OT: Delaware Beach Towns
- Thread starter JMORC2003
- Start date
If quiet & calm is the priority, I’d probably say your order should be a) Dewey b) Rehoboth c) Lewes.
In my opinion, Rehoboth is the best of them hands down.
In my opinion, Rehoboth is the best of them hands down.
Was just in the Lewes/Rehoboth area this weekend. Lewes is more like an Ocean Grove type atmosphere. Great Mom and Pop seafood restaurants but not much to do for kids. Striper Bites was very good and area seemed not as busy. Also the State Park is right down the street from Lewes beach past the Ferry. And don't call it Lou's, rather call it Louis or you'll get some weird stares.
Rehoboth seemed more like a Pt. Pleasant type area and crowded. Lots of shops and more touristy. Your wife would love the shopping with the little side street shops. Can't comment on the beaches, as we just had rain and wind swept sands the entire weekend.
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I’ve rented in Dewey several times, as well as Rehoboth and Bethany Beach. Dewey is definitely a party vibe. Fun place and nice beach that you can also bike to Rehoboth from.
If you want a quieter family type town I would recommend Bethany Beach personally. Very chill and quiet. Not a bar town. It’s been some years since I was there and I only recalled like any type of bar being in a restaurant setting. Nice restaurants, good for walking and biking and just a real relaxing vibe.
If you want a quieter family type town I would recommend Bethany Beach personally. Very chill and quiet. Not a bar town. It’s been some years since I was there and I only recalled like any type of bar being in a restaurant setting. Nice restaurants, good for walking and biking and just a real relaxing vibe.
Rented at Sea Colony in Bethany Beach several times. Very nice area, several pools, lots of tennis courts, and activities for the kids. Beach tends to be crowded but there are other beaches along that stretch that are less so. Small commercial/boardwalk area with just enough shops and restaurants. Rehoboth and Ocean City MD are reasonably close if you are looking for more night time entertainment/rides, etc.
If you go to the Delaware shore you must try Henlopen Oyster House if you like seafood. We go down to Rehoboth every year and it is consistently good. They have a dynamite happy hour that starts at 3pm with drink and raw bar specials. Dinner starts at 5pm but get there early as they do not take reservations and waits can be long.
We rented a house on Middlesex Beach a couple years ago and really enjoyed it. It's a private beach within Bethany. We had tons of beach space and we were within eyesight of Sea Colony (which someone mentioned). Sea Colony was packed to the gills. Some tried to sneak onto our private beach but were quickly stopped by badge checkers. It was a quick drive to Dewey, Rehoboth and Lewes where I found some cool micro breweries and beer shops.
Anyone know if and when the bars close up for the season in Rehobeth and Dewey?
September? October?
Or do they stay open all year?
September? October?
Or do they stay open all year?
Lewes is the quietest of the towns mentioned. While it is true that the town beach is on the bay, Cape Henlopen state park at the south end of town is smack on the ocean and has lots of activities on its 5000 acres. You also have the ferry to go to Cape May.
I have been down there in September and the bars are open. They get big college and pro football crowds.
Beaches are free. You can also rent chairs an d umbrellas on the beach in Rehoboth that runs along the boardwalk.
I will add a little to this discussion as my extended family has been renting/vacationing on the Delaware beaches 2 out of 3 years for the the last 25 years.
We started in Lewis when the kids were toddlers and very young, say under 10 years mostly. Lewis on the bay was perfect for this, quiet neighborhoods and quiet beach. No waves which is boring for most, but great for the young kids. Walking the sandbar at low tide was perfect. The only thing to walk to if you are on the beach at Lewis is a Dairy Queen, the actual town is across the river and a bit too far to walk from most the the beach houses, so not really much to do on foot. Town is nice, but none of that boardwalk kitsch that appeals to young kids, you will likely find yourself driving down to the Rehoboth boardwalk for and evening or three to entertain the kids.
We then moved on down to Rehoboth after the kids grew up. Neighborhoods are still quiet. Beaches are quite a bit more crowded and of course it is the ocean, so waves. Boardwalk is a convenient walk from just about all but the furthest parts of the town. Lots of dining options. Some interesting bars. Most are aware that Rehoboth has a history as gay-friendly; nothing to be concerned about for the family, nothing crazy or over the top. Very happy w/ Rehoboth and extended family with wide range of kid's ages and all are able to find their thing.
I have no practical experience with either Dewey or Bethany, but it seems the young adults in our group seem to be gravitating to Dewey for the nightlife.
