Here ya go.

@gailcalled Shame on you, gailcalled! I clearly said personal recommendations. I am quite capable of doing the web research and have.

See my PM written seconds ago.

@gailcalled No hard feelings. Having dished those thingsout myself, I can see the temptation.

I never heard of Bethany Beach. Are you a birder? You may see some of the water birds migrating.

I haven’t been there in about 12 years but when I was there it was a sleepy little town with lots of beach houses and a small town center with a good selection of restaurants. It was more up-market and exclusive than the Maryland beaches.

I have a friend who go there most every winter for an art workshop. She is a gourmet type and loves the whole experience.

The beach was wide and white and beautiful. I am sure you will find lots to do. And if you want some glitz, head down the road to OC Md., I hear that it now goes pretty full blast all year long.

Do you know where you are going to be staying? I’ve spent many a week in Bethany Beach. Is it the condo place—Beach Colony or Bay Colony or something?

If you want food, you’d best head up the road to Rehoboth. I think there’s a place called “The Back Porch,” which I’ve eaten at a couple of times. The first time it was really good. The second time, no so much. Just North of Bethany, on rt 1, there’s a fish place on the bay side of the road. I think it’s called the Blue Crab, or something like that. They have good food.

If you do go down to Ocean City, MD, there are a few nice places, but it’s mostly touristy kitch, and it’s hard to find the few decent restaurants. I’ve eaten at a couple on the bay—the food is passable, but it’s really aimed at a less sophisticated crowd. It depends on your tastes, I guess. I’m not a big fan of OC.

OC does have a lot of beachy stuff. I don’t know if the boardwalk businesses are still active, but the Southern end has all the standard amusements for a beach—carnival rides, Kandy Korn, Pizza, salt water taffy, and the like. You can get some of that in Bethany, but Bethany is more a family oriented place—beach houses mostly, except for the condo development.

For fun—the beaches are supposed to be great this time of year. The water is still warm enough to swim in, but the crowds are gone. The Delaware National Seashore is just North of Bethany, and there are several places to park and get to the beach. North of Rehoboth, you can get to the Cape Henlopen National Park, which has bike trails and walking trails, and really high dunes and two different kinds of beaches—one on the ocean and the other on the bay. The ocean beach has the biggest waves that I’ve seen on that coast.

You should also go to Lewes (pronounced Lewis). It’s a quaint town with several nice restaurants. The Lewes—Cape May ferry docks there, and that can be fun to watch. If you’re into it, you can take the ferry over to Cape May.

If you are staying at a house and cooking for yourself, you’ll want to go inland (rt 26) to find supermarkets. Shore Foods is ok for oj and milk and beach chairs and such, but you wouldn’t want to go there for much more. Also inland, you can find Mennonite furniture shops and such. If you go across the peninsula into Maryland, you can explore the Eastern Shore of the Chesapeake. Just drive around. You’ll find all kinds of interesting things, and beautiful little towns.

There is a coffee shop in a little shopping complex a block towards the shore from the intersection of 26 and rt 1. If it’s closed, it has a sister shop a mile or so West on rt 26 in another small shopping complex. There is a restaurant on the beach in Bethany—a kind of two story, pseudo upscale place. It might be nicer now there are not so many people, but the food looks pretentious. It’s the kind of place you go to sit upstairs on the deck, drink beach drinks, and watch the ocean. Not a great food place, I think.

If you have bikes, bring them. There are bike paths all along rt 1, and they are paved so that if you’re into roller blading, it’s good for that, too. Of course, you can buy a kite, or just hang out on the beach and build sand castles and such. That’s what most people do in a beach town like that.

I’d be curious to know where you’re staying, if you feel like letting me know.

My husband and I live about 20 minutes away. Off season is a good time to visit.
There are a lot of quiet small town things to do…bike rides, coffee shops, used (old) book stores…
Also, you should consider visiting some nearby beaches. We go to Dogfish head in Rehoboth all time time. It’s a local microbrewery with awesome food/entertainment/drinks. We really like it there. (Actually, Rehoboth is our favorite of all the De beaches). Also, Dewey Beach has the “Bottle and Cork”. That is a great place to catch a show (lots of good bands go here).

@daloon We are staying with friends of friends that have a house there that sleeps nine. I don’t have the address yet, but will let you know when I find out this week. Thanks for all the recommendations. Our friends are avid bikers, but we will have the dogs with us so probably won’t bike.

@jenandcolin Thanks. Must admit we have never done the Delaware beaches at all even though we lived in Philadelphia for years!