Bethany Beach is adorable. It's small and feels like the little community where I grew up except instead 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. read more

Don't make the mistake of visiting for the first time and not buying a parking pass for the town because 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. read more

Bethany is nice. There is a different feel from Ocean City. It seems more compact. Because of potential flooding, the beach entrances are composed of more plant barriers. It adds character and helps preserve things. The restrooms are decent. The restaurants and stores are conveniently near the beach. Parking is a challenge. There is metered parking, which fills up quickly. The town seems to pack up by around 8pm. If you want more things to do in the evening, head towards Ocean City. Bethany seems more family oriented. read more

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Hmmm what are the words for my heaven. So my day in Bethany. Up to the boardwalk and a brisk walk with the love of my life Gracie, my dog. After we go to the bakery for bagels with veggie cream cheese and a latte. They have special treats for doggies. I figure I'm going to the beach so I go into the bookstore and get a yummy book. Ok dog back to house get my chair walk up to the beach. And the remainder of my afternoon is observing the magnificent beach , water, skies and wonderful families enjoying the day. Everything I'm off to any number of magnificent restaurants. I go to bed and there isn't a better day anywhere. It's hard to explain the beauty of Bethany. But the charm brings you back. The peaceful surroundings. Families having a joyful day. I'm hooked !! read more

I absolutely loved this little town! Such a beautiful beach town with a wonderful vibe. They have great stores, a wonderful beach and delicious restaurants. People are very nice there, too! read more

Town of Bethany Beach - Beaches Near Me - Bethany Beach, Delaware

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Fantastic place to visit. Great atmosphere, great beach, lots of food and shopping options. Really enjoyed our time here! read more

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BEWARE OF UNFAIR FINES: The town places misleading parking signs at the entrance of parking lots. As you can see from the photo, the two signs at this parking lot on 3rd and Atlantic have conflicting information. From the street, motorists see the sign directly in front of them which clearly states that they can pay to park 10-4pm. This sign is located about 12 feet from the parking meter, which is, in turn, located inside the parking lot. Yet, an identical sign in size and color states that it is prohibited. Unfortunately, I only read the sign in my line of view from the road. I paid $5 to park for 2 hours and received a $40 fine for parking in an area that was only for permit parking. I appealed the ticket, but I was still cited "Guilty as Fined" because the second sign was inside the parking lot whereas the first sign was adjacent to it. I am all for the enforcement of traffic laws, but I feel this is a deliberate attempt to confuse people. I have money to pay, but appealed because this is especially hurtful to people who cannot afford such expenses. As you can see from the reviews below, I am not the only one who has had issues with parking in this town. It seems it is a major source of revenue from the town. read more

Town of Bethany Beach - Beaches Near Me - Bethany Beach, Delaware

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Horribly run town. Inadequate parking signs and a kangaroo court for parking ticket appeals. How is a person from out of town supposed to know that unmarked areas are still pay for parking? They pray on unsuspecting parkers with no notification of pay for parking areas and lie in the appeals even after presenting photos showing there are no pay for parking signs anywhere near the vehicle. My first and last time visiting thar horrible place. read more

Free Trolley ride was a great experience. Was able to experience all of Bethany Beach. Trolley Driver Sue was amazing and very entertaining. :) read more

Very cute beach town only a ten minute drive from Dewey and another fifteen south to Ocean City, Maryland. We only came for dinner but this little enclave is definitely a bit more classy than the others along Coastal Highway. I wish I'd had more time to explore here. Just driving through I know it's on my list to visit once again. read more

Town of Bethany Beach - Beaches Near Me - Bethany Beach, Delaware

We are aware of an issue with the Bethany Beach Parking Department regarding a parking ticket they are attempting to charge us for, despite it being already paid. They even sent an email confirming that no money was owed. Shouldn't they verify the payment by checking the tag plate if the ticket wasn't displayed on the dashboard? I took the time to send photos of the paid ticket, yet today I received a letter stating a payment was due, with a late notice of $50 on top of the original $50 fine, totaling $100. Please ensure that you do your job correctly and stop attempting to unfairly charge honest people. read more

