Rainy day at the beach? Shopping, shows, treats will keep you busy in Delaware

Kelly Powers, Delaware News Journal
·3 min read

It's not always a sunny day on the beach.

No matter which Delaware beach your family flocks to, some days this summer are bound to bring rain, storms and other weather patterns that keep you off the sands. The good thing is, the First State's beach towns are filled with great food, entertainment and more that comes with a roof over your head.

Here are some options for your next rainy beach day:

Get your shopping on

There’s been a line outside Tanger Outlets Bayside’s Nike store during open hours. It was slightly longer than usual around 9:30 a.m. on Black Friday in 2020.
There’s been a line outside Tanger Outlets Bayside’s Nike store during open hours. It was slightly longer than usual around 9:30 a.m. on Black Friday in 2020.

There's always taking advantage of Delaware's tax-free shopping.

If the rain brings you off the boardwalk, Tanger Outlets Delaware in Rehoboth Beach might be waiting for you. Various name-brand stores pack the sprawling outlet mall along Coastal Highway, from a Nike Factory Store to a Pandora Jewelry, The North Face and much more.

There are smaller options in the city, like Penny Lane Mall, the Shops at Rehoboth Mews and other boutique outfits throughout in the area.

Down in Bethany and Fenwick, some thrifty options also stretch away from the beach — like Atlantic Community Thrift Shop, Christine's Consignments and Samaritan Thrift Shop.

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Go catch a show

Maybe it's time for the big screen.

Plenty of theaters, for both film and stage, can be found near the Delaware beaches. Near Rehoboth is Movies at Midway, offering classic blockbuster films, as well as the smaller Cinema Art Theater from Rehoboth Beach Film Society. Milford Movies 9 also offers mainstream flicks.

These join performing arts spaces in Rehoboth Summer Children's Theatre and Clear Space Theatre Company. And for over 100 years, the Milton Theatre has also been a staple.

Ocean View offers Dickens Parlour Theatre to get your fix in performing arts. A bit farther from the shores, the Clayton Theatre offers an old-school, single-screen movie theater.

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Map out your next fix

In less than three years since opening, Untappd beer ratings for Delmar's Loakal Branch Brewing Co. are tied with Dogfish Head Craft Brewery for second best in the state. Only Dewey Beer Co. has a higher rating for a Delaware brewery through the popular beer app.
In less than three years since opening, Untappd beer ratings for Delmar's Loakal Branch Brewing Co. are tied with Dogfish Head Craft Brewery for second best in the state. Only Dewey Beer Co. has a higher rating for a Delaware brewery through the popular beer app.

Some of the beaches' landmark seasonal businesses, ranging from crab houses to taverns, are set to open once again this season. If long days on the sand kept you away, map our your visits now.

Previous coverage Delaware Online/The News Journal outlined the local classics coming back this season — like The Surfing Crab, Sambo's Tavern, the Carriage House Bar + Lounge and more.

Maybe it's not a meal you're craving. Delaware beaches also rub shoulders with the state's most-known breweries.

Dogfish Head Brewery is likely the most popular brewery name in the state, offering tours of their facility, at 6 Cannery Village Center in Milton, alongside indoor spaces for tasting and eating all summer long.

The household name meets nearly 30 others throughout the state — like Thompson Island, Big Oyster, Midnight Oil, Volunteer, Ocean View, Twisted Irons, Dewey Beer, Mispillion River, 38°-75°, Iron Hill, JAKL Beer Works, Revelation, Autumn Arch Beer Project, First State, Brick Works, Stewart's, Dew Point, Bethany, Dog Pirate Beer Company, Brimming Horn Meadery and more. Maybe there's a tour in the works.

Dewey Beach's Dewey Beer Co. in particular was just named the best brewpub in nation in March, winning the USA TODAY 10 Best Readers’ Choice Awards. Crooked Hammock and Rehoboth's Taco Reho are touting this month a "Joint Collaboration," a.k.a. their 6.5% ABV New England IPA made with non-cannabis-derived terpenes.

For many of these beachside spots, we've previously mapped out a few tours to do by bike trail — but the rain may call for different plans.

Beach beers: Sip and ride, Idyllic bike trails to breweries along Delaware beaches

More Delaware indoor fun

Lefty's Alley & Eats opened off Route 1 is always a good time.
Lefty's Alley & Eats opened off Route 1 is always a good time.

From these ideas, to a trampoline park in Lewes — Shall We Bounce — to an indoor bowling alley and restaurant down the road — Lefty’s Alley & Eats — the list goes on.

The point is, the rain shouldn't dampen your vacation.

Got a story? Contact Kelly Powers at 231-622-2191 or [email protected]. Follow her on X @kpowers01.

This article originally appeared on Delaware News Journal: Things to do at Delaware beaches when it rains

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