Every year we make it out to Delaware to spend time with Danielle’s parents at the beach. This year, we decided to take a different approach and the girls flew out while I booked it across the country in the 5th wheel (driving long distances with a baby isn’t fun).

My parents came with to drop them off at the airport after an incredible stay in the RV on their property in Minnesota.

Touring Heartland RVs

I’ve always wanted to see a tour of where the Road Warrior came from. We also do marketing for Heartland so it made the stop even sweeter. So on my journey to the east coast I swung into Elkhart, Indiana to scratch my itch.

It’s a little mind blowing how they make these monsters. Every detail has been meticulously planned to send this bouncing house on wheels off into the world. We’ve had our Road Warrior for almost 3 years now and have been impressed with the durability and also the customer service with Heartland RVs.

Driving in the East Coast

Seriously, what’s up with all these tolls, not cool!

We’ve never RV’d to the upper east coast and had no idea what to expect as far as tolls go.

I NEVER carry cash, but luckily I had taken some out, just in case. However, it wasn’t enough… I also was very surprised they only take cash, even State Parks are accepting Credit Cards… Ok, rant almost over about the tolls…

I made one mistake and took a right instead of a left which took me on a toll road that I couldn’t get off of for almost 10 miles and cost me $20 just because I took the wrong turn since we have a triple axle 5th wheel.

Whenever we travel long distances we fuel up at truck stops every chance we get. A few things we’ve learned with truck stops in an RV:

• Don’t dilly dally. Truckers are on the clock. Get in, get out. If you need to use the facilities, stretch, or get food; do it after you pump and have pulled off out of the way for others.
• If you’re filling up in the middle of the day you may have to wait in line for awhile. We avoid filling up close to big cities if possible as often that’s when we’ve noticed the lines to refuel.
• You’ll need to go in. Most truck stops don’t allow you to pay at the pump because you’re not filling up a commercial vehicle.
• Some truck stops are AWESOME and cool things to do. Monitor your time so you don’t get sucked in and lose travel time. However if you’ve been driving for awhile and especially if you have kids and need to get energy out, many of them have ways for you to accommodate.

Vacationing in Rehoboth Beach, DE

Rehoboth Beach, DE is a busy vacation destination for a lot of people in the greater DC area. It’s only a few hours of a drive and has a lot to offer. Here’s just a few of the things we enjoy when we visit the area.

The Beach

If you’re going to be hanging out at the beach there’s a HUGE difference in the experience you’ll have depending on where you go.

If you’re near the boardwalk and it’s a nice warm summer day, the beach will be PACKED.

If you head a little bit north up the coast a few miles you’ll find relative seclusion and in Cape Henlopen State Park it can feel like you have the entire place to yourself.

Nice wide beaches, gentle shore break waves and sand dunes offer an enjoyable beach experience. Keep your eyes open for dolphin as you’ll see them cruising by every once in awhile. Huge tankers will often cruise by also as they go in and out of the bay just to the north.

We recommend heading just north of the boardwalk for a much more secluded experience. That way if you want to be around the bustle of the boardwalk you can head on over to grab a bite or to people watch. 

It’s a family friendly atmosphere and you’ll find a lot of families playing around in the surf and the sand. If you’re looking to surf the best bet would be to head to the Indian inlet just south 20 min or so.

The Rides

The Fun Zone is an old school way to be a kid again with some good ole fashion rides! They have everything from games, bumper cars (I’m a beast), to fast moving/dropping/spinning rides.

Skee-ball is big here so make sure you come ready to roll…

Gordon’s Pond

One of the highlights of the area is Gordon’s Pond. It’s a nature area that has an excellent bike trail heading from Rehoboth to Cape Henlopen State Park.

There is access to a wonderful and fairly secluded beach with large WWII towers that use to watch over the Delaware Bay.

The trail is wide and smooth and we were surprised by the consistent amount of people taking advantage of such a wonderful place.

The Boardwalk

Busy, great food and fun is an accurate description of the Rehoboth Beach Boardwalk. There’s TONS of shops for you to buy, whatever you’re looking for. If you can’t find it here inland, Rehoboth has the Tanger Outlet Mall.

The boardwalk often has live music on busy days and weekends. Keep in mind we’re talking about visiting in the summer because in the winter its a ghost town.

You’re able to bike on the boardwalk in the morning before 10am which is a great way to check everything out a little bit faster than walking. We love taking Ella out on the WeeRide. 

Time with Family

The reason we come to this specific spot is because it’s a family tradition of Danielle’s family to come here each year.

They’ve been doing it for decades and it’s a great spot with fun for everyone. I think Danielle took the kids to the pool most of the days we were there (and we were there for a month).

There seems to be an endless supply of great restaurants serving fresh seafood. Live music is popular in the area as well. One of our favorite spots to frequent is the Rusty Rudder.

If you’re going to be visiting the Delmarva area this is a great spot to put as a vacation destination.