Dewey Beach and Rehoboth, Delaware: A Great Destination for a Girls-Only Vacation
Coming from New England, beach days often mean lots of sunbathing in picturesque settings but very little swimming—the water is so darn cold. You might take a quick dip to cool off, but most people are not in the water for long unless they are under 25 or the unlucky parents of kids who have coerced them to join them. At the beginning of the summer, your feet can go numb as you stand in water up to mid-calf. It’s more tolerable in August, but it's still pretty cold. New Englanders are a hearty bunch!
Venturing South to Delaware
When a college friend officially retired this past summer, we decided to celebrate the occasion with a girls-only beach vacation. Her husband has mobility issues and cannot travel. While I was off over the summer, my husband was still working. So it made sense for two women in their later years to take off to the beach for a girls-only vacation.
Instead of Cape Cod, the go-to destination for many metro Boston folks, a family member recommended we head farther south to Dewey Beach, Delaware. It was a great option with lots to do, rain or shine. We found warm water swimming on miles of white sand beaches, excellent restaurants serving local crab, a fun bar scene offering live music, outlet shopping, bike trails, and a great place for some needed R&R.
We stayed in an Airbnb located in what locals call ‘the forgotten mile’. Located between Dewey Beach and Rehoboth Beach, you can enjoy the same long stretch of sand but with much fewer people than you’ll find in these two town center areas. A handful of families were near us on the sand and in the water, but we could see crowds in the distance at Rehoboth Beach to the north and Dewey Beach to the south.
What Did We Enjoy Most?
Non-stop conversations. It’s amazing how parallel our lives have been since college and how easy it was to spend time together talking about anything and everything.
A few good laughs. I don’t even remember what we laughed about, but we laughed a lot. And my friend, like in college, still has to wipe away tears from her eyes when she laughs. Which made me laugh more.
Eating out. If you have to cook every meal on vacation, your vacation is just time spent in a different kitchen. When you’re with extended family, making meals might be appropriate. But a girls-only vacation means no kitchen duty!
No taking care of anyone else or making sure everyone is happy. That’s parenting or marriage. A girls-only vacation has very few responsibilities.
No ‘must do’ on the schedule except maximum resting and relaxation.
Things To Do
Enjoy the white sand beaches and warm water
In Delaware, the water is warm and refreshing. And given the Airbnb location, we were able to enjoy a less-crowded section of the beach (a hidden gem during July).
Watch the dolphins
Pods of dolphins passed in front of us most days we lounged at the beach.
Ride bikes….or not
There’s plenty of opportunity to ride bikes in the area. In fact, it can be easier than trying to find parking, particularly in Dewey Beach. If you’re into cycling, there are a number of paths (mostly paved) in the Dewey/Rehoboth/Lewes area. Some cut through Henlopen State Park, which is beautiful and serene.
On our getaway, it turns out that the phrase ‘it’s like riding a bike’ didn’t hold true for, well, riding a bike! Further details require a signed Non-Disclosure Agreement (NDA). We opted to drive or walk instead, which was fine.
Get a bit of a buzz
Crushers are vodka-based, and most of the bars are ‘generous’ when pouring their drinks. They crush half a grapefruit or an orange at the bar using a good old-fashioned fruit press. Surprisingly, one drink is sometimes enough, and a second Crusher is too much. Another case where further details require a signed NDA.
Spend a few hours in Lewes
Lewes is a quaint, historic town with lots of boutiques, restaurants, and antique stores. Very picturesque. It’s a great place to spend a few hours.
Take the shuttle trolley to Rehoboth and stroll the boardwalk
Can you smell the fried dough and popcorn? Do you have a hankering for homemade ice cream? Did you promise you’d bring something back for the grandkids? Rehoboth Boardwalk has all of this and more. The trolley has several stops along the route, and we could pick it up at the end of the street where we were staying. Super convenient.
Tanger outlet shopping
Although Route 1 traffic is quite heavy, all the usual outlet stores and major chain stores are located within a few miles of most hotels, Airbnbs, etc.
Yackity-yack
Even though we get together every 3-4 months for lunch, having hours of time in a relaxed setting made for good ‘craic’ (a good time) as the Irish say.
Best Restaurants
Here are the restaurants we liked most during our trip:
Woody’s is the place for crab cakes in Dewey Beach. Make reservations. It’s a local favorite with a relatively small seating capacity. If you don’t have reservations, you can hang out and have a drink at Jimmy’s Grille across the street while you wait for your table. Go for the crab cakes!
The Starboard is a great place for breakfast/brunch. Lots of variety. Huge portions. Fun interior decor. Famous for its Bloody Mary smorgasbord. It’s also a popular bar in the afternoon and evening for the younger crowd. The owner has several Starboard restaurants in the area (Starboard, Starboard Raw, Starboard Claw) that are good, so make sure you go to ‘the original Starboard’ if you’re looking for breakfast/brunch.
We had our best dinner at Henlopen City Oyster in Rehoboth. Without a reservation, you could wait 1.5 hours for a table. Instead, you can score seats at the bar with luck like we did. The crab cakes were fantastic, and others at the bar raved about the oysters.
Best Beach Bars
What’s a beach vacation without a few drinks at a local bar or two? Crushers (orange, grapefruit, or lemon) are popular here. Made with flavored vodka, freshly squeezed fruit per order using a press, and some soda water. In my humble opinion, grapefruit is the best. Here are two bars we enjoyed Crushers at for different reasons:
Jimmy’s Grille is great for its convenience on the Dewey Beach main strip, where many of the restaurants are located. They serve typical pub/bar food that I can’t vouch for simply because we went there for a pre-dinner Crusher and had dinner reservations elsewhere. I will say the drinks are strong, so beware if you’re a lightweight like me! Music is performed every day during peak season but at different times of the day, so check their website if you want to be there when there’s live music. Fun, beachy vibe!
Big Chill Beach Club isn’t technically in Dewey Beach or Rehoboth, but the seven-mile, no-traffic drive along the coastal highway to get there is worth it. You’ll cut through unspoiled Delaware State Park land and cross the Charles Cullen Memorial Bridge and Indian River Inlet. It hugs the inlet and overlooks Bethany State Park Beach. Since Big Chill is located on State Park Beach land, there’s a nominal parking fee until 5:00 PM. After 5 PM until closing (9 PM), parking is free. The bar/restaurant is located two stories above the beach, offering a light breeze and an open-air panoramic view. You can catch beautiful sunsets as you look toward the bridge and inlet. Good Crusher drinks and a great location, but I’d skip the food as it’s not great.
