People visit the beaches in Delaware all year round but most people visit during spring and the summertime for spring break, romantic weekend getaways, holidays, family vacations, business, extended stays, short breaks from work and more.  Many people choose a beach in Delaware for the perfect wedding or honeymoon destination.

Most of Delaware beaches that are on the Bay or Ocean are located in the lower part of the state in Sussex County. Bowers Beach is located in Kent county.

Activities: Dolphin and Whale watching tours, biking, bird watching, biking, hiking, camping, sailing, kayaking and more water sports.

You can go surf fishing. Fish for sea bass, stripers, croaker, flounder, weak-fish, blue fish, king fish and sea trout. Go 80 miles off shore to the Gulf Stream and catch marlin, shark, tuna and mahi mahi. There are offshore canyons for fishing. The best season for fishing is late fall.

Little Assawoman and Rehoboth are good areas for crabbing and clamming from April to early fall.

Delaware beaches are about 2 hours from Philadelphia, Baltimore and Washington DC.

Towns/cities near or on the Beaches

North to South

• Bowers Beach - a fishing village, charter boats
• Slaughter Beach
• Prime Hook National Wildlife Refuge
• Lewes
• Cape Henlopen State Park
• Henlopen Acres
• Rehoboth Beach
• Dewey Beach
• Delaware Seashore State Park
• Indian River Inlet
• Long Neck
• Bethany Beach
• South Bethany
• Assawoman Wildlife Area
• Fenwick Island

To get to the Delaware coast, you can take a ferry from New Jersey which takes about 70 minutes. The ferry goes from Cape May to Lewis.

The coastal highway or Scenic Highway 1 is between Dewey Beach and Fenwick Island. It runs between the Atlantic Ocean and Rehoboth Bay / Assawoman Bay.

• Bethany Beach - mile long boardwalk.
  • for lodging see Bethany Beach hotels
  • The Fenwick Lighthouse
  • fish, bike, golf, shop, sail
  • North of Bethany Beach is the Indian River Life Saving Station museum.
  • Delaware Seashore State Park - 6 miles of beach located both on the ocean and the bay.
• Cape Henlopen State Park is located east of Lewes.
  • The Great Dune is located here. It is the highest sand dune between Cape Hatteras and Cape Cod. 
  • The Seaside Nature Center located within the park has saltwater aquariums, touch tanks, learning games and more. The park offers biking, camping, beachcombing and more.
  • There are still wwii observation towers here.
  • Legend says Captain Kidd buried gold somewhere in the dunes here.
• Dewey Beach is located on both the ocean and the Bay.
  • water sports.
  • beautiful sunsets for romantic getaways
  • natural dunes

  Best Western Gold Leaf Hotel
  address: 1400 Highway, One Dewey Beach
  zipcode: 19971
  Discount Rates starting at: $212.99/Night
  Hotel Rating: 2 Star
  Pool, Microwave, Refrigerator

• Fenwick Island is a barrier island located off Rt 1 from the ocean and Assawoman Bay.
  • Watersports, fishing and boating
  • boardwalk
  • The DiscoverSea Shipwreck Museum is located at 708 Ocean Hwy. The museum features interactive exhibits, artifacts form shipwrecks, maritime history from colonial days and up.
  • Transpeninsular Marker is located on the south side of Fenwick Island Lighthouse. It is open year round for self tours. The marker marks the southern boundary between Pennsylvania 3 lower counties during colonial days.
  • Thunder Lagoon Waterpark is located on the corner of Rt 1 and Rt 54. The Waterpark features kiddie slides, twister slides and more water fun.
  • The Viking Golf Theme Park is located on the corner of Rt 1 and Rt 54. The Park features s miniature golf course, go kart slide track and more.
• Rehoboth Beach has day spas, a boardwalk, shopping outlets, golf courses, amusement parks, arcades, marina, charter boats, fishing, crafts and more fun. for lodging see Rehoboth Beach hotels
• Lewes Beach - ocean beaches, Cape Henolopen, swimming, boating, fishing, charter boats, marina, kayaking, horseback riding on the beach, shopping, nature trails along the seashore, bird watching and more fun. for lodging see Lewes hotels
  • The Cannonball house is located at 118 Front St. Lewes. The House has information on maritime history of the area including the Cape Henlopen Lighthouse and the sinking of the HMB DeBraak.
  • The Cape May Lewes Ferry is located at 43 Henlopen Dr Lewis. It takes about 80 minutes to cross the 17 miles to Cape May from Lewes. The ferry carries people and vehicles. De Vries Monument is located at Pilottown Rd Lewes. It is open year round. The monument is in memory of the 1631 Dutch whaling colony that was located here.
  • Delware Breakwater Light is located off the coast of Henlopen State Park. The light is no longer operational. Fisher Martin House is located at 120 Kings Hwy. Lewes. The house was built in 1730.  There are other historical houses in the area too. 
  • Nassau Valley Vineyards located at 32165 Winery Way Lewis offer self guided tours and wine tasting. The Overfalls Maritime Museum is located on the Canal Front in Downtown Lewes. The lightship was built in 1938 and was used by the coastguard until 1972. It is being restored since 2000.
  • Packard Reath Gallery is located at 122 Market St. The gallery features photos from artists all over the world. Zwaanendael Museum is located on the corner of Kings Hwy and Savanna Rd. The museum features exhibits on the history of Southern Delaware.

Lighthouses in Delaware:

• Delaware Breakwater Lighthouse
• Harbor of refuge lighthouse
• Fenwick Lighthouse

more beach resources

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1. Alabama Gulf Coast - cities, towns and attractions on the Gulf coast of Alabama.
2. California beach resorts - California coastal cities on the central coast, information on the Big Sur, Monterey, Carmel and more popular resort areas
3. Carolina beach resorts - a list of coastal cities in North and South Carolina with oceanfront hotels, information on sharks, fishing, beachwear, history, food and more.
4. Connecticut Coast - coastal cities on the Long Island Sound, Mystic seaport, Greenwich, New London and more.
5. Georgia Coast - a list of coastal cities, sea islands and coastal towns on the Georgia coast
6. Maryland Coast - list of coastal cities in Maryland, information on the Eastern Shore and more
7. Massachusetts coast - a list of coastal cities in Massachusetts, popular resorts like Cape Cod, Hyannis, Nantucket Island, Martha's Vineyard and more
8. Mississippi Gulf Coast - coastal cities on the Gulf coast of Mississippi
9. New Jersey Shore - New Jersey coastal cities are popular destinations, find hotel/motel rooms in Atlantic City NJ, Wildwood and more NJ beach accommodations.
10. Rhode Island Coast - a list of coastal cities in Rhode Island with information on tourism, colleges and more.

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