During my visit last weekend, I noticed a definite increase in traffic and activity. The Dewey Beach clubs are now open and the sidewalks are starting to fill up with the usual array of patrons (bachelorette party girls, douchebag college guys, and people-who-are-way-too-old-to-be-hanging-out-in-Dewey-Beach-on-a-Friday-night-but-since-the-divorce-they-decided-that-they're-just-going-to-live-life-and-have-fun-(yay-girlz-weekend).
There's not a whole hell of a lot happening @ the beach this weekend. We're sort of in the lull between St. Patricks Day and Easter.
Instead of listing the boring activities that actually are happening (Painting with a Twist, Cape Henolopen Flea Market), I am going to share an interesting bit of Rehoboth Beach history.
When I was 15, I stumbled upon the stretch of beach between Dewey and Rehoboth. Because I was young and naive, I thought that I had died and went to heaven. Gorgeous and tanned young men with amazing bodies were everywhere! Years later, I realized that I had walked through one of the most popular gay beaches in the USA. I still laugh when I think about how I excitedly grabbed my friends arm and commented on the massive amount of "hunks" while making sure that my bikini top was tied to create the most cleavage that I could muster from AA cup breasts.
I have always wondered how a town that was founded as a conservative Methodist Meeting Camp could turn in to one of the most gay-friendly resort towns in the USA. After a brief bit of research, I now know the answer.
The Methodist Meeting Camp was abandoned in the late 1800's. Shortly after, Rehoboth Beach became popular with tourists who arrived by train and walked the newly constructed boardwalk. Washington DC lawmakers and their staff members discovered Rehoboth Beach and started heading there for summer getaways. Then, just as now, many of these tourists were gay.
Rumor has it that the Dupont property along the ocean was where gay night life in Rehoboth Beach began. Politicians, famous artists, and Hollywood royalty partied at the mansion, which sits near the very same stretch of beach where I encountered all of those hunky men when I was 15!
From the 1960s - 1990s, a few hotels and night clubs would cater to gay tourists, but rarely did they mix with the "family-friendly" establishments that lined Rehoboth Avenue. I can vividly remember The Rengegade, which was kept hidden from the highway behind a high wall. With the help of organizations such as CAMP Rehoboth (Creating A More Positive Rehoboth), the town is now friendly to everyone and no establishment needs to hide itself or its patrons.
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| Part of the wall in front of The Renegade |
Thanks to gay entrepreneurs, Rehoboth Beach is now a culturally diverse destination with the outstanding restaurants and unique shops. It is, without a doubt, one of my favorite places to hang out and one of the many reasons that I am proud to be a Delawarean.
This weekend's looking pretty awesome. Mid-sixties and sunny on Saturday. Perfect weather to take a stroll down Rehoboth Avenue. Enjoy!
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