Jeff's Virtual Beach - A Rehoboth Beach Fall Weekend

(The picture at the left was taken from room 407 of the Boardwalk Plaza. Click the picture for a larger image.) What a great weekend at the shore...sunny and 70 degrees for the first weekend of November! We arrived late Saturday afternoon and stayed through Monday mid-afternoon. Now you might wonder what would be going on late fall at the shore. Well, Rehoboth has done a pretty good job of extending their season with different special events. The shore was busy, after all this was Punkin Chunkin Weekend, but nothing like the summer. And just about everything we wanted to do was available.

For anyone familiar with Rehoboth, the old bandstand is gone. As part of the reconstruction of Rehoboth Avenue, a new gazebo will be built to replace it. The gazebo will be next to the boardwalk, with the audience now facing the ocean. Also, I hope some work will be done on the beach itself. Last year, the state did a beach reconstruction project, but the ocean has reclaimed much of it, and at high tide the water pools quite a way up the beach. Last summer the new wide beach handled some very large crowds. I don't think what's left at high tide would make those crowds very happy.

For the unsuspecting traveler to Rehoboth Beach, both last year and this year, on this first weekend in November, we saw more men dressed as women than I ever expected to see anywhere. It's an interesting progression to go through, when as you walk toward someone with long blond hair in a miniskirt on a cool, windy day:

First - "Isn't it a little cool and breezy to be dressed like that?"
Next - "That's not an attractive woman."
Finally - "That's not a woman."

Now for the specifics of "where did we go" and "what did we do" (but keeping with the G rating of the beach).

The Boardwalk Plaza - Their Fall Getaway Package seems a little pricey. And it probably is. However the rooms are very nice, you can't beat the location, and the view is terrific. There is also an indoor-outdoor hot tub on the first floor and a roof top hot tub. The food is very good, with the package including an afternoon tea, Sunday brunch, and a hot apple dumpling late night snack. Few complaints...they need to make sure when they run a package that all staff understand what's included and the schedule, and (very important!) you can't serve hot apple cider in a carafe that has been used for coffee...yuck! This is our second time at the Boardwalk Plaza with this package, and we would do it again.
Walking and jogging - Terrific walking and jogging weather. The boardwalk is a mile long, and I ran 3 to 4 miles into the state park. Along the path was a wonderful floral scent, which we think was the boxwood in bloom.
Sunrise at the beach - The first morning was a bit hazy, and the second morning clearer with a few clouds. My wife thinks I'm crazy, but I'm up for the sunrise each morning.
Dogs at the beach - This time of year you are allowed to bring your pets on the boardwalk and the beach. There were dogs everywhere. But people kept their pets under control, seemed to be cleaning up after them, and it was entertaining to see the variety.
Dogfish Head Brewings & Eats - The food was ok, and the beer a disappointment. We tried the beer sampler and a glass of the WorldWide Stout. Thank goodness S&S Liquors was down the street, and we could pick up a six pack of Yuengling Lager.
Thrasher's Fries - In three days, we had Thrasher's Fries three times. The first two times, they were everything you want from Thrasher's, hot, fresh, and delicious. The third time I think they had sat around a bit, but even two hours later when we got home, my daughter thoroughly enjoyed what was left.
BrewHaHa - Good coffee, tea, a snack, and a game of chess.
Browseabout Books & Cafe - My favorite book store at the beach. Picked up a copy of the local paper, chatted with the staff, plus a little extra shopping.
The Mizzen Mast - Shopping for the Jimmy Buffett fan.
S&S Liquors - It's a small store, so the selection is limited. And it's priced like it is the only liquor store on the beach. But the staff is helpful (and in this case knowledgeable), and there is cold beer in the back.

Links

Oman

Alydan
Consulting

France 2005

American Music Abroad 2003

The Pennsylvania Flute Choir

Chester County Concert Band

Barr Art Works

Matt Brown (old time fiddle music)

5-String Productions