bakery on Main, which is terrific. We might grill at the house once or twice, but otherwise we rotate between Deadrise Pies, Cape Charles Brewery, and the Shanty.

To me, that’s much more restful than battling every other DC-area family on vacation at the Delaware beaches (too crowded) or OBX (too much driving, even after you get there). But, thankfully, YMMV.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:OBX is WAY TOO ROUGH for non-expert swimmers. Each summer something like a dozen people drown there. No way would I take my kids there.

This is a factually false generalization. Have even been? OBX is over a hundred miles of beach, many of which are not rough at all.

Not OP but also have young kids- which areas of OBX are less rough, generally speaking? I recognize of course that conditions can vary from day to day.

We generally have good luck in Duck and Corolla. I also hear Hatteras is good but haven’t been myself since childhood.

We like Smith Mountain Lake. Bernards Landing has a pool, tennis etc and there is a state park you can drive to for beach time. No breakers or riptides or hurricane threat.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:OBX is WAY TOO ROUGH for non-expert swimmers. Each summer something like a dozen people drown there. No way would I take my kids there.

This is a factually false generalization. Have even been? OBX is over a hundred miles of beach, many of which are not rough at all.

Not OP but also have young kids- which areas of OBX are less rough, generally speaking? I recognize of course that conditions can vary from day to day.