A small and cozy coastal town located in Sussex County, Delaware, Bethany Beach is known for its wide, endless stretch of sandy beaches and boardwalks.
It is about a 5-hour drive from New York, which makes it an excellent getaway for people who want a weekend break.
To the North of Bethany Beach, the Delaware Seashore State Park is a barrier island with a vast array of beaches between the Indian and Rehoboth River bays and the Atlantic Ocean.
Fenwick Island is located to the South and is known for its dunes and large surf area.
The shoreline teems with forests that attract ospreys and herons, making Bethany Beach the ideal family getaway for a leisure-filled vacation.
This coastal town gives easy access to the big attractions of Delmarva, free concerts and movies on the beach, lazy walks on the plentiful surf, and much more.
With a long and never-ending list of things to do, Bethany Beach’s sunshine, fun, and frolic await your arrival!
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The first thing to do when you arrive at Bethany Beach is taking a casual, relaxing walk along its half-mile-long boardwalk.
Bethany Beach Boardwalk is 12 feet wide, with ample space for you to stop, sit and stretch your legs after a long sunny day at the beach. Or if you haven’t been on a leisure vacation in a long time!
Although we highly recommend letting go of your daily workout routine when on vacation, you can still use the boardwalk for your daily jogging.
In summers, the boardwalk has foot-washing stations operating on almost every street for those who want to wash the sand off their feet.
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The boardwalk does not allow pets between May and September, and bike rides are only allowed in the morning from 6 am to 9 am.
Don’t miss the Thursday concerts and Funnel Cake Fries!
With lots of free parking spots, food joints, and shopping outlets, Bethany Beach Boardwalk is the right place to get started with your holiday.
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Located on Little Assawoman Bay, at a one-mile distance north of Ocean City, Coastal Kayak boasts of being the most experienced full-service eco-tour operator on Delmarva.
From kayak eco-tours to renting out paddleboards and sailboats, they provide excellent services to make your holiday memorable.
Their location is close to a bayside beach with warm, shallow waters, making it easy to launch, land, and explore.
Hungry after water sports?
Walk into Bluecoast Seafood Grill and Raw Bar without a doubt!
They serve fresh and delicious seafood amidst a wonderful natural setting that reflects the flavors and ambiance of the East Coast.
Located in the small coastal town of Bethany Beach, Bluecoast Seafood Grill provides excellent hospitality and customer service, and food quality.
Quite a few magazines in America have mentioned this restaurant as one of the Top 10 Destination Restaurants.
Bluecoast also serves an impressive range of wines that are hand-crafted by Mike Zygmonski, wine waiter at SoDel concepts, excellent house cocktails, and ales crafted locally.
If you’re looking for fresh local seafood and a vast collection of drinks, Bluecoast Seafood Grill is where you want to go!
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Have intellectual interests like playing golf over the weekend?
Indulge in the rich man’s sport at Captain Jack’s Pirate Golf at Bethany Beach!
It is located a little ahead of Garfield Parkway and also near the boardwalk near Central and Pennsylvania.
It is open throughout the day between 9 am and 11 pm.
They have impressive challenges for all levels of golfers, from water hazards and challenging holes to a 50-foot pirate ship and custom themes.
Being the only miniature golf course in Bethany and Rehoboth, as well as Ocean City, Captain Jack’s Pirate Golf attracts daily visitors, especially on vacations!
So hop in when you feel in the mood for a game!
This one is truly a comic lover’s paradise!
Bethany Beach Comics and Gaming is a wonderland for kids and adults alike with is collection of games and comics.
Walk in anytime and browse their fantastic collection, kids section, and Funko Pop collectibles.
The minute you walk into the store, the staff hands you grab-n-go bags at the rate of $20 per bag.
You’re now free to shop around, and sure to find something you’d love, even if you’re a novice.
Find your desired collectibles, manga, and Pokemon trading cards right here at Comics and Gaming!
As they say, you’re never too old for comics!
Done with walking around Bethany Beach?
Come and explore Fenwick Boardwalk, which includes all your favorite treats in one place!
There’s Hershey’s Island Creamery, Dunkin’ Donuts, the Hungry Viking, Dutch Funnel Cakes, hand-cut boardwalk fries, freshly baked pizza, fruit smoothies, hot dogs, and grilled burgers!
Less crowded and a quaint happy place full of souvenirs to take home, Fenwick Boardwalk is more of a commercial place than a seaside boardwalk.
