Bethany Beach — Attraction in Fenwick Island

I just revisited Bethany Beach in September 2023 with my husband on our 20th anniversary to spend a peaceful day enjoying one of our favorite things together. We love everything and anything about Beach life! Now Bethany Beach is a beautiful but quieter Delaware Beach town.

I noticed that over the years, they've done a great job keeping it clean and taking care of it. I have a deep connection with all of the Eastern shore as part of my roots. Both my mom and dad's families grew up around Bethany and Fenwick Island.

If you know any history about Black people in America wanting to visit the beach, then you can imagine how special it was for my parents by the time they had us in the 1960s and 1970s and they were taking us to the beach all of the time! I'm glad they did.

Their own stories helped me appreciate what has changed in our country as well as the people who fought for those beautiful changes! Well, I am always grateful for the many trips to various beaches as a child and continue to take my family on beach trips all across the United States.

It doesn't have the large Boardwalk at Bethany like Rehoboth Beach or Ocean City Maryland, but there's an appeal to the quiet time you can enjoy to focus on the surf and sand! The town is definitely well-traveled enough to keep businesses going, so you'll find various shops and restaurants while there. I recommend it be included in every family's itinerary...

Nice Beach at Bethany Beach. Clean, nice shops and good entertainment.

But their parking ticket system is a racket. The signs exist only in certain spots and if you're parked at a spot not near a sign and it's a crowded evening you'd never know you had to pay to park. This is exactly what happened to us. I am uploading a picture taken at the spot so you can see there's no sign in sight.

Yet it's a 40 dollar parking ticket and if you're on vacation and you get home and forget to pay it, you get a $40 additional fine. And if you don't pay that within 14 days they tack on another $40.

Not to mention the car rental agency charging $30 to look up who you are and then send you bill for that, as well. So my $40 parking ticket, which I shouldn't have had in the first place according to the lack of signage, turned into $110.

And forget fighting the ticket - I've read all kinds of horror stories that people have been unsuccessful - all the town cares about is it's parking fine scam to bring in money for the town. Instead of fighting this ticket and taking the chance of their ripoff policy charging another $40 if it goes past the additional 14 days, I just paid it.

And that's all fine and well. But I will never visit there again. There are plenty of other beaches on the East coast that have better signage and won't rip you off.

So Bethany Beach, you've got my donation. I hope you choke on it....

Bethany is the quintessential mid-Atlantic family beach town.

Small board walk with direct beach access. Many cute shops and restaurants in the roughly 4 block main commercial area.

Public restrooms are available in the central boardwalk area in town.

Movies and concerts on the weekend during the summer season sponsored by the town.

Pay for parking from mid-May to mid-September. ParkMobile is available for smartphone users.

Bethany is geographically right in the middle of every other beach experience you may want. OC south, Dewey, Rehoboth, and Lewes north. Something for everyone with Bethany right...