Bethany Beach Boardwalk — Attraction in Bethany Beach

Never go on Labor Day weekend! It was way too crowded, got there at noon and literally spent like 20 min trying to find parking, which they dont have any big parking lots smh u have to just try and find spots along the street or little lots, it is a cpl dollars per hour. Ppl were crammed on the beach like sardines, when looking down at the beach you couldn't even see sand just polka dot of umbrellas on every inch.😩 It was our first time so I'm not sure if this is how it is every weekend in the summer or just bc it was labor day wknd. The beach itself was actually surprisingly really nice, sand was nice and water was blue and pretty clear not like the beaches in MD where u can't see the bottom but waves were way too rough for my 3 yr old to get in so ended up being a wasted 3 hr drive. There's public bathrooms, but no changing station, and only outside showers to wash off sand. It's a super cute beach town with a nice boardwalk full of cute shops and food stops. But super expensive $18 for just a 4 chicken strip basket😱. On top of it all there was this really rude family that didn't want us to sit in front of them bc we wud "block their view" news flash rude family its a public beach and u picked the wrong day to be stingy with space that isn't even yours, next time put your things down in front of u if you want to be stingy and don't want ppl to sit there. All in all not in a rush to go back and when we do it def won't be labor day wknd and , hope we never see that rude...

Bethany Beach is located about 1/2 hr from Rehoboth Beach, DE; about halfway to Ocean City, MD beach. I wish we had more time during our recent visit. Would have chosen to hang out more at Bethany beach. We went on a Friday so maybe not as many visitors yet but noticed it is still less crowded and quieter than both beaches I mentioned; cleaner - has landscaped traffic islands and the boardwalk is well maintained; smaller boardwalk area but has enough stores/eateries.

High sand dunes between the ocean/beach and the boardwalk/buildings. There are pathways to the water. I noticed foot washing stations.

Restrooms by the boardwalk.

Learned about the umbrella rental by Steen's Beach Service, which I wish I knew on our previous trips here. By the hour @$8, by day or weekly (see photo for rates). After paying, they brought the umbrella and secured it at the spot of our choosing. Also has beach chair rental. up to 5pm.

There are metered parking spots also. Easy to use with a credit card or coins, by license plate. We were able to add increments of 1/2 hour.

Tip: we've driven up and down the DE-MD beaches and it's not a bad drive- as much as we can, we tried to check out each town/boardwalk/beach, attractions if any,...

Love this little boardwalk and town. If you're walking on the beach, you can tell where the boardwalk ends by looking for the black iron "streetlights" that mark the entirety of the modest length of the boardwalk.

Many shops, restaurants, a hotel, and bandstand area are all available for you to enjoy directly from the boardwalk. There is an arcade on the main street, so although not directly on the boardwalk, there are amusements for the kids as well as a mini golf course a couple of easy blocks walk.

Quick bites are available for a small trip from the beach as well as a number of sit-down offerings for a more leisurely lunch or dinner. Try the Penguin Diner if you're there early enough for breakfast. Heidaway is a great little stop too, try the lobster roll.

Public bathrooms are available right behind the bandstand area, and the bethany beach patrol is right there and available for questions or concerns.

Although not on the boardwalk, a few extra steps will put you at Bethany Beach Books. Great indie bookstore.

Reversible backed benches dot the length of the boardwalk. Point them "in" for people watching or "out" for dune views (they won't really give a water view as they are below...