BY MARK WERT
The Cincinnati Enquirer

For most travelers, what they experience of Delaware is an 11.3-mile, car-choked stretch of Interstate 95 between Maryland and Pennsylvania.

It's an unattractive, heavily suburbanized strip that ''is to the Mid-Atlantic as Hartsfield Airport in Atlanta is to the South: as inescapable as death and taxes,'' according to Jonathan Yardley, a Mid-Atlantic native and Pulitzer Prize winning critic in his book States of Mind.

But at the southern end of the Small Wonder state are 28 miles of Atlantic Ocean, dune-laden beaches, which are broad, clean and relatively uncommercialized.

More than half the beaches are state parkland and ''seem to defy crowding,'' wrote Jane Vessels in a 1983 National Geographic magazine article. ''Step beyond bodies and blankets, and the surf, gulls and gentle dunes work their magic.''

Fun off the beach The Delaware beaches offer plenty besides sun worshiping, fine dining and outlet shopping. Of course, you can take a break from the beach for a day or two. Delawareans sometimes say living in the First State means ''you're close to where you want to be.'' Baltimore, with its aquarium, Little Italy and Inner Harbor, is a two-hour drive; historic Philadelphia and Washington, D.C., are just three hours. Annapolis, quaint home of the U.S. Naval Academy, and the Chesapeake Bay are an hour to the west. If you don't want to drive so far, non-beach related attractions include: • Southern Delaware is a great place to find a fishing charter for both bay waters (sea bass, flounder or bluefish) or the deep sea (tuna, mahi-mahi and shark). No license is required for saltwater fishing. A full list of charter operators is on page 31 of the state's official travel guide; call (800) 441-8846 to get a copy. There are public boat ramps in the three oceanfront state parks for those who bring their own boat. You also can rent a small boat or pontoon craft. Try Bayside Adventures, at the Rehoboth Bay Marina on Collins Street in Dewey Beach; call (302) 226-2012. Rentals also are available at Fenwick Island State Park off Delaware 1; (302) 539-9060. Sailboats are available at the Rehoboth Bay Sailing Association; (302) 227-9008. Finally, wind surfers and jet skis can be rented at various locations along Delaware 1 on the Rehoboth and Indian River bays. A note of caution: jet ski speed limits are strictly enforced. Parasailing also is available. • Visitors from late July through early October can spot dolphins and whales just off shore. Two-hour dolphin cruises leave in the mornings, and are $10 for adults and $6 for children; four-hour dolphin and whale cruises leave in the afternoons, and are $19 for adults and $10 for children. Boats leave from Fisherman's Wharf in the Lewes harbor; (302) 645-8862. • Crabs are the major seafood harvested in Delaware's waters, and you could try catching some. No license is required for crabbing or clamming but there are limits on minimum sizes, daily catches and locations. Call the Delaware Division of Fish and Wildlife (800) 523-3336 for information. For crabbing tips, take a half-day cruise with Captain K's. Trips depart from the Rehoboth Bay Marine on Collins Street in Dewey Beach. Call (302) 226-2012 for reservations. • To take a side trip to a beautiful Victorian village, hop on the Lewes-Cape May ferry for aÎ75-minute ride across Delaware Bay's mouth to Cape May, N.J. (There's also a small zoo in Cape May.) Crossing times vary as do fares ($8.50 round-trip for an adult). For reservations, (800) 643-3779 or (302) 426-1155 for information. Or check things out via the Internet at (www.capemay-lewesferry.com). • Visit the Nanticoke Indian Museum, at the intersection of Delaware 24 and 5 near Oak Orchard. The tribe, which has about 500 members, holds its 1998 pow wow (complete with ceremonial dances, crafts and food) on Sept. 12 and 13. Museum admission is $1; (302) 945-7022. • If you like American history, check out the Dickinson Plantation off U.S. 113 south of Dover on Kitts Hummock Road. The house was owned by John Dickinson, called the Penman of the American Revolution. It's also a reminder that Delaware was north of the Mason-Dixon line but still allowed slavery. Admission is free; call (302) 739-3277. • For something to do on a rainy day or at night other than the movies (if you have kids) or bars (if you don't): Take a half-hour car trip and try the ''video lottery terminals'' that look remarkably like slot machines at Dover Downs race track in Dover (800) 711-5882 or Midway Slots at Harrington Raceway in Harrington (888) 887-5687. - Mark Wert, Cincinnati Enquirer

All of the Delaware beaches have lifeguards from Memorial Day through Labor Day and offer you broad, white sand. But if you're a shell collector, they're not great for beachcombing - unless you're a fan of horseshoe crabs (which aren't really crabs at all, although they're a major food source for the soft- and hard-shelled crabs served in beach restaurants).

