A few of my favorite things at Bethany Beach

I have so many favorite things at Bethany Beach, here are just a few:

Concerts at the Bandstand (full schedule here)
Bethany Beach Farmer's Market
Bethany Beach Books
The Cape May Lewes Ferry
Bonkey's Ice Cream

What's on your summer to do list?

Delmarva Now has a list of 100 things to do this summer, including Bethany Beach's Fourth of July Parade and and Bethany Beach Jazz Funeral on September 1.

There's also build a sand castle, score big at the outlets and "be the first of your friends to get your entire body in the ocean" which I am proud to report my crazy kids already did over Memorial Day weekend.

Official ocean temperature? 58 degrees.

Head to Bonkey's for the Best Ice Cream in Bethany Beach

To be honest, the best ice cream in Bethany Beach is not actually in Bethany Beach. It's in Millville.

Bonkey's Ice Cream and Snoballs is by far our favorite place for an afternoon or after dinner treat, and best of all, it's not in downtown Bethany so no worries about meters and parking.

Personally, I'm a huge fan of their amazing homemade ice cream, but as you can see below, my kids love the snoballs.

Whatever you choose, you can't go wrong.

For hours and directions visit their website, Bonkeys.com.

Bethany Beach Books

I love Bethany Beach Books.

Located right off the boardwalk, and in the center of town right by the Bandstand, this is the place for a summer read for yourself or some new books for the kids.

They also have a fantastic line-up of book readings all summer long. You can check out the full schedule of author events here. There are also Children's Story Times all summer long - the schedule for those is here.

Dickens Parlour Theater

Looking for a great night out in Bethany Beach?

Check out the Dickens Parlour Theater, which features world class magicians every week. There's a nightly show at 7:00pm, as well as rainy day matinees at 2:00pm.

For a full schedule of performances, click here.

And for the kids, mark June 16 on the calendar, when there's a Children's Magic Show.

It's Not Too Late to Help with the Annual Horseshoe Crab Survey

Join the Delaware Center for the Inland Bays for the annual Horseshoe Crab Survey, which takes place select days in May and June when the horseshoe crabs come ashore to spawn hundreds of crab eggs.

I didn't realize until reading more that horseshoe crabs are predominantly found in Delaware, and really not anywhere else.

If you would like to participate in the 2014 Horseshoe Crab Survey, you can contact Team Leaders directly or send an email to habitat@inlandbays.org.

Also, two incredible horseshoe crab facts: they have more in common with spiders than they do with crabs and they can go a year (a year!) without eating.

Bethany Beach Nature Center

The Bethany Beach Nature Center is a great place for kids. Indoors, there are several engaging interactive exhibits (perfect for rainy days), and outdoors, there is a small playground and a scenic boardwalk, The Bethany Beach Nature Trail.

Saturday mornings from 10:30am to noon there are ongoing programs for kids, the Kidz Nature Adventure, with different topics presented each week. You can see the full schedule for May here.

The Bethany Beach Nature Center is open in summer from 10am to 3pm Monday -Saturday, and 10am to 2pm on Sundays. The outdoor Nature Trail is open from dawn to dusk.

The Bethany Beach Nature Center is located at 807 Garfield Parkway (Route 26), approximately one mile west of Route 1.

To learn more, visit their website here.

Bethany Beach Bandstand Schedule - May and June 2014

Performances at the Bethany Beach Bandstand begin this Saturday, May 24. All shows begin at 7:30 pm and are free and open to the public.

For more information and details, visit the Town of Bethany Beach.2014 Bandstand Schedule.

Here are all the performances in May and June.

Click here for the July, August and September Bandstand schedule.

MAY

Saturday, May 24: Sean Reilly’s (Frank Sinatra Tribute)

Sunday, May 25: U.S. Navy Cruisers (Rock)
Monday, May 26:  V.F.W. Memorial Service, 11:00 AM

JUNE

Friday, June 13: The British Invasion (Beatles Tribute)

Saturday, June 14: Fish Whistle (Rock/Pop)

Sunday, June 15: Delmarva Big Band

Friday, June 20: Apex Revolution (Country)

Saturday, June 21: Still Surfin’ (Beach Boys Tribute)

Sunday, June 22: Melissa Alesi (Singer-Songwriter) 5:30-7 p.m.; Lauren Mitchell Band 7:30-9 p.m. (Blues)

Friday, June 27: Sir Rod (A Tribute to Rod Stewart)

Saturday, June 28: Ernie Halter (Singer-Songwriter; check him out on Pandora/ Spotify!) & Tony Lucca (finalist on Season 2 of "The Voice")

Sunday, June 29: Electric Velvet (Rock/Pop)

Please note, performances can be cancelled due to inclement weather. To find out if bandstand performances will go on as scheduled, follow The Town of Bethany Beach on Facebook and Twitter, @bethanybeachfun.

