Maryland & Delaware Shore Towns, Ranked, So You Can Plan Your Summer

Come summertime , DC - area beachgoers are uncoerced to endure long waits in dealings on the Chesapeake Bay Bridge for contact their favorite local shore town . There ’s more than 50 mi of shoreline between Maryland and Delaware , and the experience can range from a strident party at Seacrets to the quiet solitude of the Delaware Bay . No two beach townsfolk in this neck opening of the woods are quite the same , and they all offer their own upsides , from Old Bay acetum fry to beach bars that make a complete Orange Crush .

We lash out up our favored spots that do a great Book of Job blend the essential summertime experience of food , drink , sunlight , playfulness , and wave – and order them on a scale of “ cracking beach vacation destination , ” to “ truly fantastic beach vacation destination . ”

8. South Bethany, DE

Signs that you recognise you ’re in South Bethany : there ’s a McDonald ’s , a Grotto Pizza , and a Holiday Inn Express , and … that ’s about it . For dining and amusement options , you ’re likely heading north to Bethany Beach proper . And while South Bethany has some lovely homes located on an intricate web of canal , the town also has to lot with some pretty bad beach erosion . Most recently , a January blizzard flooded the town and wiped empty the dunes .

7. Fenwick Island, DE

Fenwick Island is sandwiched at the borderline of Maryland and Delaware , and is often times overlooked by tourists beelining past it on the way to other beach Town . Fenwick does n’t offer much in the way of nightlife , peculiarly when you compare it to places like Bethany , Rehoboth , or Dewey Beach , but it is picturesque . There ’s the Fenwick Island Lighthouse and Fenwick Island State Park , a parcel of land that ’s populate mainly by fishermen , surfers , and kayakers . So if you ’re looking more for equanimity than the company conniption , this stain could be up your alley .

6. Ocean City, MD (north end)

Ocean City ’s north end is what happens when beach Ithiel Town go gravy in the ' seventy and ' 80s . The northward side is a mass of towering concrete condos and half - empty strip mall . While it ’s not exactly aesthetically pleasing , North Ocean City does offer access code to grand beaches and bay views with spectacular sunsets . There ’s also a number of popular restaurants and bars that dot the northern end of Maryland , admit Trattoria Lombardi ’s , Crab Bag , and Bull on the Beach .

5. Bethany Beach, DE

You ca n’t walk two blockage in Bethany without demote into someone who ’s decked out in Vineyard Vines , Lilly Pulitzer , or Lacoste . We ’re just croak to call it like we see it : Bethany is where the prepped - out bourgeoisie hit the beach . Snootiness aside , this shoes really is a delightful beachside retreat , and a more wholesome vacation spot compare to Dewey . However , it ’s hard limiting in one quantity : beach . In Bethany , beach erosion is a big job , and while the townsfolk has assembled sand dune to keep the piddle away , there ’s just a substantial inch of sand uncommitted during summit summertime months . Of course , just like any dear form organisation , Bethany affords a select few admission to private beaches located due north and Confederacy of the urban center .

4. Lewes, DE

If it ’s peace and serenity that you seek , then Lewes , which is located alongside the mouth of the Delaware Bay , should be your recourse for some serious R&R. This town is by far the quietest and least - populated part of the Delaware shoring . Most people opt for beachcomber wheel as their primary transportation method acting here , and a " mad night out " means hitting up the local Dairy Queen before 9 autopsy . Lewes is a sleepyheaded little town just a short drive away from Cape Henlopen State Park , a pay - launching beach that you’re able to much call your own . Throughout the year , the town congregates around 2nd St , where most restaurants , shops , and hotels are located . For delicious , impertinent food to hurl on the grill , strike up the Historic Lewes Farmers Market on Saturday mornings from May 14th to November 19th . This place offer green goods from many local farms and dairies just a few naut mi west of the beach .

3. Rehoboth, DE

Rehoboth is a family- and gay - friendly beach with an amazing boardwalk , gorgeous beach homes , and flock of outlet shopping , but what really sets this beach town asunder is the food picture . Restaurants do it big here . This year , Dogfish Brewery afford a new restaurant conception , Chesapeake & Maine , offering some of the freshest seafood and best beer on the Eastern shore . In summation , eatery like Jam Bistro , a(MUSE . ) , and the Cultured Pearl offer some of the best dining options in Delaware . But the big must - visit is the boardwalk ’s Ice Cream Store , featuring atypical relish of crank cream like " Bacon de Leche " and " Better Than Sex . "

2. Ocean City, MD (south end)

Ocean City is really one big sprawling beachside city , but it is normally loosely broken down into two halves – in the south versus compass north . The dividing percentage point is at the 62nd St / Ocean City Expressway , which takes you to and from the beach . So what ’s the heavy conflict ? The south end of Ocean City is way good than the N , for the most part due to the being of places like Thrasher ’s Gallic Fries , Macky ’s Bayside Bar & Grill , M.R. Ducks Bar & Grille , Belly Busters Seafood & Deli , On The Bay Seafood , and the Ocean City Boardwalk . This is the kind of surprisingly brassy situation you adored as a Kyd , running from tacky T - shirt stands to henna tattoo shop class and themed mini golf Park . It ’s also the home of multiple all - you - can - eat hotel buffets , and Maryland ’s largest outdoor , Jamaican - themed bar : the hallowed ground that is Seacrets Bar & Restaurant .

1. Dewey Beach, DE

Dewey Beach is the type of place where your break of the day start with a Bloody Mary from The Starboard and finish with a cheap , domesticated beer at Bottle & Cork . The townspeople has a repute for adolescence check ( or lost ): it ’s notoriously make out as the beach town where masses going through quarter- and mid - life crisis meet , and hook up . Unsurprisingly , it ’s also ground zero for bachelor and bachelor girl parties . While this may sound like one big booze - fill party , the townsfolk also has a second , softer side . The " Dewey Beach means of life " is a more lay - back , sand - between - your - somersault - flop vibe . It ’s the form of place where you may go straight from your beach house to the sun and surf , without getting lose in the cloud of summer crew … and let ’s be good , there ’s something alluring about a town where you may just as easy trip the light fantastic toe along to the euphony of a ' 90s cover stripe as you may deflect humankind and bodyboard all day long .

A pier overlooking the Chesapeake Bay