Anonymous wrote:It's not tourist season. Beaches are ugly in spring and winter.

Tourists like this are ugly!

They don’t need to be charming, demand far outweighs supply. And many of these beach towns are for the most part relatively new. There is no history to them.

Anonymous wrote:Also "Bethany Beach is so ugly" what?????

I think you, you are the problem. Why would say Bethany Beach is so ugly?

I don't love Bethany (I find it dull and overcrowded) but I do think it's the prettiest of the DE beaches. If you think Bethany is ugly, just avoid the Eastern Shore.

Anonymous wrote:Also "Bethany Beach is so ugly" what?????

I think you, you are the problem. Why would say Bethany Beach is so ugly?

The more polite thing to say is “has a beauty all its own”. Or, “face only a mother can love”

Also "Bethany Beach is so ugly" what?????

I think you, you are the problem. Why would say Bethany Beach is so ugly?

Lewes Beach? You're upset you didn't pick an ocean beach? This is on you.

Anonymous wrote:The mid-Atlantic beach communities are not what most people would consider charming. There are beaches that are wide and empty and (imo) beautiful but not cute beach towns.

If that’s what you are looking you would do better in the Northeast— parts of coastal RI, Mass., Maine.

+1

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Anonymous wrote:As a life long Marylander I hate the Delaware, MD,and Virginia Beaches. We have a house in Corolla, NC and it’s nice and quiet. No tacky crap.

Um…you know there are private, gated beaches in DE, right?

ICYMI: the appeal of the DE beaches is you can stay wherever you like (private beach, hotel, condo, etc.) and still have access to lots of restaurants, bakeries, and activities.

I’ll never understand the appeal of NC beaches. Aside from the treacherous/deadly riptides, I can’t understand why anyone wants to vacation somewhere you need to cook and prepare all meals because amenities like restaurants are few and far between. Plus, the over abundance of confederate flags on full display at NC (worse than FL) beaches is off-putting (ymmv).

Also, why would you want to drive that far? Clearly different posters have different priorities, but why would I want a beach house 5-7 hours away?

Because starting in South Beach, NC, the water becomes clearer. OC, Md water is brown.

Is South Beach, NC, the beach in Ocracoke, that's commonly called "South Beach?" I've been there a couple times, and the water is beautiful. In fact, if the wind is right, I've seen blue water on Hatteras Island. I think you need a wind from the SW for this?

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Anonymous wrote:As a life long Marylander I hate the Delaware, MD,and Virginia Beaches. We have a house in Corolla, NC and it’s nice and quiet. No tacky crap.

Um…you know there are private, gated beaches in DE, right?

ICYMI: the appeal of the DE beaches is you can stay wherever you like (private beach, hotel, condo, etc.) and still have access to lots of restaurants, bakeries, and activities.

I’ll never understand the appeal of NC beaches. Aside from the treacherous/deadly riptides, I can’t understand why anyone wants to vacation somewhere you need to cook and prepare all meals because amenities like restaurants are few and far between. Plus, the over abundance of confederate flags on full display at NC (worse than FL) beaches is off-putting (ymmv).

Also, why would you want to drive that far? Clearly different posters have different priorities, but why would I want a beach house 5-7 hours away?

Because starting in South Beach, NC, the water becomes clearer. OC, Md water is brown.

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Anonymous wrote:Nobody refers to the DE and MD beaches as the eastern shore.

We refer to St. Michael’s and other areas on the east side of the Bay Bridge as the Eastern Shore.

Signed,

Lifelong Marylander with deep ties across our beautiful state

Agreed. And the Eastern Shore has a beauty of its own.

Agree that the Eastern Shore has its own beauty. If you just drive through it on Route 50, it doesn’t impress, but there are cute towns, scenic waterways, birds and plenty of solitude. I probably wouldn’t want to live there, but it doesn’t impress have its own charms.

