It's not free and $10 for out-of-state residents is not too expensive. Thankfully, I stopped in…read morelate in the afternoon and there was no ranger at the kiosk or I would have turned around. I parked and spent about 20 minutes enjoying the beach and the sunshine. The beach is beautiful. No trash, firm sand and a smooth include down into the water. The waves were pretty calm today which was good because I did not spot any lifeguards on duty. A great spot to spend some time at the ocean. [Review 18162 overall - 84 in Delaware - 1684 of 2022.]

We came here for a family photo shoot…read more THE PARK: Parking/entry fee was $10 for state residents and $20 for all others, paid via a machine. By the time we got here the facilities up front were closed so I have no idea what was available sans for restrooms and an outdoor shower. According to the website, shower and changing facilities are available, along with a food concession, chair & umbrella rentals, even a Mobi-Mat which allows wheelchairs to be pushed onto the beach (such a great idea). The sandy area is very wide and stretches for 3 miles with zero shady spots or trees. Lifeguards were gone for the day with their stands turned upside down. I noticed some vehicles actually parked on the beach near the northern end, a very cool perk that is not allowed back home. Ocean conditions were fairly calm but most folks were in waist-high water at most. OVERALL: Spacious real estate, but coming from Hawaii, my expectations are set too high, LOL.

We took a morning walk along the Rehoboth Beach boardwalk and overall it was a really pleasant way…read moreto start the day, it just wasn't exactly what I expected. The boardwalk is exactly what you think of when you think of a boardwalk, a classic wooden walkway with beach views and storefronts. There's something nostalgic about it even if you've never been here before. The downside to going so early was that many places were still closed. We had hoped to grab coffee and stop in a few shops, but we ended up doing mostly window shopping and just enjoying the weather with our pup. I thought the Penny Lane mall was especially cute. It's tucked away just off the main strip with a cute arch announcing that it's there. We walked the little alley and found a shop called Sea Finds. We did a lot of window shopping there and honestly it's probably a good thing that it wasn't open yet because I would have gone inside and spent a small fortune. While I wish more things had been open during our walk, the boardwalk itself is really lovely. I can imagine how vibrant and bustling it must be in the heat of the day during summertime. There was some road work being done but other than that it was a peaceful experience and a nice stop overall.

Visited on my birthday; December 1 in the earlier evening and even though it was off season, still…read moredid the brief walk on the boardwalk. When you have a December birthday, and can get comfortable weather that's not freezing, and be near a beach, and not have to travel on a cruise or to Florida it's a must on the to do list. Smaller boardwalk then Atlantic City, still worth the visit. I was lucky enough to stop an older couple, who ironically shared my special day, with getting married, so happy birthday to me, and congrats to them to take my picture in a few spots. The main boardwalk was fairly busy, nothing crazy, as parades I've been too in Buffalo, NY and surrounding suburbs. The weather to me was perfect, and not cold at all, for the parade. Parade well organized, police presence, for parade/ traffic control, full of Christmas cheer and patrons were friendly and cautious of others in attendance. Boardwalk consists of variety of shops, places to eat and hotels. Highly recommend a visit, check website or email for events

Bethany Beach is adorable. It's small and feels like the little community where I grew up except…read moreinstead of mountains, it's beach. The town is lovingly maintained and cute and clean. Parking on the Main Street where most of the shops and restaurants are is easy to find and there are plenty of cute little shops to browse all with beach-y things. The beach and boardwalk are pretty and the park in the middle of town with beautiful flowers is so charming. We stayed at the Bethany Beach Inn and had some amazing pizza at Pie. Everyone was friendly and welcoming to us.

Don't make the mistake of visiting for the first time and not buying a parking pass for the town…read morebecause they'll ticket you for $65 and if you appeal, they'll charge you extra for "court costs". The cost of mistakenly parking for an hour is more than the town charges for an entire day pass. That's insane. We won't be back which is unfortunate since the area is cute and quiet.

Awesome awesome awesome beach. It's here I first enjoyed my toddler grandson's first interaction…read morewith the ocean and its sandy border. South Bethany does require a parking pass to park on its streets or you can ride your bike here. No dogs on the beach during May-October. No smoking allowed either. Life guards will look after you during the season. Bring your Jimmy Buffett music. -Enjoy.

Beautiful, sleepy, mostly upscale beachfront vacation community, with an enormous, well kept, very…read moreaccessible beach. I don't believe there are any apartments in the town, those being readily available on the contiguous Bethany Beach to the north and nearby Fenwick Island to the south, the latter being the most intensely developed. South Bethany is entirely comprised of well-appointment vacation houses. It has no real 'downtown' relying instead to Bethany Beach's cute, walkable little collection of tourist shops, restaurants, ice cream and candy shops.

