Local Beaches FAQ

Complete FAQ list
Photos of the beaches

What is the best beach?
People often ask us what our favorite beach is. Well, it depends. Beaches are like restaurants—what you want depends on who is with you, what kind of mood you’re in, and what time of day it is. So here is our round-up of our favorite beaches. There are others in the area or a bit further away, but these are the beaches we go to. We try to keep this list updated, but please call ahead; some businesses we mention may close and beaches may change their rules without telling us!

Best beaches with little kids
#1 Lewes Town Beach: lifeguarded bay beach
#2 The Point at Cape Henlopen State Park: no lifeguard but very shallow at low tide on the bay, lots of nature to explore
#3 Rehoboth Beach—lifeguarded ocean beach where kids can play at ocean’s edge but they will want to come back for the Boardwalk activities especially Funland

Best beaches all around
#1 The Ocean Bath House Beach at Cape Henlopen: best for ocean waves and lifeguards; also handicapped accessible
#2 The Point at Cape Henlopen State Park: best for nature lovers and sunset picnics
#3 Rehoboth Beach: best for people-watching, the arcades & rides, and the restaurants

Best beaches for fewest crowds
#1 The Point at Cape Henlopen State Park
#2 Herring Point at Cape Henlopen
#3 Rehoboth Bay Beach on Towers Road just south of Dewey

Honorable Mention Beaches
#1 Dewey allows dogs year round and has a family friendly bonfire on Wednesday nights in summer
#2 The Ocean Bath House Beach at Cape Henlopen is best for handicapped access with special wheelchairs that go on the sand. Besides keeping us safe in and around the water, the life guards' job also includes pushing these wheelchairs in the sand. Those guys and gals are the BEST.

The Point at Cape Henlopen State Park
At the end of Cape Henlopen Drive in Lewes, enter the state park (pay entrance fee). Then follow the entry road to the T and turn left (sign says “Beach”). Take that roadway past the soccer fields and then the road curves to the left. Follow the road all the way to the end where there is a parking lot for The Point beach (you will see a building with a radar on the roof before you get to the parking lot).
  • On the Delaware Bay, calm--no big waves
  • View of the lighthouse
  • Stop at the bathrooms at the Point Comfort Station parking lot before you head down to the Point
  • No lifeguard
  • Park entrance fee: DE cars $4 per day, out-of-state cars $8
  • No bathrooms, use the "Point Comfort Station" before you get to the parking lot.
  • Beautiful sunsets
  • Some sharp shells, water shoes recommended for kids
  • No trash cans, you have to carry out your trash, bring a bag
  • Very shallow and at low tide you can walk out on sand bars or shallow (up to your knees) water for 100+ yards. Check when low tide will be—there are apps, or you can check here.
On the Point as you come down to the beach the ocean is to your right and the Bay is straight ahead and to your left. It’s gorgeous. This beach features natural beauty. Even during the busy summer there are usually no crowds here. The water is so shallow at low tide that you don’t have to worry much that there is no lifeguard; at low tide your tot can walk out on sand bars or very shallow water for about 100+ yards. We like to set our beach chairs out on a sand bar, and it’s like the Zac Brown Band song “Knee Deep.” This is a great beach to go for a nature walk and shell collecting. On the beach watch for the very shy ghost crabs that dig their holes in the sand. The big dinosaur of a crab with the long pointed tail is the horseshoe crab. In the water there are lots of teeny tiny hermit crabs. Our kids like to round up a bunch of the hermit crabs in a sand castle pool. Along the shore there are loads of tiny snails. We have also found whelks, starfish, blue crabs, clams, and many birds. You might want to bring water shoes—especially for little kids or if you are at all squeamish about the critters. You will see the Cape May -  Lewes Ferry pass by. On a clear day you can see New Jersey. During the off-season you can walk all the way out to the Point where the Delaware Bay meets the Atlantic Ocean, but during the rest of the year it is protected for the birds which nest there.