Love it. Wish we stayed in town instead of 4 miles up the highway. Bethany is all about the families, families, families. Singles should go elsewhere Parking is worse here than in Rehoboth or OC. And expensive! Movies on the beach every Mon night. I like going to into Bethany for clean fun and early morning walks. Very peaceful place before 10am and the parking is free at that time :) read more

Town of Bethany Beach - Beaches Near Me - Bethany Beach, Delaware

Five stars for a beach town for families... if you want the noise, bars and "scene" go further down the road to next door Fenwick and Ocean City: Bethany is great for kids and families - kiddies even get free breakfast at the local diner! We've been coming down for the last 3-4 years and now that we have a 2 year old, we enjoy it even more. The beaches are clean, the town itself small, and yet full of the right shops and ice cream places and beach fries, etc. coupled with a few decent restaurants. Arm yourself with a bike and you're in for a treat. read more

Love Bethany beach boardwalk and shops. The area is chock full of coastal touristy stores and trendy food places. The beach can get pretty crowded so finding an alternate beach may be another option depending upon the crowds. It is crowded for a reason! Very trendy and cute. read more

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What can I say other than FAMILY FRIENDLY, lovely town and beaches? Visit often. Enjoy!! read more

Town of Bethany Beach - Beaches Near Me - Bethany Beach, Delaware

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We have enjoyed our annual vacation in Bethany Beach for more than 20 years. Lots of positive things to say. The two negatives that prompt this post, however, both relate to handicap access at the boardwalk at the center of town. The town does have two good handicapped access ramps to the beach, and you can borrow one of two beach wheelchairs on a first-come, first-served basis with some advanced planning and a little luck. But neither of the handicap ramps is connected to the town's boardwalk. If you use a wheelchair and visit the boardwalk, you cannot see the water because the beach-protection sand dunes block the sight line along the entire length of the boardwalk. So you may want to see the ocean by going up to the peak of one of the wooden walkways that go over the sand dunes to the beach. Each peak has a broad area with some benches for that purpose. Except this is impossible to do in a wheelchair. The wooden ramp ends before the peak. And even though there are very nice blue plastic mats installed in the sand to help people go down to the beach, each ramp has a 10-15 foot gap of open sand between the end of the wooden ramp and the start of the blue plastic matts. No regular wheelchair could ever get through that gap without sinking into the sand. So, if you use a wheelchair, and you want to enjoy watching the ocean, forget the boardwalk. The second issue relates to the public restrooms at the town's boardwalk. Despite the signs that claim handicapped access, no amount of careful steering can get a wheelchair into one of those narrow entry doors, or into one of those tiny cramped stalls. In addition, there is no "family/handicapped" restroom. So if you are a male-female couple visiting the town's bandstand or boardwalk, whichever partner is in a wheelchair is on their own if they need to visit the facilities! Bethany Beach seems to be a well-managed town. These clear gaps in handicapped accessibility along the boardwalk are a puzzle to me. read more

I absolutely adore Bethany Beach. My best friend has a beach house there and I've gone with her several times for a long weekend. It's a really nice and clean beach. Very relaxing and family oriented. There's lots of cute shops and restaurants too. Nothing is super expensive, and it's not a far drive from Northern VA. The people that come to this beach are very nice, too. It's the total opposite from trashy Ocean City, MD, which a lot of people my age seem to frequent. I'm definitely not a fan. But at this beach, I'd love to own a beach house here sometime. It's also within close proximity to Dewey and Rehoboth. There's tons of shopping in Rehoboth with the outlets, so we escaped there one night. read more

It was too early to just head back to the city so we stopped here on the way back. Mind you it was Labor Day and it wasn't extremely packed. We did a little bit of shopping where the street was lined with shops. Must visit Candy Kitchen again (the bigger ones in OC). Chilled for a bit with an ice cream cone on a cute street bench. The boardwalk was nice that time of day but we skipped it lol. The waves were harsh that day, just slamming onto the sand like nobody's business. I wore an itty bitty bikini and one of the bigger waves totally got me. I ended up flashing the entire beach; including little children that were playing nearby LOL. That was awesome. read more

