Vacation time comes and goes in the blink of an eye and when you are in a fun destination like Southern Delaware time moves at warp speed.
Planning fun family outings are a big part of any vacation, but plant them before you get there.
Discover fun family attractions at the Delaware Beaches
My trip was hosted by Visit Southern Delaware. Images & opinions are my own!
First, let’s do a quick overview of which Delaware beaches these fun family attractions are so you can plan accordingly.
For the attractions, we traveled to these are the Delaware beaches we visited:
- Cape Henlopen State Park (Lewes)
- Bethany Beach
- Rehoboth Beach
- Indian Beach
- Delaware Shores State Park
Do note there are many more Delaware Beaches with plenty of adventurous fun and below is a list.
- Broadkill Beach
- Fenwick Island State Park
- Fenwick Island
- Henlopen Acres
- Middlesex Beach
- North Shores
- South Bethany
- Sussex Shores
- York Beach
Even if You Vacation at Delaware Beaches Annually You’ll Discover More
Fun family attractions are not hard to discover when you visit Southern Delaware. From things as simple as beach walks to history museum tours, there’s a lot to do at the Delaware Beaches. It’s funny that even after talking with some friends that vacay there, year after year, their only regret, is that they never leave the beach and discover!
While on vacation, no matter the destination, I consider it my tourist duty to unfold the destination piece by piece. Southern Delaware’s, Delaware Beaches are extensive and you can jump in your car and visit each area to uncover something new and exciting and that’s exactly what we did.
Experiencing the Delaware Beaches can provide fun family outings and will definitely hit something on each person’s travel bucket list for fun!
My List of 9 Fabulous fun family attractions on the Delaware Beaches
Now, truth in travel, we covered a lot of territory over just a few days. If you vacation in Southern Delaware often, you’ll be lucky enough to seek out more fun! Branch out to discover, because Southern Delaware is more than just fun in the sun, even if the attractions are almost all by, on, or nearby the Delaware Beaches.
Try not to let your vacation rental, hotel room, or RV be your only experience when you are at the Delaware Beaches. Get out there and enjoy the activities and attractions that make Southern Delaware amazing. Then you can share your own stories!
PS. It’s always possible that activities and offerings change, remember to check the details before you go as these were valid during my stay.
Delaware Beaches By Night
During the day, it’s easy to just head to the beach. However, it’s what happens after the day at the beach time that we most often recall, isn’t it? Where do you go? What do you do? Don’t worry, Delaware Beaches by night booms with fun for families!
Destination No. 1: Indian River Life-Saving Station at Delaware Seashore State Park
Delaware Seashore State Park is one of the beaches you don’t want to miss. It’s diversified with guarded swimming on the oceanside with changing rooms, and surf fishing to its bayside for windsurfing and sailing and this is the shortlist.
Most intriguing however is the Indian River Life-Saving Station experience by night.
The Indian River Life Saving Station is actually listed in the National Register of Historic Places. It was part of the US Life Saving services.
When there were ships wrecked along the coastlines (which happened frequently) this team responded. History will lead the way to a tour through the station and then off to the beach.
Do note that the Indian River Life Saving Station is not well lit when you walk through, it gives off a ‘haunted’ like feeling. The discussions of your host guides come to life.
Lacking light actually created a more ambient downright eerie feeling, which works drives against your natural instinct to not look, so you really look.
Fun Tidbit About The Life Saving Station: ghost chasers have come and stayed to see if it was haunted.
Destination No.2 On the Beach at Delaware Seashore State Park
As part of the tour, on particular nights (must be booked online ahead) gifted storytellers and historians, local to the area, understand the intrigue of ghost stories.
Yet, when you walk away from this ghostly lantern tour, you will have a memory chalked full of history without been realizing you’ve been schooled!
When The Sunset The Ghostly Lantern Tours Begin…
Delaware Seashore State Park. nighttime means ghost time. Family-friendly, history-loaded, and fun. You’ll travel through time, via your storyteller host, and through a historic house to the beach.
Wear shoes that can get sand in them, and be prepared to walk, with a lantern, to the beach. Remember your camera. Kids will love the stories and the chance to walk on the beach with the lanterns, it’s a great family experience.