As for beaches. I grew up going to OCMD. While it’s nostalgic to me, I only go once every couple years and those trips are usually just a night or two. For East Coast beaches, I prefer Hatteras and Cape Cod. For Hatteras, there aren’t many restaurants, not a glut of putt-putt and arcades, in fact, there isn’t much there, but that’s the attraction.

Anonymous wrote:Nobody refers to the DE and MD beaches as the eastern shore.

We refer to St. Michael’s and other areas on the east side of the Bay Bridge as the Eastern Shore.

Signed,

Lifelong Marylander with deep ties across our beautiful state

Agreed. And the Eastern Shore has a beauty of its own.

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Anonymous wrote:We just returned from the Spring Break in Lewes Beach. OMG - what was I thinking?! First time there and this was miserable. Close to zero attractions. They have a massive road just outside the town with endless shopping malls. Is that how the beach towns feel like on the East Coast?! We drove to Bethany Beach, which was just so ugly. Zero charm and so much ugliness. Sorry - a recent transplant from France here and my disappointment is huge. Is OXC equally as ugly? Is Florida better?

I’m right there with you. The Atlantic beaches are hideous. I’ve never taken my kids there. Florida is much better. We like the panhandle a lot. Gorgeous white sand beaches.

Plus sharks, gators, and the occasional bear on the beach.

Aside from the wildlife, the beaches in the FL panhandle are lovely.

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Anonymous wrote:As a life long Marylander I hate the Delaware, MD,and Virginia Beaches. We have a house in Corolla, NC and it’s nice and quiet. No tacky crap.

Um…you know there are private, gated beaches in DE, right?

ICYMI: the appeal of the DE beaches is you can stay wherever you like (private beach, hotel, condo, etc.) and still have access to lots of restaurants, bakeries, and activities.

I’ll never understand the appeal of NC beaches. Aside from the treacherous/deadly riptides, I can’t understand why anyone wants to vacation somewhere you need to cook and prepare all meals because amenities like restaurants are few and far between. Plus, the over abundance of confederate flags on full display at NC (worse than FL) beaches is off-putting (ymmv).

NP, Clearly you haven’t been to Corolla or Duck in a long time. There are a ton of restaurants now. When I went there growing up that was definitely true. And now we go out to dinner every night when there. And confederate flags are mostly found down in Kitty Hawk and Nags Head. Never seen one in the northern part of OBX and I go every year. Primarily Northerners rent so the MAGA crowd is not present. I have stayed in one of the DE gated communties and the beach and town are still extremely crowded and not that charming. That said, I still enjoy Bethany every time I go. It’s just not my first choice.

I’ve been all over the NC beaches, and I’ve never thought it was markedly better than DE beaches aside from being a bit less crowded—but also with DAR fewer activities/amenities.

FWIW, I enjoy every beach on some level. I enjoy the MD/DE beaches primarily for convenience and nostalgia. But there are so many beach options in the USA.

If you want a beach with a boardwalk and Funland you go to Bethany. If you are looking for restaurants shopping, and quiet, you go to OBX. Everyone has the place that checks their boxes. Both are great and people are allowed to have different opinions.

Signed,
Someone who frequently visits both beaches.

I’m confused why you feel the need to schlep to NC for restaurants, shopping, and quiet when you can find that in the MD/DE beaches. Stay in Fenwick or North or South Bethany and there are plenty of great restaurants and shopping options in 3 directions.

Personally, if you want the best experience, head to a SC or GA beach. SC has better food and shopping if you are near the Charleston area.

I think you completely missed the point. People have different opinions and want to do different things and go different places. Why be confused that someone wants to travel to a beach other than a Delaware beach. It’s really not that confusing at all. I personally do not like MD, DE, and VA beaches. In Rehoboth I would have to get up at 6 AM to mark my spot on the beach. When I go to
Bethany is just so crowded and blah. OC and VA beach are very tacky. I prefer to head south to quiet beaches where I can have more amenities without the crush of people. For some people it makes the drive worth it. For some it doesn’t. It’s very weird how the DE beach people are getting so defensive and can’t imagine anyone would have a different opinion than them. Relax! Go where you want!! Go where you’re happy. And others will do the same.

