It has become our pilgrimage, a sacred kind of ritual that signals the beginning of summer as surely as lightning bugs, snowballs and sunflowers. And so, as Rehoboth Beach observes its 100th anniversary this summer, we'll be celebrating our 10th annual escape to the "nation's summer capital."
We chose Rehoboth Beach in 1981, not long after I'd moved from Virginia to Baltimore. Rehoboth the quieter beach. Rehoboth the family beach. Rehoboth the At Least It's Not Ocean City beach. For 10 straight years, my Richmond friend and I have abandoned our husbands and children every Father's Day weekend (although the appropriateness of our timing still eludes the fathers!).
For mothers of small children, it's a 48-hour free fall into the pleasures of shopping, eating (dining, even!), exploring boutiques tucked in quaint areas known as mews, and reading on the beach till dark.
In the summertime, the key to Rehoboth -- or any of the Maryland-Delaware beaches located within two hours of about 15 million people -- is going sometime between the Memorial Day onslaught and the Fourth of July invasion. Somehow, the beach looks a little less like a page out of a Waldo book.
Unfortunately, June is not just our little secret. Thousands know. Still, if you can make it to Rehoboth before the Fourth, you'll avoid some of the Bay Bridge backup, some of the beach madness and some of the expense (many motels rooms cost $30 a night less).
We arrive early Friday afternoon at the Dinner Bell Inn and check into one of the small, second-floor rooms overlooking a lush courtyard of ferns and pale pink roses that climb old wooden trellises. Aside from the two high-backed, rocking chairs on the porch outside our room, this vintage 1950s motel offers few amenities but loads of charm.
Towels are about the size of postage stamps -- and about as thick. The air conditioning is temperamental. Ice still gets dispensed for a quarter, one small bucket at a time.
But the rates are reasonable and low season lasts until July. If you're willing to stay several blocks away from the ocean, then a double room at the Dinner Bell for $59.50 ($87 after July 1) is a good deal, compared with beachfront rooms that can cost $130 or more a night. The dining room -- which features such home cooking as Delaware pan-fried chicken and Miss Edna's rolls -- is a favorite for many who live in Rehoboth year-round.
