9 Most Breathtaking Towns In Delaware
Anyone who has spent significant time in Delaware knows that it is one of the most underappreciated US states when it comes to being home to truly beautiful towns. While California and places like Maine or Vermont tend to get a lot of attention for their breathtaking scenery, the small state of Delaware packs a surprising punch of visual drama and personality. Picture pastel-hued buildings lining narrow streets, boats bobbing in quiet harbors, and sunlit dunes framing the Atlantic Ocean. From riverfront charm to beachside panoramas, these nine towns prove that Delaware is a treasure trove for anyone chasing beauty in unexpected places.
Rehoboth Beach
Rehoboth Beach dazzles with color, from pastel storefronts spilling onto its mile-long boardwalk to sunsets that wash the Atlantic in pink and gold. The shoreline itself is a showstopper, framed by soft dunes and rolling surf that make even a simple walk feel cinematic. Just inland, Silver Lake glimmers like a mirror, edged by willows and waterfront homes. At night, the lights of Funland and the Rehoboth Beach Bandstand turn the town into a glowing carnival by the sea. Poodle Beach, with its rows of bright umbrellas along the southern end, adds to the kaleidoscope of breathtaking colors.
Bethany Beach
Bethany Beach greets visitors with Chief Little Owl, a towering cedar carving that stands against the sky like a sentinel. It is a beautiful piece of art that makes the town feel personal and accessible. Compared to neighboring towns, Bethany Beach is almost certainly quieter. Local regulations stop chains from overwhelming the town, so along the half-mile boardwalk, you will find only mom and pop stores and one-of-a-kind spots like Boardwalk Fries and Mango's.
While you are enjoying these spots, you will be treated to striking vignettes: open views of the ocean by day and an illuminated bandstand rising over the sand at night. A short walk inland, the Bethany Beach Nature Center exudes beauty differently, with glassy wetlands reflecting willows, wildflowers, and long-legged egrets moving through the water.
Selbyville
The actual town of Selbyville is quite compact and landlocked, with its borders on the state of Maryland. Downtown still carries its railroad-era bones, and the Selbyville Railroad Museum preserves that history in a beautiful old station, connecting visitors to the days when trains cut through fields of strawberries. But if you venture out of the tight-knit downtown, you will see that its residential and recreational community of Bayside extends the town toward the coast. This is part of why Selbyville has earned the title of "gateway to the beaches."
The Bayside community is a 12-minute drive from town and still falls within its jurisdiction. It is home to the Freeman Arts Pavilion, which draws thousands each summer. Its open-air stage is framed by the Bayside Resort Golf Club, the area's star attraction. Creeks and waterways weave throughout the high-end course and through its residential area, allowing neighbors to boat to each other's homes rather than drive.
New Castle
Cobblestones spill down to the Delaware River in New Castle, where the 17th-century and 18th-century brick and stone buildings still define the landscape. At the center is Battery Park, a riverside green unfurling into miles of open water, its walking trail running along the shoreline and filling with families for summer concerts and the Art on the Green, an annual arts and crafts show. Just a few blocks away, the New Castle Court House, one of the oldest in the nation, faces the green like a backdrop from another century, with the Amstel House and Dutch House tucked close by in the historic district. Streets around the park hold gathering spots like Jessop's Tavern, where colonial-era walls meet Belgian brews, keeping the town's beauty both atmospheric and alive.
Lewes
Shaped by both the Delaware Bay and Atlantic Ocean, Lewes is a quirky and historic Delaware town with wild coastal scenery. Cape Henlopen State Park dominates the shoreline with its shifting dunes, pine forests, and WWII lookout towers rising over the beach, a reminder that even military relics can become part of a gorgeous landscape.
Downtown, the Ryves Holt House, Delaware's oldest standing home, leans into the streetscape like an artifact from 1686, while just blocks away, the Cannonball House still bears the scar of British fire during the War of 1812. Water continues to define life here: Lewes Beach fronts the bay with calm surf and sailing traffic, while the canal slips through town beside the Lightship Overfalls ship, a floating National Historic Landmark glowing red against the harbor.
Delaware City
Canal water curls right up to Delaware City, where the Chesapeake & Delaware Canal meets the Delaware River and turns the town into a waterfront with more history than its size suggests. A short ferry carries visitors across to Pea Patch Island, where Fort Delaware stands tall in the marshes like a Civil War ghost.
Back on the mainland, Fort DuPont State Park spreads across 322 acres of open fields and tree-lined drives, its remnants of military batteries softened by meadows. Clinton Street, the town's broad central avenue, leads straight to the river, ending with pubs and patios like Dolly Spanker's that look out over the waterway that built the town.
Bowers Beach
Bowers Beach clings to Delaware Bay with a quiet confidence, where the St. Jones and Murderkill Rivers slip past its tiny waterfront. Kayakers and anglers launch from Bowers Bayside Bait and Kayak Rentals, casting for flounder, bluefish, and croaker amid rippling reflections of the sky. The Bowers Beach jetty draws surf fishers, while the public beach offers a calm spot to soak in the water's edge.
Food and riverside life converge at JP's on the Wharf, perched where the Murderkill meets the bay. The restaurant serves fresh oysters, crab cakes, and blood orange salmon, with a view that turns each bite into a miniature celebration of the bay. Bocce courts, grassy parks, and winding streets complete the scene in this breathtaking but understated coastal town.
Smyrna
Duck Creek threads through Smyrna, where Georgian homes line the streets and the historic downtown moves with a quiet energy. Blackbird State Forest sits just outside town and provides trails, open meadows, and spots for birding and horseback riding. At the south end of Main Street, Lake Como delivers a sandy beach, paddleboat rentals, and fishing opportunities for locals and visitors alike. This natural attraction is easily one of the most beautiful parts of this Delaware town, especially because commercial attractions are situated nearby.
This includes the Smyrna Opera House, a century-old venue where performances fill the air, tying together the town's small-city charm and its mix of outdoor, historic, and culinary treasures.
Fenwick Island
At the southern edge of Delaware sits Fenwick Island, a slender barrier island wedged between the Atlantic Ocean, Little Assawoman Bay, and the state of Maryland. Fenwick Island State Park is the crown jewel here. It occupies a three-mile stretch of coast where sun-warmed sand and gentle surf invite swimming, fishing, and beachcombing. The historic Fenwick Island Lighthouse, built in 1858, marks the town with an elegant beauty worth seeing no matter what season it is.
In the spring and summer months, kayakers and paddleboarders slip through bay inlets while the town's restaurants serve fresh seafood just steps from the shore. On the Atlantic Ocean side, each street, such as Bayard and Indian, leads down to a different section of the beach, creating neighborhood spots to swim, surf, or wander. At every turn, the interplay of ocean, bay, and greenery creates a vivid tableau, making Fenwick Island a breathtaking experience.
From the colorful streets of Rehoboth Beach to the calm ripples at Bowers Beach, Delaware packs a striking variety of beauty into its small towns. Smyrna balances Georgian architecture with lakes and forests, while Fenwick Island threads ocean, bay, and dunes into a serene escape. Each town reveals a different facet of the state's character, historic, natural, or coastal, inviting visitors to wander, paddle, or simply take in the outstanding visuals. The impact isn't always in scale; more often, it's in the vivid details that make every corner feel alive and unexpectedly breathtaking.
