One Of The East Coast's Best Beach Towns Is A Family-Friendly, Foodie Heaven In Delaware

Delaware's Bethany Beach is about two things: A perfect day at the beach and a perfect evening at the dinner table. Let's face it, the cuisine at many tourist towns can feel too, well, touristy. And so can the attractions. Not here, where the food is up to the minute and the local chefs take their seafood quite seriously. Meanwhile, the quaint, family-oriented boardwalk, originally built in 1903, is an authentic jaunt back in time. 

While Rehoboth, located 20 minutes north, is one of the best beach towns on the East Coast, and Assateague Island (40 minutes south) is perfect for wilderness lovers seeking solitude on its beaches, dunes, and forests, Bethany is a Goldilocks gem of a destination that's just right for families. Perhaps because it's a significant drive from any Eastern Seaboard city — Baltimore and Washington, D.C. are each around three hours away — Bethany Beach retains a small-town atmosphere that is harder and harder to find. 

Even the annual spring Poseidon Festival, where locals dress up as pirates and mermaids, is family-centric. And that historic boardwalk has a wholesome, old-timey vibe perfect for strolling hand-in-hand with your child, licking a soft-serve ice cream cone. Imagine the "good old days," just with better food.

While ambling along the vintage boardwalk and neighboring downtown streets, you can stop into shops that have been around since the 1930's, including the Candy Kitchen, selling fudge and saltwater taffy, or Fisher's Popcorn, an institution famous for its caramel corn (daring, grown-up taste buds will want to try the cult fave flavor: Caramel corn sprinkled with Old Bay seasoning).

If you're stressed about snagging a spot on the beach, book a beach chair rental in advance or hire the local Bethany Beach Runners to pick up your gear at your lodging, set it up for you on the beach, then bring it back at the end of the day, so you need only carry a few items of essential beach gear for toddlers. Any parent who has tried to pack up a brat pack at the end of a beach day will appreciate the convenience. Then, when you're tired, happy, and ready to wash the sand and caramel off those sticky fingers back at your hotel, an adorable trolley can take you around town for a quarter — that's "two bits" if your old-fashioned day has you speaking like an old-timer.

If you're unaccompanied by minors or can slip away for some "me" time, check out the town's busy schedule of yoga, pilates, and boot camp classes, all right on the beach. And if the atmosphere has tickled your creative bone, there is even a beachfront evening writing class held by a local author.

It would be a shame to waste all of the ocean's bounty on fish sticks for the kiddos, right? Fortunately, sophisticated pescetarian palates are welcome in Bethany Beach. Off the Hook is a chic farm-to-table restaurant in a crisp white space with a contemporary, fish-forward menu (they had us at Moroccan-spiced grilled swordfish). Bluecoast Seafood Grill, a seven-time winner of the Wine Spectator Award of Excellence, has a menu that manages to be both creative and classic, with dishes ranging from conch chowder to baked oysters with brie, to the house specialty fried baby lobsters with spicy mayo, served in an art-filled beachfront dining room or on a charming patio.

Patsy's is another farm-to-table establishment, housed in a two-story yellow clapboard bungalow and run by a pair of mother-daughter chefs. The fare has a Key West/Southern theme and includes items like Chef Patsy's signature dish of tempura-fried whole snapper flown in from Key West.

Don't want to change out of your flip-flops? For a family-style meal, with boiled whole crabs served right on a paper tablecloth next to melted butter and corn on the cob, try Mickey's Family Crab House, which was nominated for Best Crab House by Coastal Magazine. Matt's Fish Camp on the Coast Highway gets high marks for its elevated food and decor, with a level of colorful sophistication that will have you whipping out your camera phone to snap pics of every plate.