I don’t think anyone has missed the point.

A pp said they prefer NC for more amenities like restaurants, shopping, and quiet beaches.

Practically speaking, I don’t think NC beaches have MORE restaurants and shopping. I just don’t think it’s an accurate statement. And re: quiet beaches - you can stay in many different DE beaches that are just as quiet as NC. While parts of rehoboth and Bethany proper are ridiculously crowded, Fenwick beach (in front of the houses) is never crowded, and north and south Bethany aren’t crowded either. Heck, north OCMD has certain pockets that are quiet.

Everyone recognizes that people have different preferences. But when statements don’t seem to be factually accurate, it prompts curiosity.

FTR, I prefer truly quiet beaches near charming areas for day trips, shopping, or truly excellent food…and I’ve never found anything in DE, MD, VA, or NC that comes close to SC or GA. There are some isolated parts of FL that are quite nice, but even those places don’t compare in quite the same way. Interestingly, a couple places where I vacation draw celebs who I’ve seen a number of times (I know at least one owns a home there).

It's not tourist season. Beaches are ugly in spring and winter.

Anonymous wrote:

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Anonymous wrote:As a life long Marylander I hate the Delaware, MD,and Virginia Beaches. We have a house in Corolla, NC and it’s nice and quiet. No tacky crap.

Um…you know there are private, gated beaches in DE, right?

ICYMI: the appeal of the DE beaches is you can stay wherever you like (private beach, hotel, condo, etc.) and still have access to lots of restaurants, bakeries, and activities.

I’ll never understand the appeal of NC beaches. Aside from the treacherous/deadly riptides, I can’t understand why anyone wants to vacation somewhere you need to cook and prepare all meals because amenities like restaurants are few and far between. Plus, the over abundance of confederate flags on full display at NC (worse than FL) beaches is off-putting (ymmv).

NP, Clearly you haven’t been to Corolla or Duck in a long time. There are a ton of restaurants now. When I went there growing up that was definitely true. And now we go out to dinner every night when there. And confederate flags are mostly found down in Kitty Hawk and Nags Head. Never seen one in the northern part of OBX and I go every year. Primarily Northerners rent so the MAGA crowd is not present. I have stayed in one of the DE gated communties and the beach and town are still extremely crowded and not that charming. That said, I still enjoy Bethany every time I go. It’s just not my first choice.

I’ve been all over the NC beaches, and I’ve never thought it was markedly better than DE beaches aside from being a bit less crowded—but also with DAR fewer activities/amenities.

FWIW, I enjoy every beach on some level. I enjoy the MD/DE beaches primarily for convenience and nostalgia. But there are so many beach options in the USA.

If you want a beach with a boardwalk and Funland you go to Bethany. If you are looking for restaurants shopping, and quiet, you go to OBX. Everyone has the place that checks their boxes. Both are great and people are allowed to have different opinions.

Signed,
Someone who frequently visits both beaches.

I’m confused why you feel the need to schlep to NC for restaurants, shopping, and quiet when you can find that in the MD/DE beaches. Stay in Fenwick or North or South Bethany and there are plenty of great restaurants and shopping options in 3 directions.

Personally, if you want the best experience, head to a SC or GA beach. SC has better food and shopping if you are near the Charleston area.

I think you completely missed the point. People have different opinions and want to do different things and go different places. Why be confused that someone wants to travel to a beach other than a Delaware beach. It’s really not that confusing at all. I personally do not like MD, DE, and VA beaches. In Rehoboth I would have to get up at 6 AM to mark my spot on the beach. When I go to
Bethany is just so crowded and blah. OC and VA beach are very tacky. I prefer to head south to quiet beaches where I can have more amenities without the crush of people. For some people it makes the drive worth it. For some it doesn’t. It’s very weird how the DE beach people are getting so defensive and can’t imagine anyone would have a different opinion than them. Relax! Go where you want!! Go where you’re happy. And others will do the same.