By Bob Tagert and Lani Gering

Avenue Inn & Spa – Rehoboth Beach, Delaware

Following suit with our fall beach trek habit, we returned to one of our favorite places…Rehoboth Beach, Delaware. Our drive across the Bay was pleasant and as usual, the Chesapeake Bay was stunning. Rather than taking Route 50 into Ocean City, Maryland and then head up the coast to Delaware, we decided to take route 404 and cut across the Delaware farm land and small towns. This is more of a scenic route and this time of the year the fall foliage will be in full color.

We pick the shoulder seasons for a perfect time to visit these ocean side towns. Before Memorial Day and after Labor Day, the bulk of the municipal parking is free and the young crowds are gone. It is easier to find a place to stay and maybe at a discount. Most all of the restaurants are open with a few closing after the holidays for their own getaway in the winter.

Another reason for our visit was to observe what the recent nor’easter had done to the beaches. Certainly, a good bit of sand has been pulled back into the ocean. The beaches slope is lower as part of the dunes were taken as well leaving a dropoff of a few feet. But the dunes did what they were designed for. With the planting of additional shrubs and sea grasses in the dunes and the roots to act as natures rebar, they held up quite well. Certainly, some spots were worse than others. We did a lunch trip to Bethany to see the damage there and it was significantly worse than what we saw along the shoreline of Rehoboth. My guess is that this winter the pumps will be working hard as workers attempt to pump sand for the ocean bottom off the beach to replenish what was lost. It has happened before.

When I was growing up in Oxon Hill Maryland, Rehoboth was more of a seasonal town with the arrival of summer. Some folks even rented out their homes. That all changed in the 1960’s with the building boom. From Cape Henlopen to Ocean City, Maryland, coastal Highway saw an increase in new houses, and smaller ones being bought up by investors. With places to rent for a few weeks, the warmer weather and a larger population, more restaurants and stores sprang up to feed and entertain the masses of locals and sun worshipers.

In my younger days, my trips to the beach were for fun and beach volley ball. At only 5’11” I wasn’t a great hitter, but I could dig and set with the best of them. Those days are gone now. At 79, the “Ocean” is more like visiting an old friend who hasn’t aged. I can depend on the ocean greeting me at the same spot any time of the day or night. As soon as I get my feet wet, the memories of those younger, sunny days come rushing back like the tide. This is why I like the beach in the shoulder season.

Even in Spring or Fall you can still hit those warmer days. When we were here in April for our Spring Break, there were many sunburned folks having an uncomfortable time the evening after over exposing themselves all day. In the shoulder season, no one thinks of sunscreen.

On this trip we stayed at the Avenue Inn & Spa in the heart of Rehoboth. The Avenue is a family-owned business that got its start as a tea room in 1937. The history of the Inn is very interesting but too much to discuss here. When you visit, you can read all about it.

The Avenue Inn & Spa offers some cool amenities. First of all, they are very nice people and very professional and take great pride in their hotel. It was good to see our favorite front desk personality, John Grimes, again. Their amenities include an indoor heated pool which is not overrun in the shoulder seasons. There is also a hot tub and a steam room, along with complimentary breakfast (they were featuring baked bosc pears in the line up while we were there), wine and cheese happy hour, and nightly cookies and milk. They also offer a free beach shuttle service, although the beach is only a block away.

Our room was on the second floor near the indoor pool. The room faced Rehoboth Avenue where we got a nice view of the folks walking around and the ocean and beach a few blocks away.

In addition, the lobby at Avenue Inn & Spa opens up in to one of Rehoboth’s popular eateries, The Blue Hen restaurant attached to the property. The folks at the Blue Hen serve innovative American comfort food and their coastal inspired dishes. One of their specialties is their Fried Chicken, which we tried. It was perfect. It is a very comfortable restaurant, perfect for the laid-back vibe of a beach town. The Hen, as the locals refer to it, also offers Happy Hour (4 – 5 pm M-Sat) that is served both at the bar and on the patio. On our first night there we sat fireside on the patio in perfect fall weather. We made reservations for dinner the following night to check out their famous fried chicken. It definitely did not disappoint! Topping off our “hen house” experience was our server (both nights) Kelly. Ask for her when you stop in.

While we were there, they were getting all prepped for the annual Sea Witch festival crowds and all things Halloween but the month of November is special at the Inn as well.

Upon inquiring about the upcoming holidays at the Inn, Assistant Senior General Manager, Randi Miller told us since November is National Caregivers Month, and for the first time ever, they are running a fantastic promotion for it. “In recognition of caregivers, the Avenue Inn & Spa is offering professional and family caregivers a 15% discount off the standard room rate for stays during November. This special rate recognizes the dedication of those who care for others and provides an opportunity to rest, recharge, and enjoy a respite getaway,” said Miller.

To qualify, guests must present documentation at check-in confirming their caregiving role. The qualifying caregiver must be a registered guest staying in the room. Guests with questions about acceptable documentation are encouraged to contact the hotel before arrival. If eligibility cannot be verified at check-in, the standard room rate will apply.

Miller continued, “Christmas is a special time here as well. We always get a live tree about 12 feet tall, and we decorate it with ornaments our guests bring us as part of our annual “Pieces of You” program. Guests bring personalized ornaments and we take a photo of them hanging them on the tree, and they purchase one of our dated keepsake ornaments to take home for their own tree. We’ve been doing this for three years and we have quite a collection of terrific ornaments now – so many that we’ve had to erect a second Christmas tree in our upper lobby area.

This year we will be driving our new Avenue Beach Buzz in the annual Rehoboth Beach Hometown Christmas Parade, scheduled for December 7th.  The Buzz is our boardwalk shuttle in season, and off season we will use it to take our guests around town, out to Schellville, or to Lewes and Dewey for dinner reservations.  Off-season shuttle service is subject to availability.”

Besides the relentless draw of the Ocean, during the shoulder season most every shop and restaurant is open their normal hours, after all, Rehoboth Beach is a year-round town and the locals like to dine out as well.

It wouldn’t be a trip to Rehoboth if we didn’t stop in at Nalu for the bacon wrapped pineapple and a beverage or the Purple Parrot for a few beverages and some fun banter with Chandler behind the bar. The cherry on top is always an after dinner stop at The Blue Moon for a

martini and some great entertainment. This trip had a couple of extra bonuses – while at Nalu, we met a couple from Harpers Ferry, WV (the subject matter of the October Road Trip column) who previously lived in Alexandria and visit Old Town regularly. They will be in town this month and we are meeting for a beverage or two and on our visit to Blue Moon, the Roxy Cabaret was on the schedule. That night, it was a one woman show by iconic drag queen Roxy Overbrooke featuring her glamour, comedy and powerful vocals. She was well worth sticking around for.

Every time we schedule these treks to Rehoboth, we regret not booking that third night! We didn’t have the time to drop in to see our feathered friends and to say hello to the staff at The Boardwalk Plaza (our spring trek lodging) or get to spend any time in Dewey at Woody’s, the Rusty Rudder or most importantly, drinking a Bloody Mary at Starboard!

Here’s hoping you all can take a few days before the holidays really start ramping up to take in some beach and boardwalk strolling vibes! Staying at the Avenue Inn & Spa is a really good start! Check out their ad in this issue.