The Delaware beaches were originally developed in the 1890s, when the Pennsylvania Railroad finally reached Rehoboth Beach. But their popularity didn't really blossom, University of Delaware professor John Munroe notes in his History of Delaware, until the 1920s, with the highway age.

The full-time population of the southern Delaware beaches has grown rapdily in the past 15 years, as retirees from Washington and Baltimore migrate there.

There's also been an attempt to make the beaches more of a year-round resort, with outlet mall shops as the main draw. (Delaware, thanks to its unique position as the haven of corporations, has no sales tax, making it a great place to shop till you drop.)

Despite these changes, the summer and the beaches are what draws most tourists to Delaware.

There's a string of five beach towns - each with its own personality, but all moving at a resort town's pace - from the mouth of Delaware Bay (where the great river of the same name empties into the ocean) to the Maryland border (where somewhat gaudy and heavily commercialized Ocean City lurks).

The fact that the pace is more relaxed was emphasized by a now-defunct store in Rehoboth Beach, which offered turtle-emblazoned T-shirts and other beach regalia from Slower Lower Delaware.

That pace is slow of necessity on summer weekends, when traffic on Delaware 1 - the main highway connecting the beach cities - flows as fast as molasses, particularly in Rehoboth Beach. The best advice if you're impatient: Rent a bike or walk.

Here's a look at each of the five beach cities, from north to south.

Lewes

Pronounced LOO-is, is the site of the first European settlement in the state. (The Dutch came first, in 1631, then the Swedes, then the English.)

Lewes has the most quaint and historic buildings, with restored structures from the 17th, 18th and 19th centuries. The most picturesque is the Zwaanandael Museum, Kings Highway and Savannah Road, which duplicates the architecture of a medieval Dutch town hall. Admission is free; call (302) 645-1148 for hours.

The town also has the largest number of galleries, many of them featuring works by local artists.

It also has some nice restaurants. My favorite beach spot for Italian with an accent on seafood is La Rosa Negra, 128 Second St. Prices are moderate, but call for dinner reservations, (302) 645-1980.

Visitors to Lewes get a choice of two beaches - one on the bay, which is good for younger children because there aren't the strong undertow currents found on other Delaware beaches, and one on the ocean in Cape Henlopen State Park.

The park offers 155 campsites (sorry, no reservations), its Seaside Nature Center (complete with saltwater aquariums and other displays) and a 115-foot-tall refurbished World War II observation tower, which gives some of the best views on the beach. Admission to Delaware's state parks is $5 for out-of-state cars. Call (302) 645-8983 for information.

Rehoboth Beach

Rehoboth was a place in the Old Testament and, depending on the translation you choose from the Hebrew, means ''broad place'' or ''room enough for all.''

That's fitting, because it's not only biggest of the beach towns, it's also the most diverse - it hosts a sizable gay and lesbian contingent - and the most affected by commercialism.

Yet Rehoboth Beach remains very much a charming small town, especially when compared to nearby Ocean City. There are nightly concerts at the oceanfront band shell at the foot of Rehoboth Avenue, for example.

The city has a mile-long boardwalk, which features a small amusement park, a variety of arcades, plus restaurants, bars and saltwater taffy shops.

The beach is the only one in Delaware that's fully accessible to the disabled; there are foot washes and several public restrooms on the boardwalk.

There are a variety of boutiques and small shops in downtown Rehoboth, in addition to the outlet malls out on Delaware 1.

Rehoboth is the most cosmopolitan of the beach cities - befitting its nickname as the ''the nation's summer capital'' because so many Washington, D.C., residents visit or have homes there - and a symbol of that sophistication is the number and quality of its restaurants.

Big-deal restaurants that are worth it and where reservations are a must at night include:

• La La Land, featuring California-Asian fusion cuisine for lunch and dinner; 22 Wilmington Ave.; (302) 227-3887. Opens for season on May 1.

• Blue Moon, an award-winning wine list with an equally impressive menu; dinners only; 35 Baltimore Ave.; (302) 227-6515.

• Chez La Mer, weekday specials on lobster; dinners only; 210 Second St; (302) 227-6494. Opens for season in April.

More moderately priced dining can be found at Manos (try the crab cakes; they're baked or broiled in Delaware, without all that breading or frying) on Wilmington Avenue or the Iguana Grill (Tex-Mex heaven) on Baltimore Avenue.

