Dewey Beach, DE

The undisputed anchor of Dewey Beach's social scene, The Starboard runs a legendary Sunday brunch with a build-your-own Bloody Mary bar that draws people from up and down the coast. By evening it turns into a lively music venue with live bands on the deck. The Orange Crush cocktails — fresh-squeezed OJ, vodka, triple sec — are the unofficial drink of summer.

A no-frills beach bar that takes crab cakes seriously — they've won Best at the Beach more times than locals can count. The patio seating is dog-friendly and the vibe is reliably laid-back compared to the bigger venues up the strip. Portions are generous and prices stay reasonable for a beach town.

Dewey's local craft brewery pours a rotating lineup of house beers in a laid-back taproom with outdoor seating near the beach corridor. The food menu holds its own with elevated pub fare — fresh-ground burgers and shareable platters — that pairs well with their IPAs and seasonal sours. It's a quieter alternative to the big party bars without feeling like a compromise.

Right on Rehoboth Bay, The Lighthouse was rebuilt as an open-air, coastal-inspired restaurant with a wrap-around bayside deck and an exterior deck bar overlooking the water and a beach volleyball court. The seafood-forward menu leans on local catches and a raw bar, and the bay-facing setting delivers some of the best sunset views in Dewey. It fills up fast on clear evenings, so arriving slightly before golden hour is the move.

A bayside staple with a sprawling deck overlooking Rehoboth Bay where live music plays most afternoons in season. The menu covers beach bar basics — burgers, seafood baskets, craft cocktails — with bay views that make even a simple lunch feel festive. Regulars come back for the sunsets and the unhurried pace.

Dewey Beach's historic live music venue doubles as a bar and grill with dependable beach-bar food — wings, fish and chips, and pub plates. The real reason to come is the music: the indoor stage and adjacent bar fill up before showtime most nights in season. It has hosted everyone from regional touring acts to occasional marquee names over the decades.

This 6-mile rail-trail runs through coastal scrub forest along the southwestern edge of Cape Henlopen State Park, connecting Rehoboth Beach and Lewes. It's mostly flat and paved, making it accessible for cyclists and walkers, and shaded by mature trees that offer real relief on hot summer days. From Dewey it's a short hop north to the Rehoboth trailhead.

Inside Cape Henlopen State Park, this flat out-and-back trail runs about 3.2 miles each way along the brackish Gordons Pond, flanked by Atlantic dunes on one side and tidal wetland on the other, with a raised boardwalk over the marsh at the north end. Piping plovers nest in the dune cordons seasonally, and Great Blue Herons are practically permanent fixtures. The crushed-stone surface handles bikes as well as foot traffic.

The park occupies the narrow barrier strip between the Atlantic and Indian River Bay south of Dewey, with informal trails tracing the bay shoreline through salt marsh and low dune vegetation. Indian River Inlet is the highlight — the overlook gives a dramatic view of tidal current surging through the cut. Surf fishing from the inlet jetty is outstanding in season.

The Cork stages live music in Dewey nearly every night from Memorial Day through Labor Day, booking a mix of regional touring bands, tribute acts, and the occasional bigger name who knows the beach circuit. The crowd ranges from twenty-somethings to veterans of the Dewey scene who've been coming for decades. It's loud, packed, and entirely the point of being in Dewey.

The main outfitter for bay-side activity in Dewey, offering jet ski rentals, pontoon boat rides, banana boat runs, sunset cruises, and guided kayak tours from their bayside dock. The sunset cruise is a genuinely pleasant alternative to spending the evening at a bar, and staff are patient with first-timers on the jet skis.

This open-air Hawaiian surf bar brings a Pacific-island theme to the strip, with a covered outdoor bar, live music, and periodic luau shows. The kitchen goes beyond simple beach fare — island-fusion plates that run from sashimi-grade fish to Wagyu beef — and the shaded patio is a good decompression point without the full-tilt energy of the bigger venues.

A mile-long classic boardwalk about two miles north of Dewey with Funland amusement rides, independent food stands, and the full spectrum of beach-town energy. For visitors who want a family outing or a change of pace from the bar scene, Rehoboth's boardwalk delivers cotton candy, arcade games, and people-watching. The seasonal Jolly Trolley shuttles between Dewey and Rehoboth all summer, so you can leave the car behind.

Dewey's mile-long Atlantic beach is narrower and more social than the wide strands to the north — blankets practically touch in peak summer, and that communal energy is part of the appeal. The surf breaks reliably for bodyboarders, and the lifeguarded swimming area runs the length of the main strip. At low tide, the packed sand makes for a good strolling surface.

The sheltered bay side of Dewey is where watersports happen — calm, warm water makes it ideal for stand-up paddleboarding, kayaking, and windsurfing. Multiple outfitters along the bayside road rent equipment by the hour or half-day. The flat water is forgiving for beginners, and guided kayak tours wind around Thompson Island through salt marsh.

Delaware's most significant state park sits about fifteen minutes north and offers a dramatic contrast to Dewey's party scene — wide undeveloped beaches, WWII observation towers, and a swimming beach far less crowded than anything on the strip. The Gordons Pond Trail runs alongside the brackish pond and dune systems with consistent shorebird sightings. There's a vehicle fee in summer.