Lanterns Light The Beach But Storytellers Blaze the Tales
Lantern tours are real or not? Does it matter?
Each story is different are they both real? Or are they both fiction? It is just part of the tour experience that will leave you wondering.
A tour is a small group and not more than 15. The tour only happens once a week so you need to reserve your space ahead. Our tour started at 8 PM at night. It is down past Dewey Beach before Fenwick.
No. 3: Destination: Boardwalk in Rehoboth Beach
The vibe here is definitely families, but it is also perfect for young adults who want freedom and fun in one area! Roam and hop store to store, and restaurant to ice creamery and all along the boardwalk.
Driving. Walking. Parking. One Small Note
Did you drive to the Rehoboth Beach boardwalk? Well, it is metered parking without an app (eyeroll).
Plan to fill the meter every 2 hours as these meters, and you physically need to tend to them.
Also, use cash if you can rather than credit because you get surcharged on your CC# (just a little insider’s info).
Snack. Dine. Shop along this Delaware Beaches boardwalk in Rehoboth.
Great eats for every genre and foodie. From chicken to pizza.
No. 4 Funland Rehoboth Beach
Funland is part of the Boardwalk area, yet it is its own thing and its vibrant spirit rocks the night along the beach. During the day my teen boys visited Funland and came back loaded with prizes. They had played Skeeball for .25.
I have not seen a game of skeeball this inexpensive forever. They had so much fun.
By night, it’s got a whole new vibe and it’s a lot more fun than by day (IMO). Packed with vacationers, the night comes to life and the beach is the sideshow which is totally reverse of the daytime here.
We all played skeeball and every one of us won.
Fun Family Delaware Beaches Attractions For Families By Day
When you’ve had enough sun, or when you want to discover more than just the beach you ‘hoteled’ at, it’s time to move on out and discover more of the fun family Delaware Beaches.
Southern Delaware is loaded with fun and it’s not just under the beach umbrella or on a towel.
Set your navigation system to seek out any of these fun-filled areas!
No. 5. Cape Henlopen State Park
Delaware Beaches are all so different, but for me, Henlopen State Park is my gold star winner.
In fact, it was not populated and yet it offered more amenities, than Rehoboth, and Bethany. Such as biking trails, disc golf, easily accessible changing areas, and bathrooms.
You can read all about Henlopen State Park on my post that discusses everything that there is to do.
Again, it is a family-friendly destination in the Southern Delaware area. The state park itself offers incredible outdoor recreation, like camping, swimming, beach-going, history, biking, hiking, disc golf, and more.
Do plan on spending at least one day here while you are in the area, you will love the beaches, as well as concession stands. Cheers to family fun in one fantastic location!
No. 6 Southern Delaware Mini Golf For Family Fun-
What is a vacation at the beach without at least one round of mini-golf? It’s not a vacation! Seek out Captain Jack’s Mini Golf In Bethany Beach.
Captain Jack’s mini-golf is in Bethany Beach. In fact, it is super close to the Boardwalk which I’ll share more about below.
It’s walkable if you park by the boardwalk or you can park right at Captain Jacks. One of my boys is a mini-golf junkie and no matter where we travel to we seek out mini golf. Captain Jack’s mini-golf is a lot of fun, but I do suggest going when they open, as it gets busy!
There are 18 holes of fun mini golf waiting for you, some holes more difficult than others, as you might expect. We arrived at 10 AM in the morning and it was already hopping. It was a great way to start the day!
3 Details About Mini Golf at Captain Jack
Yes, there are bathrooms, one for men and one for women.
Mini golf is for everyone, not just one age group or another. Family vacation activity best accompanies this outing. Whether your baby is going to hit her/his first putt-putt golf ball or your grandparent pro is teeing up, it’s an everyone destination.
The area is not large, but very well set for the traffic flow of people. Additionally, on hot days there is a misting machine on holes, one, 2, and 3, so you are sure to stay cool! Parking is available, by meter, but it seemed everyone was walking here and pushing strollers too.
No. 7: Delaware Beaches. The Boardwalk in Bethany Beach
We experienced something most won’t at Bethany Beach. The beach was having sand pumped back onto it, which on its own is an attraction.
