Thanks for the responses!
We drove out early on Sunday. We arrived at the Fenwick Island public area at 9 a.m. and were able to get right in. It cost us $8 to get in to the lot and we parked right next to the bath house. We went right out on the beach and camped out right near a lifeguard stand. There were very few people on the beach at that time of the morning and the tide was going out. There was a small stand renting umbrellas and chairs.
It got steadily more crowded as the day progressed and I would say that the crowd was easily equal to any that we would have experienced anywhere in Ocean City. Not a problem for us, though. The kids were able to easily play in the surf with minimal overcrowding issues, and if you like people watching, it was a good spot. The down side was a guy smoking a big cigar upwind from us…
We went up to the bathhouse around 1 p.m. and got cleaned up. The only issue there was that the floors were soaked! Of course, it is a bath house, right? The challenge there was when it came to getting in your dry clothes with wet/sandy feet. Otherwise, I would call it a successful trip. I would definitely use those public beaches again!
The parking lot was totally packed when we left. There was even a line of cars to get in. My advice to anyone who reads this… go early. Don’t even bother if it is mid day or later.