If you’re looking for a quiet place to unwind and gorge on traditional homemade food, Fenwick Boardwalk is the place to go.
If you’re planning on staying the whole week at Bethany Beach, don’t miss out on the family movie nights right there on the beach off Garfield Parkway!
Every week on Monday, movies start around 8:30 pm.
This ritual goes on at Garfield from June to September, and shifts to Bandstand from September onwards.
Just grab a blanket, a bucket of butter popcorn, and some drinks on Monday night, and have a much-needed family movie experience at Bethany Beach.
This is the largest water sports complex located near Maryland, Ocean City, and Delaware Beaches.
And they have introduced their brand-new water sport – Flyboarding!
They also have the newest and the fastest jet skis, kayaks, fishing boats, and paddleboards available for hire, so you can have the time of your life!
If you want to take a break from the beach, sun and shopping, spend a day at Island Watersports Complex and make some unforgettable memories.
Ever thought about what happens to the cargo and the onboard shipments that fall into the sea during a shipwreck?
The DiscoverSea Shipwreck Museum will answer most of these queries.
The DiscoverSea Shipwreck Museum houses one of the largest collections of shipwreck exhibits in the Mid-Atlantic region.
It is full of not only regional but also worldwide shipwreck antiquities.
Irrespective of time conditions, the museum houses roughly 10,000 artifacts, while the remaining 80% of the artifacts cycle throughout museums across the world.
If a part of you enjoys history or is interested in ships, the DiscoverSea Shipwreck Museum is a must-visit.
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What more do you need on a lovely summer trip where there are endless stretches of sandy beaches, sun, surfs, shopping, fun, and frolic?
Candy, that’s right!
Walk into Candy Kitchen whenever you have a sweet tooth at Bethany Beach.
Whether you try their famous salt water taffy or fudges, you are sure to be delighted.
With 19 outlets catering to your need for something sweet, Candy Kitchen will act as your personal chocolate factory wherever you go in Delaware.
It can be Bethany and Rehoboth Beach, Fenwick Island, Ocean City, Virginia Beach, you name it!
Peggy Raley, the legendary jazz singer, opened Delaware’s first and only award-winning vineyard.
Merely a 5-minute drive from the main town, Nassau Valley Vineyard is conveniently located close to Delaware’s ever-crowded beach resorts of Rehoboth Beach and Bethany Beach.
It features a short self-guided tour, a wonderful art exhibit museum, and an adorable gift shop.
Wine tasting costs around $10 for six out of their fourteen wine varieties.
We highly recommend the Chardonnay and the Laurel Red!
If you visit on Sundays, they have a farmer’s market, live music, and a sangria bar.
Nestled among lush fields along a quiet country road, Nassau Valley Vineyard is surely going to transport you to where they guarantee – ‘a world away’.
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The Bethany Beach Trolley makes for an unforgettable experience as you travel through the town in style.
No need to honk away at the summer traffic while you sit back, relax and enjoy the ride around town.
The Bethany Beach Trolley starts its journey on Memorial Day Weekend, and you can easily check the stop locations where you want to get on or off, for timings.
Take your leisure trip around town at only a rate of 25 cents per trip!
A treat for the Pizza Lovers!
The legendary Grotto Pizza has been catering to everyone’s taste buds in Delaware for well over 50 years.
It is a good old pizza place and a sports bar chain that offers an expansive Italian menu.
To get a table right upon entering, you have to log into the Grotto Pizza website and join the wait-list online.
So when you visit, your table is ready and the order is served pronto!
The next time you visit Bethany Beach, book a table at Grotto Pizza if you haven’t been there already!
The kiddies’ chicken platter is huge and so are the large pizzas.
Your summer trip to Bethany would be incomplete without a meal at Grotto Pizza.
The Thunder Lagoon Waterpark is a wonderful place to relax and kick back on Fenwick Island.
If you have children and are visiting Bethany Beach, a visit to Thunder Lagoon is highly recommended.
It features a Lazy River ride which is 400 feet long, 6 slides, a 3000 square foot swimming pool, and an 800 square foot pool for the kids.
It also houses a black hole slide and a double-twisted slide for the entire family to ride on.
The biggest attraction is a Viking ship that tips over and pours 250 gallons of water on you!
Restrooms and lounges to relax after a float along the tropical-themed Lazy River are also available.
