Rehoboth Beach with the Boys

Ever since our first trip to Rehoboth Beach, I secretly wanted to return during Lewie's teenage years. In my mind, it would be the perfect teen vacation, featuring the beach, the boardwalk, delicious food, bike rentals, a water park, miniature golf, and endless rows of shops. Then, once Lewie formed a group of friends during middle school, I knew the question of going on this trip wouldn't be "if," but "when."

After years of secretly planning it, I decided this year would be "the year." For one, Lewie is sixteen, and his friends are seventeen. Two, a few of his friends had already started working. I knew if I didn't plan it now, the following year (with college on the horizon) would be a bust!

On June 23, Daddy Lew and I entered our living room at 4 a.m. and woke up Lewie with his two friends. It was time for us to pack the large SUV and drive to Delaware. We didn't want to chance CT, NY, or NJ traffic, so we got an early start and luckily had a calm ride down. We stopped at a diner to eat and then at my aunt's house, which is located just under 40 minutes from Rehoboth. (She has a pool, which is a double plus!)

After visiting for a few hours, we hit the road again to find our condo--a cute three-bedroom rental located about two miles away from the beach. The apartment didn't have beach views, but it was conveniently located next to everything, which ended up being a lifesaver! Also, I loved the open floor plan. With the kitchen and living room being together, I could easily grab something to eat while watching the boys enjoy their time together. Between watching movies, sharing funny video clips, or simply hanging out, there was lots and lots of laughter. Of course, my husband also participated in a lot of the fun, especially watching the movies. 

Our week in Delaware was, unfortunately, a hot one--weather forecasters announced it would be the first heat wave of 2025, and they were right! The very next day (Tuesday), I woke up at 5 a.m. to take a walk through the cute neighborhood. (Rehoboth has such beautiful beach houses and lakes in addition to the shore!) However, when I stepped outside our apartment, I literally stepped into a 90-degree sauna. I took a bottle of water, but after an hour, I asked my husband to come rescue me as I sat under a pavilion trying to regain my energy. The weight of the air and the sun was exhausting! I knew then that I had to plan the next few days around the heat. 

Here are a few pictures from my morning walks.

On Tuesday, we decided to attend Rehoboth's water park, Jungle Jim's, but only in the late afternoon. On the following days, too, we'd stay inside the apartment until 4 or 5 p.m. before venturing out to go shopping, visit the boardwalk, or do any other activities. The heat was just too oppressive, and I didn't want to risk the boys getting burned, or worse, having heatstroke. They showed no interest in leaving early either. Instead, they'd sleep in until noon every day, have a late lunch, and watch movies.

We stayed until the park closed. I wanted to take a few shots of the lazy river
since it brings back such great memories.

After our day at Jungle Jim's water park, we spent the next day at Ocean City, Maryland. I, personally, had never been there, so I was more excited for this excursion than anyone. I paid for a boat ride to see the wild horses on Assateague Island and take in the coastal view of the boardwalk. Then, I planned for us to ride through Trimper's Haunted House together, where we sat in rolling coffins and were continuously spooked by Michael Myers. (I swear he'd show up behind me at every corner. I'm glad my heart is still ticking!)

After the Haunted House, I let the boys know they could use the rest of their time to explore. However, before we parted ways, Daddy Lew and Lewie's friend, Noah, decided they wanted to ride the Slingshot--a ride that catapults its victims into the air while spinning. In fact, the Jolly Roger Pier Amusements describes the ride this way: "The ultimate thrill ride will have even the biggest daredevils quaking. Strap in, hold on, and prepare to be shot high into the sky. You can hear the screams from 10 blocks away!"

While Hubby and Noah were quaking in their boots, my pocketbook was quaking in my arms. At $35 each, the Slingshot costs about the same as buying two tickets to enter our hometown amusement park for the day... In fact, after they were shot into the sky the first time, the person in charge of the ride asked if they wanted to go again for an additional $10 each. This time, he would show them what they needed to do to make the Slingshot spin... Did they say, yes? Absolutely, they did. Cha-ching! 

This is the picture from the Jolly Roger Pier Amusements website.

After the wild ride, the boys left us to explore the boardwalk, but not for long. After 40 minutes, they called to let us know they were already waiting by our car to go back to the apartment. Say what? Why? Their answer--it's too crowded and too expensive!

I'll admit I was a little bummed about our Ocean City visit. For one, the boat ride was advertised differently. The description made it sound like we would be going on a mini-ecotour where we could see the wild horses up close and learn about the island. Instead, our boat driver, probably only a few years older than the boys, pointed to a few dots in the background. "There they are... See, one of the horses is rolling on its back!" I could see it, but in less than 20 seconds, they were out of sight. The rest of the trip was a ride back and forth to the pier with country music blaring in the background. I finally intervened and asked if he could play some songs we liked — after all, I was paying for a private boat trip just for us! I was also bummed that the boys were so eager to leave. For me, I could have stayed at the boardwalk all night--visiting shops, people watching, buying ice cream, etc. My husband sided with the boys. "After you see the first 1/4 of the boardwalk, you've seen it all," he shrugged, "the boardwalk just repeats itself with the same corny shops." What could I do? I was outnumbered. I didn't think they were corny shops. I wanted to relive my youth. In fact, I chuckled to myself as I saw that some vendors still continue to sell hermit crabs. When I was thirteen, I bought one in Wildwood, NJ, to give to a friend.

On our last day before leaving to go home, we spent time at the outlets and then the Rehoboth Beach Boardwalk. I wanted us to rent bikes during our stay (like I really, really, really wanted this to be part of our Rehoboth Beach experience), but the days were just too hot! I did have a chance to go to a few shops, and Hubby and I were able to sneak away to have a quick bite to eat, but admittedly, the time went by fast. In a flash, the trip was over, and it was time to drive home (which was more complicated than the ride to get there).

Noah got a henna tattoo. I didn't expect him to get a spider!

I left with mixed feelings about the trip. There were moments of pure joy, of course. For example, I LOVED going to Jungle Jim's, spending hours upon hours riding their lazy river and going on a waterslide with Hubby. I could tell the boys really loved Jungle Jim's, too. Seeing the boys in the living room laughing and spending quality time together was another highlight. Now that they are starting to work, and two of them will be seniors next year (not Lewie), I wondered how much time they will get like this again. 

Truly, my disappointment with the trip comes from my own perfectionist views. For more than ten years, I had built up this trip as a kind of fantasy — one where the boys spent every day riding bikes, frolicking on the beach, goofing off in the arcade, and just being teenagers on the boardwalk. I guess I was planning the type of nostalgic vacation I would have wanted back in the day... Don't get me wrong; the boys had a good time, but I don't think the boardwalk provided the same type of excitement for them as it had for me when I was a kid. 

On my last day at Rehoboth, I dragged my husband to the Zoltar machine. "Lew, we have to check it out! It's the same Zoltar machine from the movie Big (which is my favorite movie of all time)!"

I fed the Zoltar machine the only dollar I had and prepared to make a wish. Rain and wind started to pelt down on our heads. "Really?" I thought. It's been 100 all week, and now we have wind and rain!

Zoltar is more advanced now. Instead of producing a card, he speaks. His eyes turned red, his mouth started moving, and he said these lasting words: "Zoltar says, get your hands ready, and now move them to your pockets. Good. Now feed me another dollar." 

My wish, just like my fantasy for this trip, disappeared into the ether.