Rehoboth Beach
A Delaware beach resort founded as a Methodist camp meeting, with a boardwalk, no sales tax and a long-standing gay scene.
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The town began in 1873 as a Methodist camp meeting ground - the name comes from a place in Genesis meaning room enough - and the grid of small lots dates from that layout before it became a resort. The boardwalk runs about a mile and a half with the usual arcades, Dolle's saltwater taffy and Thrasher's chips, both trading since the early 1900s. Delaware charges no sales tax, which is why the outlet malls on Route 1 pull traffic from three states and why the approach road jams. Rehoboth has been a significant gay resort since the 1960s and remains one, with Poodle Beach at the southern end. Beach tags are required and enforced through the summer.
What you actually see
- A boardwalk of about a mile and a half - arcades, taffy and chips since the 1900s.
- A grid from an 1873 camp meeting - the town's original layout.
- No sales tax - and the outlet traffic that follows.
- A long-established gay resort scene - since the 1960s.
When to go
June to September. Half a day.
Honest expectations
Beach tags are required and cost money. Route 1 traffic in summer is severe - allow far more time than the distance suggests. Parking is metered and scarce. Off season most of the boardwalk closes.
Nearby
Cape Henlopen is north; Bethany Beach is south.
What to pack for Rehoboth Beach
Chosen from what this place is for. Tap a kit for the full checklist.
Opening times, ticket prices and seasonal closures change - check the official source before you go: official site.