Delaware State Park Beach Cottages

Poke around your state park’s website and you may be surprised at what you find. While recently browsing the Delaware State Parks site, I uncovered great hikes to waterfalls, yurts evocative of Hobbit housing, and a dozen waterfront cottages located at the Indian River Marina at Delaware Seashore State Park in Rehoboth.  Each cottage has room for six guests and includes two bedrooms and a loft with a queen-size bed. And I’m just back from having stayed in one of them with my family.

Painted in pastel colors on the outside, these sunlit cottages feature comfortable living rooms with gas fireplaces, TV/DVD players, and hardwood floors. Our kitchen was stocked with a microwave, toaster oven, pots and pans, and thoughtful amenities like wine glasses and a corkscrew. You can opt for open windows and ceiling fans or air conditioning.

The best feature of the cottage was the screened-in porch with a table and chairs that was perfect for sipping morning coffee and watching the fishing boats heading out for the day. Nearly 14 miles of state park beach is right outside your door, and we selected Towers Beach that along with lifeguards has a concession stand and changing rooms. (When renting a cottage at Indian River Marina the beach passes are included in the fee.)

There were plenty of activities perfect for kids. They could fish right off the rocks in front of the cottage, or after a short walk to the marina, we could hop on a charter fishing boat and watch the daily catch being cleaned by the professionals. There’s also a seafood shop selling fresh-caught fish where we bought swordfish to grill for dinner.

A five-minute drive brings you to the Life-Saving Station and the Delaware Seashore visitors center where the kids can make turks-head knot bracelets or dissect squid during one of the hands-on activity sessions.

To find out more about the cottages and make a reservation, go to the Delaware Seashore State Park site. Who knows what else you might find?

Photos: Delaware State Parks

For more information about Delaware travel, see our Delaware Travel Guide.