We started in Lewis when the kids were toddlers and very young, say under 10 years mostly. Lewis on the bay was perfect for this, quiet neighborhoods and quiet beach. No waves which is boring for most, but great for the young kids. Walking the sandbar at low tide was perfect. The only thing to walk to if you are on the beach at Lewis is a Dairy Queen, the actual town is across the river and a bit too far to walk from most the the beach houses, so not really much to do on foot. Town is nice, but none of that boardwalk kitsch that appeals to young kids, you will likely find yourself driving down to the Rehoboth boardwalk for and evening or three to entertain the kids.
We then moved on down to Rehoboth after the kids grew up. Neighborhoods are still quiet. Beaches are quite a bit more crowded and of course it is the ocean, so waves. Boardwalk is a convenient walk from just about all but the furthest parts of the town. Lots of dining options. Some interesting bars. Most are aware that Rehoboth has a history as gay-friendly; nothing to be concerned about for the family, nothing crazy or over the top. Very happy w/ Rehoboth and extended family with wide range of kid's ages and all are able to find their thing.
I have no practical experience with either Dewey or Bethany, but it seems the young adults in our group seem to be gravitating to Dewey for the nightlife.
Something nobody mentioned is the proximity to Ocean City, MD. Depending on the age of your kids, there is a lot to do there. Small water parks, amusements. The boardwalk has a similar vibe to the ones at larger NJ beach towns. If you have little kids, avoid it.
My in-laws live in Bethany and we go down several times a year. Traffic can be a nightmare on weekends, particularly holidays. I will second much of what the others say, though I have never been to Lewes. Bethany is in the middle geographically, if you have an interest in going to OC. The boardwalk there is nice for smaller kids. I am comfortable with my early teen haning out there with her friends (unlike OC). Rehoboth boardwalk vibe is closer in feel to OC, but not as edgy. Rehoboth has nice shops and decent restaurants close the boardwalk. I like Rehoboth boardwalk area the best because there is a lot more there than in Bethany and it's got a much more friendly feel than OC.
Dewey is relatively small and gets mostly a younger crowd (a lot of high school and college kides there this past weekend). We see it as more of a party town.
There are a lot of good dining options in every direction. Bethany is not huge, but Fenwick, then OC to the South and Dewey and Rehoboth to the North, there are a lot of options relatively close.
Make sure you check out the Delaware Seashore State Park activities. Pre-COVID they had a lot of good programs for families and they were very low cost. Assuming they bring those back this year. I will look for a link.
We have been on a Multi Year hunt for a home in Delaware and will probably wind up in Ocean View which is 4 miles west of Bethany Beach.
BB is much calmer than RB or Dewey and more to do than Lewes which is basically a 1/4 mile of stores on one street.
BB is known as the quiet resort. Parking is an issue though so you need to be right near the beach, stay in a community that has a shuttle to the beach, or figure out a way to get back and forth to the beach. Beach is free though. A nice complement of shops and restaurants are in town or a short drive away and key these restaurants ( a mile or so inland) have parking available. Parking is in short supply in Lewes, Rehoboth, BB and Dewey near the restaurants. The parking meters are a huge pain in the ass . Make sure you have parking apps installed on your phone.
We really like the State beach at Fenwick Island dogs are allowed and no one is checking your cooler. Have never seen a cop on the beach like NJ. Just be smart and don't infringe on someone else's good time and you will be fine. Also Assawoman sp? Bay is just east of BB and Fenwick and is a great place to Kayak or Paddleboard etc. Pro tip buy a weekly parking pass for all the Delaware State parks to save on Parking fees
As mentioned already if you want to kick it up a notch Ocean City is just a few miles south for a fun night out. One of my favorite restaurants is Liquid Assets in OC. fun hip place with a bar that you can buy a bottle of wine at retail price and drink it right there in the bar. Was really fun place.
BB is much calmer than RB or Dewey and more to do than Lewes which is basically a 1/4 mile of stores on one street.
BB is known as the quiet resort. Parking is an issue though so you need to be right near the beach, stay in a community that has a shuttle to the beach, or figure out a way to get back and forth to the beach. Beach is free though. A nice complement of shops and restaurants are in town or a short drive away and key these restaurants ( a mile or so inland) have parking available. Parking is in short supply in Lewes, Rehoboth, BB and Dewey near the restaurants. The parking meters are a huge pain in the ass . Make sure you have parking apps installed on your phone.
We really like the State beach at Fenwick Island dogs are allowed and no one is checking your cooler. Have never seen a cop on the beach like NJ. Just be smart and don't infringe on someone else's good time and you will be fine. Also Assawoman sp? Bay is just east of BB and Fenwick and is a great place to Kayak or Paddleboard etc. Pro tip buy a weekly parking pass for all the Delaware State parks to save on Parking fees
As mentioned already if you want to kick it up a notch Ocean City is just a few miles south for a fun night out. One of my favorite restaurants is Liquid Assets in OC. fun hip place with a bar that you can buy a bottle of wine at retail price and drink it right there in the bar. Was really fun place.
