3 Days at The Delaware Beaches

At the end of June, I went to the Delaware beaches to visit my Dad who lives there full time and shared ALL about it over on my Instagram (follow me @_thepinkchickadee!). I brought my best friend Bryn, too, and my Papa and dog Rosie came along as well. Now, I am going to spill ALL the tea on our weekend at the Delaware beaches!

For more of my recent travels, read here:

So, the Delaware beaches consists of (North to South) Lewes, Rehoboth, Dewey, Bethany, and Fenwick Island. Ocean City, Maryland is just South of Fenwick Island by about 5-10 minutes. My Dad’s home base is Bethany Beach. I usually visit the Delaware beaches about 3 times a year and usually once in the summer time. Each time I go and visit, I see a different part of the Delaware beaches than before. This time around was Bryn’s first time that she can remember even being in the state of Delaware, so we did some things that were new to her yet not so new to me. I am a BIG believer that a fresh perspective on a place previously travelled to is a new visit all in itself. The same concept goes for going to the same place(s) again, too, even with people who have been there before as well. Read more about my adventures in Lewes and Fenwick Island here:

What We Did

We spent both Friday morning and Saturday evening on the Bethany Beach boardwalk. Friday morning, we grabbed coffee at a local cafe on the boardwalk and dipped our toes in the ocean before starting our working remotely day. Surprisingly enough, the Bethany Beach boardwalk was already pretty packed when we got there just after 9am. So, a quick view of the waves and grab and go coffee did the trick! Meanwhile, Saturday evening, we had dinner with my family at Hideaway – an open-air restaurant super close to the beach that is only around during the Summer season. Its super gorgeous on the interiors and the food and cocktails are AMAZING, despite it being pretty packed. Bryn and I, then, went along the boardwalk and checked out ALL of the shops. Bryn really wanted to get a Bethany Beach hoodie, and I found an ADORABLE little local gift shop (whose name I sadly forgot) that sold some Lilly Pulitzer accessories, along with Scout Bags and Spartina, Simply Southern, and Teleties. I *of course* picked up quite a bit of Lilly Pulitzer – haha!

Friday evening was well spent at The Lighthouse Sound Restaurant located along the Chesapeake Bay in nearby-to-Ocean City, Maryland: Bishopville, Maryland. The views there are impeccable and the food is just as good. Read more about my experiences there here: https://pinkchickadee.com/2022/06/30/the-ocean-city-maryland-restaurant-without-the-crowds/#/

Saturday afternoon, we got lunch at the Ocean View Brewing Company. The Ocean View Brewing Company is located just outside of Bethany Beach in Ocean View, Delaware. It is apart of a chain of restaurants, including Thompson Island in Rehoboth Beach, that brew their own beer in-house. When going to the Ocean View Brewing Company, you can see the beer brewing in-house from the windows on the second floor of the restaurant. They have great seafood, burgers, and much more food-wise. The beer is AMAZING, too, and honestly why we decided to come! And then, after enjoying a delicious lunch with some local beer, we went shopping at the Tanger Outlets in Rehoboth Beach. A fun fact about Delaware is that they have tax-free shopping (!!!). Some of the stores that we checked out at the Tanger Outlets were: Simply Southern, J Crew Factory, Francesca’s, Bath & Body Works, Tory Burch (where I bought my dream pair of pink flats!!!!), Vineyard Vines, and Kate Spade. Needless to say, Bryn and I had A BLAST! Some of the other stores that we didn’t check out at the Tanger Outlets are: Crocs, Old Navy, LOFT, Banana Republic, Express, Coach, Levi’s, and Nike. Plan your visit to the Rehoboth Beach Tanger Outlets here: https://www.tangeroutlet.com/rehoboth

And, before we left Sunday evening, Bryn and I had a much-needed beach day at Cape Henelopen State Park in Lewes, Delaware. It was a new-to-me beach, too. It costed us $10 to enter the state park and was $10 well worth it, too. Although it was a bit crowded, we still had a great time at the beach!

The Delaware beaches are a happy place of mine! From the adorable town of Lewes and boardwalks, to the gorgeous beaches at every turn, and the food and shopping all in between, it is definitely worth the visit for me and hopefully for you someday, too.

XOXO – Katie <3

The Magical Delaware Christmas Town

Love me a Christmas town! Last weekend, my family and I visited the tiny and charming town of Lewes, Delaware. This sweet little town has been decked out for Christmas for a while. Along with solely small businesses in town, Lewes also has its own historical significance too, as there are plaques commemorating its events over the centuries. Lewes is definitely a gem along the Delaware coastline!

Visiting Lewes was such a great experience. The town is so walkable and everywhere you turn there is something new and wonderful. It makes for an excellent day trip if you are in the Bethany Beach/Rehoboth Beach/Dewey Beach area. You will not regret it!!!

XOXO – Katie <3

My Social Distancing-Friendly Beach Trip

Life is better at the beach, especially during a pandemic! With everything going on in the midst of the coronavirus pandemic, being at the beach was a great way to relax and still social distance. While travel may look different this year, especially overnight travel, it does not mean that we can’t still enjoy it. Today, I am going to be sharing my super fun and relaxing experience traveling overnight to Bethany Beach, Delaware on a social distanced beach trip.

Emphasis on Shopping Small

One of the most unique assets of Bethany Beach is the fact that the town only permits small businesses in its area. I find the plethora of small businesses there to make it such a special and down-to-earth traveling experience as well. I have always preferred local businesses when traveling to your typical chain restaurant, and Bethany Beach truly embraces shopping small! Some of my favorite restaurants in the area include: Shaka Shack, Off the Hook, Bethany Diner, The Salted Rim, Grotto Pizza, and Good Earth Market & Organic Farm. Meanwhile, Bonkey’s is definitely one of the best places to indulge in some ice cream. In terms of shops, Candy Kitchen is a super cute candy shop that pops up EVERYWHERE in the area, and my Aunt Sherri is obsessed with it! Besides Candy Kitchen, I have not shopped much in the area, the boardwalk has a lot of options for some t-shirts and souvenirs. The emphasis on small businesses in Bethany Beach makes me really appreciate the area, especially during the pandemic.

Beaches

Above it all, I have found the beaches to be one of the best places to social distance in Bethany Beach. The appeal of social distancing at the beach is that people always come in groups anyways and want to spread out, so pandemic or not it does not make a difference. In fact, I found myself to enjoy the beach more during a pandemic, as people are more likely to keep their distance from other groups, which means I have more space to spread out and sunbathe! Additionally, at Bethany Beach, there are police on the boardwalk and employees at booths to Delaware State Park’s beaches beyond the boardwalk to ensure that only a certain number of groups are on the beach at once. Knowing that people are looking out and ensuring that others are social distancing made me feel a lot more comfortable going to the beach.

Activities

Besides of course going to the beach, Bethany Beach has a lot to offer. Nearby Rehoboth Beach has a ton of outlet shops and a much longer boardwalk with lots of shops and restaurants as well, which I got to spend a day doing. At the same time, Bethany Beach offers mini golf and has arcades nearby, even though we didn’t go since it was crowded. As for outdoor activities and sports, Bethany Beach has many gorgeous and scenic trails and walking paths as well as a brand-new park right by its boardwalk. Many people also bike around the boardwalk area too, which I love to see!

Getting to go to Bethany Beach this summer was such a treat and it was even more fun to do with my family to get that time with them. Bethany Beach has such a strong family-friendly and down to earth atmosphere that made me LOVE it as a sweet beach town. Personally, I always feel that a beach trip is needed at least once a summer, and this summer it was needed more than ever.

XOXO – Katie <3