Last weekend was gorgeous in Bethany Beach, DE… I hear it was also a nice one here in Chester County. We had so much fun we’re returning this weekend to enjoy the miles of sand they had pumped onto the beaches, now making them seem more like Santa Monica than the Delmarva shore.

I know there was a recent top ten list of beaches, but I have to plug my personal favorite here and say that Bethany is really a great place for families. OK, so having a relative with a house there doesn't hurt; but the miles of tide pools the new sand project has created are ideal for young children, and the fenced playground right in town makes even cloudy days fun.

And this is the first year I can actually sit in a beach chair and sort of relax while my kids play. Last year they ran away a lot and the year before my daughter was so offended by stray sand that she instead on wearing shoes to the beach! Three is a good age, tantrums and testing aside, the imaginations blossom and everything becomes more enjoyable.

A few tricks for the beach goers with children – baby powder is great for getting sand off of skin quickly, a good shovel is worth ten more intricate sand toys, and always bring plenty of drinks and snacks!