Are we going to the boardwalk???
I’m sure my parents got sick and tired of me begging to always go to the boardwalk in Rehoboth but for any kid this was where all the fun was at and you wanted to be there. Especially at night when the whole place was lit up from the shops, boardwalk games and of course Funland!
Arial view of Rehoboth Beach Boardwalk
We usually went to the boardwalk once maybe twice while we were at the beach. Of course I wanted to go every night and never understood why we couldn’t. Now being an adult I can understand why, it cost money! Especially the way I blew threw tickets for the rides and money for the games, lol! Not to mention the food; fries, ice cream and candy.
Getting the boardwalk was a feat in itself especially at night. You would have to drive down the main drag and loop around again until you could find something or you had to park down one of the side streets and walk.
Grotto’s Pizza
You knew you finally made it when you could smell Grotto Pizza and the greasy smell of Thrasher’s boardwalk fries. I can smell them both right now just thinking about it!
Thrasher’s Boardwalk Fries
Funland on Rehoboth Beach Boardwalk (circa 1970’s)
The photo above is the original Funland with the clown on the corner of the building. I can remember turning the corner from the street to walk on the boardwalk and anticipating the sight of the clown. As soon as I saw it I knew I had arrived!
The photo below is what Funland looks like now, sans clown. So sad…
Funland Today
Nothing ever stays the same and Funland is no exception. This is a view of what Funland looks like. It’s changed a few times through the years. The paratrooper, the SeaDragon and the helicopters towards the front are all things I remember growing up. There was also a Time Shaft ride and a Wagon Wheel ride that I loved but those are no longer there.
FunLand rides
Kids Tugboat ride
A few more rides that are pierced in my mind are the little tug boats above with the creep mermaid and The Haunted Mansion. Oh the Haunted Mansion.
Just the sight of this ride as a kids scared me to death. I never liked anything that had to do with scary things but at the same time I was so intrigued. I wanted to know what was behind those doors once the flung open and slammed behind you. It wouldn’t be until I was a teenager and had a friend go to the beach with me that I finally had the guts to go in. It was silly, a bunch of skeletons propped up through the different rooms.
The Haunted Mansion
Skee Ball
After we hit the rides we would then hit the games. Skee ball, air hockey, shooting gallery and of course my favorite, the water gun game.
Water gun game to the left in the back
No trip to the boardwalk would be complete without a stop at the Candy Kitchen for a bucket of saltwater taffy. I’ve tried a lot of saltwater taffy but to me nothing compares to the taffy at the Candy Kitchen.
Sometimes we would go into town during the day and that was to go to the shops. For me it was always a trip to the Sea Shell Shop that would get me excited. Rows and rows filled with bins of shells was like heaven to me!
There was an alley way lined with shop called Penny Lane. You could find so many unique things there.
One of the things that was popular when we were younger were purses called Bermuda bags. They were small bags with wooden handles and would have buttons along the top so that you could switch out the covers. So preppy!
Another thing that I would always get would be some type of creative item. Most of the time it would be a cross stitch kit with some sort of beach design. The picture above is just an example. I was always finding something to keep my busy if there was a rainy day at the beach.
Well, I hope you’ve enjoyed this week’s trip down memory lane at Rehoboth Beach. Next week we’ll be venturing into the Lewes, Delaware memories where my grandmother purchased her first beach house. See you then!