I really like this beach! Pretty clean and as long as you bring your essentials (chairs, towels, umbrella) you can have a great day. Very family friendly. Get there before 10am for a good spot on the beach. Pros: - clean beach - lots of food options - (Note: consider that we went on a Monday; later in the week and weekends may differ) as long as you get there early, no problems with parking. Cons: - Should you get there later than 10:30am, good luck with parking - (may be a pro if you have your own gear) you need your own chairs/umbrellas. We found that people were courteous and the beach and boardwalk were really nice. read more

Bethany Beach Government Undermines The Town's Potential Bethany Beach has been a vacation draw for visitors in the DC area for many years. It's quaint and on the beach in Delaware. The location is a reasonable drive from the D.C. Area but really only for a night or two at the most. We are accustomed to the wide open, soft sand beaches in Florida with gentle surf, low crowds and warm water, in comparison to the overcrowded Bethany Beach with course sand and freezing rough surf. First, the town offers bathrooms at the end of Garfield Avenue on the boardwalk but no changing area or outside showers. In fact, a large sign hangs in the bathrooms stating that anyone caught changing will be subject to a $100 fine. Not very accommodating to day visitors. But perhaps that's the point. The unfair aggressive parking practices clearly aim to fill the town's coffers at the expense of visitors. I parked on a street that lured me to a spot by a sign indicating I was in compliance with parking rules. The picture is attached and states that it was legal to park with payment of a fee at a pay station and placement of the ticket on the car dashboard. Where I parked was flooded with water so I parked as close to the curb as was possible to allow my kids to exit without stepping in the huge area of water under my car. I returned to my car before the expiration of my paid time to find a ticket from the parking authority in my car. The ticket said that I parked in the bike path yet no bike path was visible near my parked car or the cars in front and behind me. Nor was there a sign giving notice how to avoid a bike path. I spoke to a meter police woman and she told me to go speak to City Hall since they would have pictures of the violation. I drove to City Hall immediately and explained my circumstances. The police woman behind the enclosed glass said that the pictures showed me clearly in the bike path. I asked to see the pictures and she refused to show me them. She told me that I would need to bring the issue up in court in two days. I expressed my dissatisfaction with the unfairness of the situation. I walked out and watched as the two police women behind the window laughed at the fact that they stuck it to another tourist. I returned the next day and took a photo of where I parked. Seeing the location without any parked car, I learned that the supposed "legal" parking strip is about 4 feet wide, not permitting any car, other than a golf cart or a Smart Car, to avoid hanging over into a supposed bike path with lines completely not visible due to flooding. So the Town has a nice money making trap set up. The Pay and Park sign lures you to the space, there is not notice about a potential bike path or bike path violation, and you pay your parking fee like a dutiful citizen and wam the City pulls out some parking violation for bike path blockage. Bethany Beach you may like to thwart visitors and cash their $30 bike path parking fees, but you are only hurting your local business who primarily depend on tourism. read more

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Obscure and absolutely ridiculous parking rules. I paid $17 to park all. SEVENTEEN DOLLARS. And then I received a parking ticket for twice that amount for literally backing into a parking spot instead of pulling in. Horrible. read more

As previous reviews state the boardwalk is small (this ain't San Diego) but with a good number of shops and cafes and restaurants available. During summer months the beach gets quite crowded so get there early in the day, and bring an umbrella (rentals are also available for $12 a day). The church in the middle of town, while having some very nice paved paths, is indeed private property. There is only signage on one of three accessible sides so beware. I did witness many people walking and cycling over the exact same paths however, so I'm not sure how they tell who is "trespassing." read more

Overall beach is cute and fun! But me and many others that went into the ocean got little bugs called sea lice! Not fun and itchythey leave bites as well. read more

Prefer Bethany and Rehoboth of the beaches along Coastal Highway Clean. Lots of nice shops, restaurants, free and paid activities and vacation properties. One thing the town still needs to work on in my humble opinion is fostering a community that is more accepting of diversity. Thick skinned, but encountered a couple of uncomfortable situations that made me wonder...nuff said. read more

Returned to Bethany and Rehoboth Beach last week and it's still fabulous. I'm ready to SELL IT ALL and become a beach bum!