The Ocean Bath House Beach at Cape Henlopen
  • Lifeguarded
  • Typically good ocean breakers for wave diving, body surfing, boogie boarding
  • Bathhouse with warm showers
  • Foot showers coming off the beach
  • Snack bar selling over-priced food
  • No trash cans, you have to carry out your trash, there are bags available near the bathhouse
  • Park entrance fee: DE cars $4 per day, out-of-state cars $8
  • One of the awesome things about this beach is they have wheelchairs. Let someone know at the lifeguard office by the concession stand if you need a wheelchair. One of the buff lifeguards will take you in a special wheelchair that is made for the sand out to your family’s spot on the beach. The elderly or anyone who has difficulty walking in the sand can especially benefit from this service. It is free—the lifeguards won’t accept a tip.

Surf Fishing Beaches at Cape Henlopen
  • Ocean Beach
  • Dogs are allowed
  • You can drive on the beach, but you have to buy a surf fishing license; you don’t need a surf fishing license to just walk down
  • One of these surf fishing beaches is by the bathroom at the Point Comfort Station parking lot
  • Park entrance fee: DE cars $4 per day, out-of-state cars $8
  • No trash cans, you have to carry out your trash, bring a bag

Herring Point at Cape Henlopen
  • Ocean Beach
  • No lifeguards
  • Jetty built into the beach
  • Not very crowded
  • Surfers fun to watch or to be one; some great people watching here.
  • Park entrance fee: DE cars $4 per day, out-of-state cars $8
  • No trash cans, you have to carry out your trash, bring a bag


Rehoboth Beach
  • Ocean Beach
  • Boardwalk, food, arcades, roof-top mini golf, lots to do, awesome people-watching
  • Public restrooms, foot showers on the boardwalk, but no bathhouse
  • Lifeguarded
  • Funland is a hit with the kids: skee-ball, bumper cars, haunted house, and they even have super-cute tot rides and easy kiddie arcade games (everyone wins!). Between Delaware Ave and Brooklyn Ave on the Boardwalk.
  • Lots of seagulls that steal your food
Metered parking can usually be found on Delaware Ave, you can use the ParkMobile App or bring lots of quarters. There are public restrooms at Delaware Ave on the Boardwalk, so this is our favorite place to park and set up.
Lots of restaurants and shops all around and especially on the boardwalk and Rehoboth Ave.
Bandstand concerts Friday, Saturday, & Sunday in the summer at Rehoboth Ave & the Boardwalk
Voted one of the Top Ten Family Beaches by Parents Magazine, June 2013 issue.

Dewey Beach
  • Ocean Beach
  • Lifeguarded
  • No public restrooms
  • Dogs allowed
  • Metered parking but it’s scarce
  • Lively nightlife
Wed nights in summer, FREE family-friendly bonfire on the beach at Dagsworthy St. 7:30 – 11 PM, bring stuff for s’mores
From the beach it is a short walk to the other side of Dewey which is on the Rehoboth Bay. There you can rent jet skis at Ruddertowne on  Dickenson Street. There are nice bayfront restaurants there (for now, the owner of all those places wants to tear them down and build condos).

Lewes Town Beach Savannah Road & Bayview Ave in Lewes
  • On the Delaware Bay
  • Lifeguarded
  • Bring quarters for parking
  • Public restroom, bathhouse has cold showers!
  • The Lewes Lions Club sells snacks at the little shack
This beach is on the Delaware Bay, the waves are usually more like that of a lake or there may be no waves. The walk from parking lot to beach is very minimal—good if you are carrying lots of stuff and kids as well! Down the beach to the right, you can see the Cape May – Lewes Ferry. Sometimes you will see a pirate ship here.
Dairy Queen is within easy walking distance, they have no public restrooms.
Parking lot fills up early in the summer. The parking system: you note your parking space number, go to the little kiosk thing and put quarters in for your space number. If the main parking lot is full, you can drive back out, turn left at the Dairy Queen onto Cape Henlopen Drive, and then turn left onto Georgia Ave. There is a little bit of parking available at Georgia Ave. and another bathroom and entryway to the beach there.