Plus, there’s a free parking facility!
On your next trip to Bethany Beach, be sure to visit Thunder Lagoon Waterpark with the kids for a memorable experience.
If you’re on a family trip, be sure to take your kids to Pirate Adventures in Fenwick Island for the experience of a lifetime!
The trip is about a 1-2 hour ride in an old-fashioned pirate ship, with sails and everything!
Your safety is guaranteed with licensed captains and coast guard inspected vessels, so be ready to go on a memorable sea adventure!
From painted faces and water cannons to treasure maps and pirate battles, this trip has it all.
Each kid gets his or her own pirate name, and gets off the ship with their own little pirate ‘booty’!
A fun time for the entire family!
If you enjoy seafood, you’ll double enjoy it at South Bethany Seafood Market.
Established in 1991, this seafood market sells the freshest, tastiest, and swoon-worthiest seafood, hands down.
A place frequented by locals and tourists alike, South Bethany Seafood Market also caters to the area restaurants, offering the best products available.
They also have a full lunch and dinner menu offering an impressive range.
They serve chicken rotisserie, homemade crab cakes, soups, filet mignon, salmon, swordfish, clam bake, chowder, coleslaw, lobster salad, and even fruit pies!
Their dishes have great taste and portion size, and they offer pre-ordering and takeaway.
They also have authentic Smith Island Cakes and many more homemade desserts on the menu, which never disappoint.
Whether you’re looking for fresh, raw seafood to cook at home or a prepared dish, South Bethany Seafood Market is your one-stop destination.
Visiting Bethany Beach Nature Center is undoubtedly a fun activity for family bonding.
The Bethany Beach Nature Center provides kids with year-round indoor and outdoor activities.
The Nature Center provides activities for particular occasions to raise awareness of the importance of inland bays and wetlands.
Visitors may check out interactive displays, such as a virtual tour of the watershed surrounding the Inland Bays.
Outdoor pathways through marshes and forests are another option.
Check out the Blue Room Fine Art Gallery to purchase unique beach-themed soft furnishings and souvenirs you’ll want to display in your house.
Clare Conley, a native of Washington, DC, and full-time coast resident, owns and operates the shop.
The Blue Room Gallery and Gift Shop opened in 1994 and is still one of the East Coast’s most beloved boutique-style gift stores.
The Blue Room Gallery and Gift Shop educate tourists and residents with its distinctive gifts, rocking music, and an extensive collection of Beach Town Posters.
The shop lies in the city’s center, two blocks from the sea in Bethany Beach, Delaware.
Stop by if you’re around for a pleasant shopping experience!
A few steps from the boardwalk in Bethany Beach, Delaware, is an independently operated bookshop called Bethany Beach Books. The bookstore opened in 1991.
It now takes up 2,000 square feet.
In the past, Bethany Beach Books has been a champion of regional and independent self-published writers.
In addition to supporting regular book clubs, Bethany Beach Books often arranges author signings and story times during the summer.
Bethany Beach Books also started a monthly book subscription box service called The Book Drop in February 2015.
Don’t worry if the weather prevents you from going to the beach when it’s rainy.
Everyone may have fun at the Shore Fun Family Center, which offers many activities for youngsters and teenagers and traditional old-school games for adults.
It provides a lot of games that are both old and modern.
Place your token into the slot machine, engage in gaming, earn tickets, and then exchange them for rewards!
Plus, the personnel in this retro arcade is very welcoming.
Bethany Off the boardwalk, in downtown Bethany, offers Pilates classes.
Enjoy your privately guided Pilates mat session on the stunning beaches while soaking up the sun, sand, and sea air.
Strengthen your body, gain long, lean muscles, improve your core, and enhance your general health and well-being in a breathtaking setting.
Enjoy the benefits of practicing Pilates, which include lessening chronic pain, tension, and weariness.
Feel your flexibility, balance, and coordination improve.
Pilates develops body awareness, engages the mind, and conditioning movement patterns to prevent injuries.
It also restores postural alignment.
Bring a water bottle, a towel, and a blanket or mat!
Take a deep breath of the salty sea air and instantly feel a sense of belonging to this coastal location.
Bethany Beach is the type of town where extended families may get together in a beach home and spend sunny days doing whatever they like.
Keep this list of the best things to do in Bethany Beach when planning your itinerary so you can enjoy your getaway without wondering what to do next.
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