FAVORITE BEACH ANYWHERE! It's clean, GREAT for families, and far classier than your options down the highway: Ocean City and Fenwick Island. I've been going to Bethany since I can remember, more than 20 years. As a little kid I remember staying on Fourth Street, and over the years we bought a house of our own down Rt. 1!!! read more

Love, love, love this town! If you have a family/small children and/or bigger kids who like to skim/boogie/surf thsi is the place for you! so quiet and friendly. Very preppy and small. NO games on the short boardwalk. A trolley you can take for .25 and ride around town. The one thing that sort of might be off putting to some is the fact that it's very white (I am caucasion) at least at the time I was there. I didn't see any mix of people..It was a little bizarre. Obviously this can be good/bad/indifferent depending on the person. I just found it to be something I noticed. Other than that, the town is prep central..very lacoste and lilly pullitzer(sp) My 4 y.o., elderly parents , myself and husband had the best time ever!!! Town and beach are immaculate! read more

Quiet and more down-to-earth, compared to neighboring towns. Family oriented. Also, more up-scale. A small but nice boardwalk area. Proximity to Rehoboth Beach and Ocean City a plus. read more

Lovely town right on the ocean with a small boardwalk. Many quaint shops , definitely have a real seaside town feel. Lots of cute restaurants, shops and kiosks. read more

Awesome place for family and fun. Great beach and shops. Restaurants and bars are top notch. Reminds me of the outerbanks. Ocean View just next to bethany beach is a great place for hiking, walking trails, restaurants and bars. Lots to do in the area. read more

I lived in Bethany Beach in my teenage years. My family bought a vacation home and turned it into a full time home. It is a great place to spend time with family and friends. The places to eat are exceptional. The boardwalk is entertaining. The shops are unique. read more

Went in the end of may. Great relaxing beach. Not super crowded and great for exploring quaint little shops. Not a lot of entertainment and shopping which I liked to just relax. read more

This truly is a great family town. You get that feel as soon as you enter the border of Bethany Beach, DE. We first came here to stay 14 years ago. Since that time, we've only gone to one other beach, Myrtle Beach two years ago. Myrtle didn't compare to Bethany. Don't get me wrong, Myrtle was okay. But Bethany is family. This will always be our beach vacation. read more

Best Beach Town on the North East Coast! OC and Dewey for the 20 somethings. This place is very clean and family friendly.

Great place. Very clean, friendly and family oriented. Much quieter than Rehobeth or Ocean City. Great for small kids. Teenagers might be bored but we love it! read more

Fantastic family town. So much to do, great restaurants, centrally located between Rehoboth, Dewey and Ocean City MD. Never leaving this place.... read more

I've been coming to Bethany Beach for years, it's always been nice, clean and friendly, but the last few years it's been changing and not for the better. The parking is a nightmare, this year you pay from 10am till 11pm. Every year they add more time you are expected to pay to park. And it can get expensive, plus don't be a minute late or your stuck with a ticket. The whole place is covered with paid parking machines. The parking here is as expensive as parking in downtown DC. I understand the need to pay for parking and the need the town has for income, but really? They have stuck paid parking machines and meters in every nook of this town. Plus this year they seem to be redoing the main street, but minus park benches and trees. Who every came up with all this crazy parking stuff remember the tourists will soon feel totally ripped off. read more

We just returned from our vacation to Ocean City, MD. I observed just about the worst show of tourism from Bethany Beach I have ever seen. We parked in the municipal parking lot just a few doors down from the BB Police station. We paid for 2 hours and placed the parking stub in our windshield as directed. When we returned prior to the time expiring, we had a parking ticket on our car along with everyone else in our isle. After finding the officer who wrote the ticket, we were told that the ticket was because we parked at an angle instead of straight as the parking "logs" were placed for that row. We argued that our isle did not have parking lines, but the other 3 rows did and all had painted,lines at an angle. The cop said we would have to dispute it! There was no sign stating the cars had to be parked straight. I tried to explain that all the other cars previously parked were that way and we had to park that way as well. Her answer was we should not have parked there. OMG!!! My interpretation is that they are making way too much money on parking tickets that they aren't going to put a sign up to let people know of their ridiculous rule!!! We will never go back to Bethany Beach again because of the treatment we received over this parking ticket. Unbelievable!!!! read more