Spent the weekend at the Eastern Shore, where I took the kids to Fenwick Island State Park in Delaware, just north of Ocean City, Maryland. I chose this beach after researching on the Web which beaches had access to public showers, which they called bath houses, because we were staying in Easton, about two hours away. There were several bath houses in Ocean City near the board walk according to their municipal map, but none appeared as conveniently located as the ones at the Delaware state beaches. (There were lifeguards at both, by the way.)
Fenwick Island State Park's beach is great for older kids with boogie boards, but the younger ones (6 and under) will have a harder time as the waves break right on shore and are pretty rough. Still, my 6-year-old and 3-year-old had a great time playing in the sand and digging for "sand fleas"--Jurassic-size Crustacean versions of whatever flea I was imagining. For beach fans, the sand was medium-grain and coarse, with clam shells sprinkled throughout the beach occasionally. It was fairly crowded on Thursday, not so much on Friday; we didn't see what the weekend crowd was like.
Some tips if you go:
* Bring $8 in cash; that's the fee for out-of-staters to park in the parking lot. Yes, you have to pay but it's worth having access to the public shower if you don't have a hotel room nearby.
* Park closest to the showers; you'll appreciate the short walk back to the car after an afternoon in the sun.
* Don't forget beach umbrellas, boogie boards, beach toys, sun screen lotion, and snacks and drinks. They do have a snack bar at the shower facility, but why make the trek unless you're staying from morning to afternoon and want lunch. (We only stayed the afternoon.) For more meal options, go back south to Ocean City, where you'll find blocks and blocks of fast food franchises as well as independent restaurants. I took the easy, uninspired route and took the kids to Burger King, sorry!
* Bring $8 in cash; that's the fee for out-of-staters to park in the parking lot. Yes, you have to pay but it's worth having access to the public shower if you don't have a hotel room nearby.
* Park closest to the showers; you'll appreciate the short walk back to the car after an afternoon in the sun.
* Don't forget beach umbrellas, boogie boards, beach toys, sun screen lotion, and snacks and drinks. They do have a snack bar at the shower facility, but why make the trek unless you're staying from morning to afternoon and want lunch. (We only stayed the afternoon.) For more meal options, go back south to Ocean City, where you'll find blocks and blocks of fast food franchises as well as independent restaurants. I took the easy, uninspired route and took the kids to Burger King, sorry!
No comments:
Post a Comment