”Or, imagine being magically whisked away to... Delaware. Hi. I'm in... Delaware.”
- Wayne Campbell
Cape Cod, Jersey Shore, Outer Banks, The Hamptons.
Myrtle Beach. Virginia Beach. Daytona Beach. South Beach.
Cape Hatteras. Kitty Hawk. Nantucket, Martha’s Vineyard.
Cumberland, Assateague, Amelia, Jekyll, Fire and all the other islands.
When it comes to summer fun along America’s Atlantic coast, many wonderful places come to mind. But certainly one of the best stretches to be found is in the underrated, underappreciated, under-the-radar Delaware.
Yes. Delaware.
Surrounded by many major metros such as Philly, DC, Baltimore and New York, Delaware’s setting on the Delmarva Peninsula provides just enough buffer to keep it from being totally overrun by hordes every summer.
From Cape Henlopen in the north to the Delaware state line in the south, there’s a lovely twenty mile stretch of beach towns, surf breaks and undeveloped coast, all complemented by the utter lack of high rise hotels and condos, thanks to strict zoning rules and many locals’ preference for small scale charm. The beaches are vast and seafood culture thrives as you’ll find all the oysters, crabs, and Old Bay that you can handle. The region’s flatness makes for great cycling (it averages only 60 feet above sea level). And one of the area’s enjoyable rituals is to essentially tailgate on the beach if you can obtain a coveted Surf Fishing vehicle permit.
There are four towns along the coast, each of which offers a unique vibe…
Rehoboth - Anchored by a boardwalk that dates back to 1873, here you will find all the ingredients for a classic American summer overflowing with shops, seagulls and salt water taffy, not to mention broad beaches and a bustling seaside carnival.
Dewey - It’s roots are as the hard charging party town of the bunch, and while this is where you’re likely to find the wildest night life in the area, it’s a little more family friendly these days.
Bethany - Kind of like a mini Rehoboth—quieter, slower pace, less bars, less late nights, a little more upscale, and a boardwalk that is half the size.
Fenwick Island - Just before you cross the Mason Dixon line into Maryland, this area is slightly more spread out with no true central business district. It’s closest to a secluded state beach and benefits from an extensive network of bays, inlets, rivers, and nature preserves that allow for a whole other slew of activities to be explored besides the open ocean itself.
Our Harvest, Sticky Toffee Pudding
Thrasher’s, Fries with vinegar
Catch 54, Big Fat Crab Cakes
DiFebo’s Market, Beach picnic fixings
Big Chill Beach Club, Golden Road Mango Cart
Seacret’s, Sting
The Starboard, Orange Crush
Surf Fishing/Beachgating - $90 in state, $180 for out of state vehicles.
Atlantic Shoals, Local merch
Fenwick Island Surf Shop, Local merch
Shark’s Cove, Pontoon excursion of Assawoman bay
As a fan of flags, a closer look at the flag of Delaware reveals many details about the state…
The diamond shape - Thomas Jefferson called Delaware a “jewel” amongst the states, thus giving it one of its nicknames, “The Diamond State.”
The colors - The main colors of the flag—“colonial blue” and “buff”—represent those of the uniform worn by General George Washington in an official Army publication. Today, even the Delaware license plates use these two colors.
The date of December 7, 1787 - Delaware was the first colony to ratify the constitution on this date, thus one of its knicknames, “The First State.”
The ship - A reference to Delaware's extensive coastal commerce and symbolic of New Castle County's ship building industry.
The banner with “Liberty and independence” - To this day, there’s no state sales tax in Delaware.
The farmer, wheat sheaf and corn - refers to the agricultural vitality of Delaware
The militiaman - With his musket, the militiaman recognizes the crucial role of the citizen-soldier to the maintenance of American liberties
The ox - Represents the importance of “animal husbandry” to the state economy
The blue wavy lines - Within the shield, just above the Ox, these wavy lines represent the Delaware River, the main stay of the state's commerce and transportation
Road Trip Stuff
We actually did an old school road trip to get from Chicago to Delaware. A couple points on that…
If you like baseball, a road trip through these parts allows you to squeeze in quite a few stadiums. We checked the Red and Pirates’ stadiums off our to-do list, but Phillies, Orioles, Nationals, and even Mets and Yankees are all within a couple hour drive from Delaware.
To pass the time in the car, we played the license plate game where you observe other cars as you drive and try to spot at least one license plate from all 50 states. We came remarkably close to finding all 50 states. While driving through six different states, the only three we could not find were Hawaii, Idaho and Utah. Remarkably, we found about 25 of the license plates while just passing through Indiana on I-80. On this one trip, we also managed to discover plates from District of Columbia and the Canadian Provinces of Ontario, Quebec, Alberta, and Manitoba.
Delaware Fam
I’m fortunate that I’ve had relatives who have lived in this state for decades who have showed me the ropes. Shout out to Mary Ann, Jack, Alex, Kelly and Brian who have shared with me the many wonders of this great state!