IF YOU GO • Getting there: Because of the Appalachian and Allegheny mountains, there are no direct roads between the Delaware beaches and Cincinnati. The drive over a patchwork of interstates is 12 to 13 hours. If you drive to Delaware, speeding is extremely unadvisable in the southern half of the state. A number of communities on the way to the beach are proud that their police forces are strongly subsidized by speeding fines from tourists. The airports closest to the beaches with direct service from Cincinnati are Philadelphia (roughly a three-hour drive) and Baltimore (about a two-hour drive). If you're willing to drive to Louisville, you can probably find a cheaper air fare to Baltimore via Southwest Airlines. • Finding a place to stay: Thousands of rooms are available but during summer weekends, most motels and guest houses require a three-day stay. Prices will be lower and availability easier in May, June and September, when the weather usually is good enough for the beach (although the water may be a little cold in May). A variety of rental properties are available and dominate the market in the southern beaches. The best advice may be to visit the area while staying in a hotel and check out rental sites for a possible return visit. For a complete list of accommodations at the beaches, try this page on the state's tourism Web site (www.state.de.us/ tourism/ accbea.htm). • More information: Delaware Tourism Office: (800) 441-8846; Internet address: (www.state.de.us). For more specific information about the beaches, try the Sussex County Convention and Tourism Commission at (800) 357-1818; Internet address: (www.visitdelaware.com). - Mark Wert, Cincinnati Enquirer

Here's the rundown on cheaper eats and beach food:

Dolle's is the best and best known taffy on the boardwalk. Try Grotto Pizza - two boardwalk locations, with eight others in the beach towns - for its ''legendary taste.'' And Thrasher's is a must for wonderful French fries - try them with vinegar or, if you're taking them home, with Old Bay seasoning.

A good spot for sandwiches is Capriotti's, a shop on Rehoboth Avenue, which specializes in roasted turkey pulled from the bird.

And Dos Locos on Baltimore Avenue has wonderful, inexpensive Mexican food and an outdoor courtyard where you can eat.

For an evening out, try Sydney's, 25 Christian St., which offers the best jazz and blues on the beach.

The biggest drawback to Rehoboth Beach: the parking. There isn't a lot of it and the parking laws are religiously enforced (beware: flashlight-toting meter watchers work until midnight). Change for meters is always available at the municipal parking office near the convention center; parking passes, required in some residential areas, also can be purchased there.

Remember the previous tip about the traffic: See the town on foot or rent a bicycle (because you will have parking at your motel or guest house).

Dewey Beach

Dewey is a small beach town with a night scene more boisterous than in Rehoboth. The bars at night are crowded with the thirtysomething and approaching-thirtysomething crowds.

The favorite restaurant is the legendary Rusty Rudder, which is on the Rehoboth Bay side of town. It's open for lunch and dinner; reservations advised, (302) 227-3888.

Bethany Beach

This town joins with neighboring South Bethany and Fenwick Island to advertise themselves as ''The Quiet Resorts.'' Translated that means mostly residential and not many bars.

Bethany Beach, in fact, temporarily banned alcohol sales after 8 p.m. for a short time a few summers ago, until reverting to the state's tavern closing time of 1 a.m.

Bethany Beach also has a boardwalk, albeit smaller than Rehoboth's, and a bandstand.

There only are a few motels and bed and breakfasts in Bethany and its southern neighbor towns, making them good places to scout for rentals on a subsequent visit.

Restaurant choices also are available, just not as many as in Rehoboth.

For brunch and such, try the waffles and other light fare at Dream Cafe, Pennsylvania Avenue and Campbell Place.

It's worth a trip to Ocean View, a little hamlet that's not really in sight of the Atlantic, for the grilled chicken at Bootsie's on Route 26. (Remember, this is the Delmarva Peninsula, where hundreds of millions of birds are raised annually.)

For more expensive and elegant Southwestern dining, try Sedona, 29 Pennsylvania Ave.; (302) 539-1200 for reservations.

You can enter the Delaware Seashore State Park off Route 1 here. Like Camp Henlopen, there is camping (with more than 250 sites), but again no reservations. Call (302) 227-2800 for information.

The park gives great beach access, plus it's an easy way to get into or on Rehoboth and Indian River bays.

Fenwick Island

Go visit the Fenwick Island Lighthouse on Route 54 about a quarter-mile west of Route 1. It was built in 1859 and its light remains in operation.

The big restaurant here is Harpoon Hanna's, on Route 54 on Little Assawoman Bay. The views from the deck and dining rooms are of Maryland, and are gorgeous. Sorry, no reservations, but it's open for lunch and dinner.

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