How to Plan a Perfect Weekend Getaway to Rehoboth, Delaware
This family-friendly beach town is filled with top notch restaurants, great shopping, local breweries, lively happy hours, serene nature bike trails, a real Funland, and so much more.
Rehoboth is only a three-hour drive from downtown D.C., but after crossing the Chesapeake Bay bridge, driving the country roads past corn fields and fruit stands, it feels like a world apart. The trendy town is packed with fun activities and great eats, making it easy to immediately slip into vacation mode upon arrival.
12 p.m. Lunch at Dogfish Head
A pit stop at the Dogfish Head Brewery-and Eats (320 Rehoboth Avenue) is the perfect place to jumpstart a beach vacation. The local brewery has 24 taps, and eight are usually filled with exclusive beers that you can only sample on-site. If you find something you really like, they literally will can it for you on the premises. But this family-friendly brew pub isn't just about beer; founder Sam Calagione won a James Beard Award for his innovations in brewing and other culinary achievements. Dogfish's entire menu is house-made: french fries, wood-fired pizzas, blackened shrimp tacos, wood-grilled burgers, and even its spirits and sauces. In the evening, they host local bands and Wednesday karaoke sessions. Open year-round (most days 11 a.m. till 11 p.m.), with a DogFish gift store and of course, a pup-friendly patio. Its seafood-centric sibling next door Chesapeake & Maine opens at 4 p.m. and accepts reservations.
Where to stay
The Avenue Inn & Spa (33 Wilmington Avenue) sits in the heart of Rehoboth, only a block from the boardwalk, which makes it the perfect location to stay. The Avenue has 89 rooms, a salt water pool, jacuzzi, steam room, sun deck, spa and the also houses the award-winning Blue Hen restaurant. They offer complimentary beach chairs along with a beach shuttle that will get you as close to the beach as possible. In addition to the included breakfast, evening milk and cookies, a wine and cheese hour, guests get passes for free bike rentals at nearby Atlantic Cycles.
Pet-friendly options: If you are traveling with a pet, Canalside Inn (34 6th Street) accepts any dog breed and size and offers pet amenities like dog treats, outdoor shower, and bowls for food and water. The hotel's furry mascot, a rescued husky named Sky, can often be seen around the property soaking up the sun. Dogfish Inn (105 Savannah Road, Lewes) along the Lewes-Rehoboth canal also sets aside a portion of their 16-rooms to be dog friendly. The inn also has a nearby kayak and boat-launch, and winding bike trail for use with the Inn's priority bikes. Dogs aren't allowed on the beach or boardwalk in Rehoboth during the busy summer season but they are allowed in Cape Henlopen state park and Gordon's pond on leash. Off season the beach and boardwalk are pet friendly.
3 p.m. Activity interlude: Bike at the beach
When you are ready to take a break from the beach, there are a multitude of places in town to rent bikes. Atlantic Cycles (18 Wilmington Avenue) and Sea Green are just two of the many spots. Cycle over to Cape Henlopen state park down serene gravel and dirt roads and over bridges through woods and open grasslands with lots of bird-watching. The trails are great families and the more adventurous can bike the entire trail to the next door historic town of Lewes.
4 p.m. Sweets stop
Swirled ice frozen custard at Kohr Brothers is always the right option at the beach. Whether you have one plain, covered in sprinkles or dipped in chocolate — there are no wrong choices here. These cones are perfect to enjoy strolling down the boardwalk on the way to the games and rides at Funland.
5 p.m. Happy hour at Drift
Drift (42.5 Baltimore Avenue) hosts a great happy hour with martinis, lemon drops, and cosmos for only $10, along with classic oysters served with charred pineapple cocktail sauce, champagne mignonette, and house-made hot sauce for $2.50 a pop. Sitting at the outside bar snacking on the buttermilk fried oysters ($15), tuna tartare ($20), and shiso wrap is a great people-watching spot.
7 p.m. Dinner
There's no shortage of prime dinnertime options in the coastal town.
Drift's sister restaurant Bodhi Kitchen (10 N. 1st Street) features an Asian-influenced menu influenced by a mix of Thai, Korean, Chinese, Vietnamese, and Japanese that make for unusual but delectable pairings: try the kimchi fried rice, dan dan noodles, or the steamed shrimp buns.
In the mood for Italian, head to DiFebos (12 N. 1st Street) for house-made pasta and entrees like chicken Parmigiana.
Shorebreak Lodge is another great option with its inspired coastal cuisine (10 Wilmington Avenue).
BlueCoast Seafood Grill (30115 Veterans Way) is the perfect family-friendly option with innovative options from the amazing shrimp dumpling appetizer and fish dip to the classic fish and chips and crab cakes both served with piles of fries, coleslaw, and dipping sauces.
9 p.m. Nightcap at Blue Moon
From Drag bingo, cabaret nights, drag shows to celebrity impersonator nights, there is always something unexpected to see at Blue Moon (35 Baltimore Avenue).
9 a.m. Breakfast
Sunny Bay Cafe (236 Rehoboth Avenue) is where locals head for breakfast ordering items like the healthy banana split, avocado toast, pancake platters, chicken and waffles, to crab and cheese omelets. They also served $5 bloody marys and mimosa all day, all summer long. People also line up for Egg (510 Rehoboth Avenue), which serves decadent lemon curd crepes, pumpkin pie praline French toast and Eastern Shore Benedict topped with crab. Breakfast burritos and locally roasted coffee at Rise Up (502 Rehoboth Avenue) are great for a quick breakfast on the go pick up.
12 p.m. Post-checkout pit stop
The small town of Greenwood is the perfect pit stop en route back to the city. Amity Coffee Roasters (8 W. Market Street) not only roasts their own beans but makes homemade quiches and decadent chocolate chip cookies and marshmallow sandwiches. Across the street, Tamburelli's Italian Restaurant (3 Market Street) serves two slices of authentic NY-style pizza plus a fountain drink for only $6. Take a quick peek inside the town's antique stores before heading down the road to the Vanderwende's Farm Creamery (8374 Hickman Road) or venture six minutes down the road to its actual farm (2003 Seashore Highway, Bridgeville, Delaware) to see the cows that help make their fresh small-batch ice cream in an endless variety of delicious flavors.
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is a well-respected writer, reporter and podcaster based in Annapolis, Maryland. Her work has appeared in The New York Times , Vulture , New York Magazine , BuzzFeed News , The Los Angeles Times , and Vanity Fair . This family-friendly beach town is filled with top notch restaurants, great shopping, local breweries, lively happy hours, serene nature bike trails, a real Funland, and so much more. Rehoboth is only a three-hour drive from downtown D.C., but after crossing the Chesapeake Bay bridge, driving the country roads past corn fields and fruit stands, it feels like a world apart. The trendy town is packed with fun activities and great eats, making it easy to immediately slip into vacation mode upon arrival. 12 p.m. Lunch at Dogfish Head A pit stop at the Dogfish Head Brewery-and Eats (320 Rehoboth Avenue) is the perfect place to jumpstart a beach vacation. The local brewery has 24 taps, and eight are usually filled with exclusive beers that you can only sample on-site. 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