Yeah that is nice one we are looking at the following communities Bay Forest, The Estuary, Bishops Landing,
Last fall there were lots of resales available. They are all sold now and just new homes are available.....
Development is insane down there. Wife and I took the back roads to OC this past Sunday. There has to be 20 new developments along that route. You would think the bubble would have to burst at some point.
This is interesting. Do you think it's a seasonal thing where resales will pick up again in the Fall as folks want one last summer at the shore? Or is it so much of boom that the only available inventory is new construction?
Asking because in terms of buying as a second home/vacation spot, my preference is part of a community where the HOA will handle most everything.
One thing I will add about Lewes they have the bike path which goes all the way from inland down to the beach, Ferry and State Park. It travels right behind my brothers house. The lazy bastard got himself and his wife those electric bikes. He hooks a little cart up to bring his fishing gear and off he goes.
The new homes are sold before they are actually built and there are new developments all over the place down there. You would have to think that things get soft in the fall/winter, but they are seeing a lot of flight from the cities, etc into the area. They're not 55 and older communities as a rule, but let's face it, that's mostly the demographic. I am surprised by the number of people who live there year round.
I saw a few for sale in my in-laws development, but not a lot and they go quickly. If you don't mind going further south, check out Ocean Pines in Maryland (may be a 55 and older, not sure). Place is massive and everything I hear suggests the HOA is good.
Did that path last summer that is really nice feature of homes that are on the path.
last fall in the development I really like Bay Forest there were 15 properties for sale. Now all have been sold and nothing available. Going to need interest rates to go up to calm things down and the inevitable dip/slowdown in the economy.
We looked into Bethany and Lewes a few months ago, but it was too late to book anything good. However, one thing that I noticed was the lack of pools. Even looking via Google map it is very rare to see a single family house with a private pool (unlike many NJ shore locations). Is there a reason for this? Water table?
Seems weird.
Seems weird.
Most of the communities have central "communal" pools and many HOA do not allow pools in private homes.
Personal experience with HOAs has been very bad. First one in NJ would not let us sell our home to our neighbor, based on some silly interpretation of some vague rule. Second one in AZ enacted a rule forbidding rentals less than 30 days.
And HOAs in NJ are not reopening their pools and facilities. Maybe it's different in Delaware, but would avoid any community with HOA. At a minimum, closely study the covenants and restrictions, by-laws, and rules, and see if you can find a HOA website. Often the HOA boards are ruled by unreasonable and cranky people. There was a story last year about a veteran who was cited by his HOA for mounting an American flag on his property.
Homeowners associations keep clubhouses, pools locked over COVID lawsuit fears
COVID-19 cases are shrinking, but some homeowners associations keep their amenities closed for fear of being sued into oblivion.
www.app.com
Problem is, down in that Rehoboth/Lewes/Bethany area there's not much stock besides the bazillion Hovnanian developments going on down there. All of those developments are HOA's, it's all farm land once you get 5 minutes(without traffic) away from the beach area where every builder is putting in a development. And most of the house styles are geared toward retirees there are some not like that but the majority are. The road system is so fvcked up down there, nothing's a grid.Personal experience with HOAs has been very bad. First one in NJ would not let us sell our home to our neighbor, based on some silly interpretation of some vague rule. Second one in AZ enacted a rule forbidding rentals less than 30 days.
And HOAs in NJ are not reopening their pools and facilities. Maybe it's different in Delaware, but would avoid any community with HOA. At a minimum, closely study the covenants and restrictions, by-laws, and rules, and see if you can find a HOA website. Often the HOA boards are ruled by unreasonable and cranky people. There was a story last year about a veteran who was cited by his HOA for mounting an American flag on his property.
Homeowners associations keep clubhouses, pools locked over COVID lawsuit fears
COVID-19 cases are shrinking, but some homeowners associations keep their amenities closed for fear of being sued into oblivion.www.app.com
I hear ya. Maybe I'm a rugged individualist. I could never live in a mass development like that, especially one built by Hovnanian. Maybe their quality has improved, but when me and Mrs. Shift were first starting out, we lived in Hovnanian townhouse, the corner seams on the drive wall were like S-curves. Crappiest truss built roofs I have seen, and the windows were awful.
That would be a resounding "NO". It's still lowest contractor wins the bid. I was tasked with putting my masonry expertise to work, during my unbeknownst to me home inspection vacation by my brother. Not that I really wanted that, but it was sh*t work. They poured the crawl space during freezing temps didn't cure properly, cracks everywhere in the garage, concrete was only poured a couple months ago and just sloppy workmanship.
