Gay Rehoboth Beach

Emergency measures in the wake of Covid-19:

There are restrictions on the entry of certain travelers into the United States in an effort to help slow the spread of COVID-19. See the CDC website for details and updates.

For local Covid-19 updates see the City of Rehoboth Beach, Visit Delaware, and State of Delaware websites.

-------------------------------------


On the Delaware shore, Rehoboth Beach is about a two-hour drive from Baltimore, Washington, or Philadelphia. It's a growing travel destination for gays from all over the globe, with sun, sand, shops, restaurants and nightlife. Once known for its summer season, all of the clubs and most of the restaurants and shops are now open year-round.
Most of Rehoboth's gay businesses are clustered within two blocks of the boardwalk that fronts the Atlantic Ocean, so you'll rarely need to drive anywhere. If you do have a car, you'll be pleased that so many guesthouses have off-street parking. If you park on the street, remember to feed the meters, as police write tickets every day until midnight.

If this is your first visit, stop by the Chamber of Commerce on your way into town. Arriving on Route 1A, which becomes the main drag of Rehoboth Avenue, look for the old railway station just past the canal.

 

Getting There

Rehoboth does not have it's own airport. The closest airports are Salisbury Ocean City Airport in Maryland, which is 45 minutes from Rehoboth, the Philadelphia INTL Airport and the Baltimore Washington International (BWI), which are both about 2 hours from Rehoboth, or Dulles INTL which is 2.5 hours from Rehoboth. From there the easiest thing to do is rent a car.

Getting around

The best way to get around within Rehoboth is with your own two feet. The Jolly Trolley runs daily shuttles, 8am-2am from Memorial Day (end of May) to Labor Day (early September), for $3 per trip ($5 round-trip), between Rehoboth and Dewey Beach. Look for them on Rehoboth Avenue at the Boardwalk. The Delmarva Beach Guide has a trolley route map and schedule, along with info on the DART Resort Transit Bus (in season) from the Park & Ride Lot on Shuttle Road, off Delaware Rt. 1.

 

What to do

Rehoboth is a resort town, it's all about relaxing shopping and enjoying a evening out. There are two gay beaches in town. North Shores is popular with women, while Poodle Beach is where the boys are. South of the main drag, this very crowded spot is past Queen and Prospect streets on the boardwalk.
About two miles further down the shore is Delaware Seashore State Park, where you'll find seven miles of sand and surf. About 20 miles south is Assateague Island National Seashore, where wild ponies can be spotted. Up the coast is Cape Henlopen State Park, home of the 'walking dunes' and more miles of unspoiled beach. If you like gambling, Delaware now has three full casinos with everything from slots to table games. The Dover and Harrington casinos are only about 45 minutes from Rehoboth.

 

Media & Resources

Letters from Camp Rehoboth is the local source for gay news. VisitRehoboth is a good local website guide, with coupons for savings at area businesses. Rehoboth Beach Fever is another online area guide, with local tips and reviews.

The Cape Gazette has general news and business listings for the Delaware Cape Region. Rehoboth.com has info on hotels, shops, restaurants, events and nightlife.

We list some restaurants in our map and listings pages. For more comprehensive list see the website of Rehoboth Foodie.

For general tourist information see the official city website, CityofRehoboth.com.

For map locations and websites of businesses listed below, and more, see our gay Rehoboth Beach listings pages.

 

Accommodations

Cabana Gardens Guest House (20 Lake Ave; 301-227-5429), quiet, central, comfortable guesthouse, private baths, heated pool, roof deck. Website down - CLOSED?

Ram's Head Inn (35006 Warrington Rd; 302-226-9171), men-only resort, minutes from the beach; clothing-optional pool, sauna, hot tub, gym, expansive courtyard sun decks.

Rehoboth Guest House (40 Maryland Ave; 302-227-4117), gay-owned Victorian beach house, 14 guestrooms, sun decks, reasonable prices; continental breakfast, in-season Saturday afternoon wine & cheese parties.

Shore Inn (703 Rehoboth Ave; 302-227-8487), adults-only 14 guest room gay B&B, five blocks from downtown; full bar, clothing-optional sundeck and hot tub.

Silver Lake Apartments (20388 Silver Lake Dr; 302-226-2115), two two-bedroom apartments on waterfowl preserve, panoramic views, close to gay beach and downtown.
 

Bars, Clubs & Restaurants

Aqua Grill (57 Baltimore Ave) hip patio restaurant, young crowd, not far from gay beach.

Back Porch (59 Rehoboth Ave) fine dining, casual beach atmosphere, lunch and dinner every day.

Blue Moon (35 Baltimore Ave) delicious food, reasonable prices, patio bar for after-beach happy hour; nightly dinner and Sunday brunch.

Dos Locos (208 Rehoboth Ave), American, Mexican and seafood lunch and dinner menu; karaoke nights..

Diego's Bar & Nightclub (622 Rehoboth Ave/ 37298 Rehoboth Ave Extended), 16 draft beers, large dancefloor, outdoor patio, MANdance events, friendly bartenders, theme parties. Formerly Double L Bar.

Iguana Grill (52 Baltimore Ave), tropical drinks, steaks and Mexican food, lunch, dinner, inside and outside seating.

The Pond (3 South 1st St) friendly neighborhood pub, inexpensive drinks, lunch and dinner specials, live bands.

Purple Parrot Bar & Grill (134 Rehoboth Ave), gay-favorite restaurant and lounge, buff staff, karaoke, Sunday drag shows.

Rigby's Bar & Grill (404 Rehoboth Ave), daily American bistro, Sunday brunch, pet-friendly garden patio, live music, Tuesday-Saturday karaoke.

CLOSED: Big Sissies - gay neighborhood "hetero-friendly" bar and grill; Cloud Nine - dinner/dance club and bistro.

 

Shopping & Services
Delaware has no sales tax, making shopping a treat. The three outlet malls in town offer over 100 brand-name stores and plenty of unique boutiques.

Beach Essentials (33 G Baltimore Ave), unique beach and club clothes, innovative casual wear.

Snyder's Candy (60 Rehoboth Ave), chocolate, fudge, salt water taffy, gummies, 70 licorice varieties from around the world.

Tanger Outlets (36470 Seaside Outlet Dr), over 180 outlet stores and restaurants; apparel, accessories, footwear, household wares and furnishings, and specialty shops.

CLOSED: Proud Book Store (149 Rehoboth Avenue), gay bookstore opened by former employees of Lambda Rising.

- Staff 2020