At the Beach
While the Atlantic Ocean isn't exactly local, we know that many people in this area vacation there and are always interested in finding less hectic beach locations. We've vacationed there for years with our family and share our secrets to a more peaceful beach vacation below.
Cape Henlopen State Park
http://www.destateparks.com/chsp/chsp.htm
We love this area for its non-commercial, nature oriented atmosphere. The park has a great beach, with life guards in summer, but without all the commercial development. (They do have a low key snack bar.) This place is perfect for families who would rather avoid the "noisy, junk food, buy me more stuff" atmosphere of other beaches. We like to visit Rehoboth Beach for a little while, then enjoy most of our beach time actually relaxing at Cape Henlopen.
The park has numerous hiking and biking trails with limited free bike rental. You can even hike or jog from Cape Henlopen along the beach to Rehoboth (It's about three miles each way.) There is camping available and a nature center with great naturalists who often lead nature hikes. There is an $8.00/day per car admission fee, but if you plan to spend several days there, you can get an annual pass for $50.00.
Lewes, Delaware
This town is just north of the Cape Henlopen area. It is located where the Delaware Bay meets the Atlantic Ocean. Lewes Beach is actually a bay beach, which is wonderful for families with young children who would like to avoid the ocean waves on rough days. Lewes has a canal park that is fun for kids to explore and it is a very friendly town for bicycling. The town also has several very good restaurants.
Our family has enjoyed this area for decades. We frequently brought our children to camp at the beach, and then later, in a rather fun but crazy decision, our family got together and (literally) built our own house in Lewes to share good times as our children moved into adulthood. We spent weekends over the course of two years hammering nails, lifting walls, painting, trimming, and putting on finishing touches, with the result of the satisfaction of having a house at the beach that we built together as a family. (We did hire out some of the work to subcontractors.)
Our house is in a section of Lewes about a mile from the beach, and while we don't rent it on the open market, we do make it available to patients in the dental practice. If you are interested in renting this house during the summer or off season (and this town is absolutely wonderful off season) give us a call or email us. We have brochures available showing pictures of the house and rental information.
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