Rehoboth Bay is is a large pool of water in the back of Rehoboth Beach and Dewey Beach. There are…read moreseveral bayside communities in Long Neck Delaware that boarder this bay as well. Rehoboth Bay is popular for fishing and boating. The most popular fishing catches are flounder and crabs. Some striper fish also migrate back in Rehoboth Bay but the larger ones tend to stay out near Indian River Inlet and the Atlantic Ocean. During Holiday's Rehoboth Bay is very crowded which makes fishing very hard. Excessive boat traffic cause the fish to hide in deep holes. The best time to fish seems to be morning, late afternoon, and evening. There are shallow sandbars everywhere which is great for anchoring your boat and swimming. A lot of people even rake for clams.

As you can see from my prior review in August 2023 I love this place. I love to kayak with my…read morefamily. I was here again with my same family of five including two elementary school children. This time I rented two double kayaks for 1 hour at $30 each or $60 total. I also rented one single kayak for one hour or $20. Our total cost was $80 for two doubles and one single kayak in total. This time we traveled south in the bay since the current was moving North. That made it easier for us to kayak back to the kayak base. We returned within one hour. I also purchased a Coastal Kayak hoodie for $40. We agreed we will return here again.

Nothing but good things to say about Mitch and the team at Coastal Kayak! I called two days ahead…read moreof my arrival to find out if I needed a reservation to rent a paddleboard for the weekend and was informed that there was no need. I showed up on the day of my arrival and rented a 10" board with no problems. FYI - the 10" board fit in my compact-size SUV with the headrests removed, front seat down and fin removed. The rental included a paddle and the board also had a leash. I had my own Coast Guard approved lifejacket. I also booked the Burton Island's wildlife guided tour which was a 2-hour tour thru the salt marsh around Burton's Island. Bob (our guide) gave a quick "kayaking 101" before we started and off we went. We had 8 total in our group which was a perfect size for the tour. On the tour we observed ospreys, lots of different types of sea gulls, cormorants who use the bay as a runway before taking off into the blue sky, horseshoe crabs, teeny-tiny fiddler crabs no bigger than a quarter, and little turtles popping up to see what was going on as we were paddling thru the marsh. Bob is a great tour guide with lots of info about the area and wildlife. The meeting point for the tour is the Burton Island's trail head located on the north end of the Indian River Marina inside the Delaware Seashore State Park. For me, it was a short15 minute drive from where I was staying in Fenwick Island. Price wise - the tour and SUP rental were quite reasonable. I will definitely rent from Coastal Kayak the next time I'm in Fenwick Island.

THE Best Beach in Delaware!!!!…read more Bethany Beach has been our family vacation spot for the past 32 years... and it has grown, developed, and maintained its family friendly vibe for all of those years!! Tucked on the coastal side of Route 1, the entire town of Bethany is an oasis of vacation. With only the Sea Colony condos as a building over three stories tall, Bethany is not your typical overrun East Coast beach, but maintains a feeling of small town family friendly atmosphere that keeps vacation calm and relaxing. With private gated communities to the North, quaint small town in the middle, and Sea Colony to the South, Bethany Beach has amazing options for every family!! The main street from Route 1 greets you with the totem pole and extends directly through shops, dining, and entertainment directly to the Boardwalk. Without many cheap hotels and mostly family house rentals, you see full families with generations enjoying vacation together.

We did a mini family vacation to Rehoboth and Bethany Beach. We were experiencing them for the…read morefirst time since we are still relatively new to the area. Of the two, Bethany has a slower and calmer vibe than Rehoboth. Family friend and beautiful, clean beachfront just like Rehoboth. They had umbrella rentals where they handle placing it wherever you want it (they don't allow beach tents just like Rehoboth). Unlike Rehoboth they took electronic payment. The boardwalk was nice with a few shops (there are more shops along the main street). I could potentially see a parking issue if there was a large influx of people so I would recommend getting there early during peak season. So if you are looking for family friendly, relaxing, coastal town expereince this is the place.

Popular Thicket Farm/Okie Preserve Wildlife Area is a hiking area in Long Neck, Delaware. The…read moreproperty was donated by the owner for a bird sanctuary. There is a beach area but you are not supposed to go swimming or camping. Hours - Sunrise to Sunset. This natural wildlife preserve should really be called a toad sanctuary because there are toads running wild everywhere. Make sure you spray for ticks before arriving.

My husband and I walked the trails at Okie this past Sunday. On the eastern side, the trails (and…read moreeverything really) were covered with caterpillars. The worst though were the ticks we came home with. When all was said and done, we counted over 20! ticks (most of them attached) on us. Given the danger of Lyme disease and other tick-borne illnesses, we will think twice about hiking Okie anytime soon.