Kids had their grandparents and parents taking pictures of all the earthmovers in the background. There are far fewer shops along this boardwalk as compared to Rehoboth, however, it is more tranquil and family here. IMO.
Bonus Tip: Delaware Beaches: Restaurant Must at Bethany Beach
For those who love crepes, waffles, and freshly squeezed juice make sure to visit Sunshine Crepes.
You will love your breakfast or lunch here, and the portions are quite generous. I suggest, eating breakfast and then going for a stroll to walk it off! You will be happy there is a boardwalk because to walk of the crepes, lol!
No. 8: Destination East End Lighthouse Tour
Are you lighthouse obsessed? I am. No matter where we travel I seek them out. I love a great photograph of a lighthouse with a natural background.
While you are visiting the Delaware Beaches, you’ll head on over to the Lewes area to seek out the East Endl Lighthouse Tours with Cape Water taxi!
Every lighthouse is different but one thing holds true between them all, they are magnificent to photo.
There is no way to take a bad photo.
Sunsets are best, but cloudy days are pretty darn incredible when it comes to capturing great photos from the base up.
The East End Light House in Southern Delaware is not accessible by foot.
In fact, the lighthouse is surrounded by water. How do you get to the East End Lighthouse to tour it?
Yes, you can tour the inside of it all the way to the top. Well, you go with Cape Water Tours & Taxi.
They have recently gained access to the lighthouse and are able to give tours.
Memories And Bragging Rights
Our images speak worlds of what you will discover. The tour is for families, and couples, and friends and for everyone, of every age. If you can not leave the boat but still want to see the lighthouse, you can sit in the boat.
Truly you will get a great history lesson as well as images of the lighthouse without even entering.
This is the first time I had to take a water taxi to gain entrance to a lighthouse so Delaware beaches offer you a ‘bragging rights’ activity!
After this ride, check out my article on where to dine in Lewes, since you’ve been out on the water and walked, you will be hungry!
No. 9 Sip Sip Hooray (Lewes): A Delaware Beaches Vineyard
Alright for all the Moms out there, let’s put ourselves into this vacation, shall we? You deserve a fun family vacation and you might want a little wine with that! Now it may not be ‘family-friendly’ the way most might think, but Momma might be more ‘family-friendly’ after she has a few samplings of the fabulous wine at the Nassau Valley Vineyards.
Let the kids wanted outdoors, and you sample indoors! Then walk through the vineyards and the paths. Make sure to take home some of the fabulous wines that you sample, so you have some sip-worthy memories yourself!
Remember to any ‘Dads’ reading this article: Happy Wife, Happy Life! Just saying, lol!
Wine Enthusiasts who Traveled to the Delaware Beaches: Beyond the bars
Hello to all those wine enthusiasts. Who wants to do a little wine tasting on a very beautiful vineyard? I have the place.
Head on over to Nassau Valley Vineyards and sign up for a tasting session. Do I suggest bringing children along?
Yes and No. If it is a nice day, perhaps one parent could taste and the other saunter about with the kids and then trade.
However, where you taste (the hallway) there is nothing for the kids to do, they might be bored. Mine handled it fine and tastings don’t take long, so Yes again! lol.
Make sure to note times for tasting and when they are open before you go. You do not want to miss the experience and the walking is just stupendous. As a side note, there are restrooms if you spend any amount of time here!
Delaware Beaches: 9 Fabulously Fun Family Attractions To Try
Whether your family is a party of 2 or 222, there’s a lot to experience. Southern Delaware and its Delaware beaches offer many activities and adventures. Some are free, others are not.
Seek out what makes sense, whether it’s a night of seashell trolling with flashlights, or a picnic on the beach.
Hiking, biking, walking, beach sports, fishing, kayaking, boarding, kite surfing and that’s the short and quick list.
Don’t forget that Tanger Outlets is sprawled out and is a great way to find some additional souvenirs.
In fact, Southern Delaware has a plethora of adventures for both families and couples. The area is perfect for every genre in your family. ~ Dana XO
Dana Vento spends her time globetrotting around the USA & Internationally.