Bethany Beach Bandstand Schedule - July, August and September 2014

JULY

Tuesday, July 1: “Dancing through the Decades” with DJ Batman. Come dance the night away on the Bethany Beach Boardwalk with music from the ‘50s, ‘60s and ‘70s! 7-9:30 p.m.

Wednesday, July 2: Uncle Pete w/ kids on the Bandstand 7:30-9 p.m.

Thursday, July 3: National Guard Army Show Band from 5:30 p.m.-7 followed by a bonfire at dusk on the beach at Campbell Place.

Friday, July 4: Parade at noon with bands, horseshoe-throwing contest at 2 p.m., awards ceremony at 7:15 p.m.; fireworks at dusk. 

Saturday, July 5: The Stims (Rock/Pop)

Sunday, July 6: Sarah Williams (Singer-Songwriter)

Wednesday, July 9: Kids’ Night: Songs by Jim Hossick on the Bandstand 7:30-9 p.m.

Friday, July 11: David Stone’s Johnny Cash Tribute

Saturday, July 12: Haleytown (Modern Country)

Sunday, July 13: Karaoke 7-9:30 p.m.; registration begins at 6 p.m. on the Bandstand Plaza

Wednesday, July 16: Kids’ Night: Children’s Theater “Peter Pan” at Town Hall w/ shows at 6 and 7 p.m.; tickets must be picked up at Town Hall at 8 a.m. on the day of the show.

Friday, July 18: Mario Rocco’s Parade of Stars (Variety)

Saturday, July 19: The Threetles  (Beatles Tribute)

Sunday, July 20: Ryan Tennis and the Clubhouse Band 6:30-7:15 p.m.; Eric Lindell & The Sunliners 7:30-9 p.m. (Singer-Songwriter; check him out on Pandora/ Spotify!)

Wednesday, July 23: Kids’ Night: Children’s Theater: Alice in Wonderland at Town Hall w/ shows at 6 and 7 p.m.; tickets must be picked up at Town Hall at 8 a.m. on the day of the show.

Friday, July 25: Tyrone Wells (Singer-Songwriter; check him out on Pandora/Spotify!)

Saturday, July 26: Fabulous Dialtones (Rock)

Sunday, July 27: Chris Westfall (John Denver Tribute)

Wednesday, July 30: Kids’ Night: Children’s Theater “Aladdin” at Town Hall w/ shows at 6 and 7 p.m.; tickets must be picked up at Town Hall at 8 a.m. on the day of the show.

AUGUST

Saturday, Aug. 1: Overtime (Dance)

Saturday, Aug. 2: Carnival Night at the Bandstand 6:00-9:00 p.m. w/ carnival games and a free photo booth w/ unlimited photo strips

- Dickens Parlour Theater Magician on the Bandstand stage 8-9 p.m.

- Sunshine the Clown: Face-painting (air brush) and balloon-making on the Boardwalk 7-9 p.m.

Sunday, Aug. 3: Jimi Smooth & HitTime (Motown/R&B)

Friday, Aug. 8: “Dancing through the Decades” with DJ Batman. Come dance the night away on the Bethany Beach Boardwalk with music from the ‘50s, ‘60s and ‘70s! 7-9:30 p.m.

Saturday, Aug. 9: Hope Road (Bob Marley Tribute)

Sunday, Aug. 10: Monkee Paw  (Rock/Pop)

Friday, Aug. 15: Talent Show w/ Mario Rocco

Saturday, Aug. 16: The Philly George Project (Jazz/R&B)

Sunday, Aug. 17: Love Seed Mama Jump (Rock/Pop)

Friday, Aug. 22: U.S. Navy Country Current (Country), 5:30-7 p.m.; Jamboree Boys (Country), 7:30-9 p.m.
Saturday, Aug. 23: The E. Street Shuffle (Bruce Springsteen Tribute)

Sunday, Aug. 24: The Vigilantes Acoustic Duo  (Rock/Pop)

Friday, Aug. 29: The Bullbuckers (Reggae/Ska)

Saturday, Aug. 30: Three Sheets Acoustic Trio  (Rock/Pop)

Sunday, Aug. 31: The Stims 6:15-7:45 p.m. (Rock/Pop);  Jesse Garron’s Tribute to Elvis 8-9 p.m.

SEPTEMBER

Monday, Sept. 1: Jazz Funeral

Bethany Beach Tourist

Every year, I'm lucky enough to spend most of the summer in Bethany Beach, Delaware.

And while I'm not a local for sure, I know lots about what to do, where to eat, and how to find great places to explore in Bethany Beach as well as in the neighboring towns of Dewey, Fenwick Island, Rehoboth Beach and Ocean City.

Come back often to Bethany Beach Tourist where I'm always adding new places to visit and enjoy in my favorite place in the world, Bethany Beach!