For some, the seasonal exodus to the beach can be akin to a religious pilgrimage. But before you reach your ocean paradise, you must endure a period of hardship and sacrifice—the backup at the Bay Bridge (Why didn’t I get that E-Z Pass?), the squabbling children in the backseat (Don’t make me pull over!), the bathing suit shopping horrors (I should’ve started that low-carb diet!). The two-lane, pancake-flat strip of asphalt known as Route 404 over to Delaware’s Atlantic shore can even induce visions.

But people have been making the trek to Rehoboth Beach for well over a hundred years, and, at the beginning, it was an actual religious journey. The town was founded in 1873 as a Methodist revival camp by Rev. Robert W. Todd. The Wilmington preacher purchased 414 acres of land for $10,000 and named it Rehoboth Beach, from an early Hebrew word meaning “room for all.” The revivalists built “tent houses,” narrow wooden cabins with no kitchens or indoor plumbing, and created the beginnings of Rehoboth’s first boardwalk, laying eight-foot oak boards across the sand. Not before long, the reverend started agitating for the railroad to be extended to the camp, to ease the journey for the faithful.

But the trains brought more summer tourists than pilgrims.

For Reverend Todd, “that was a big mistake,” says longtime Rehoboth resident and amateur town historian Warren “Mac” MacDonald. “The holiday-makers wanted hotels, they wanted to dance, play cards, and drink.” By 1881, the last revival meeting came to a close, and the town was on its way to becoming incorporated as a permanent seaside resort.

MacDonald’s home sits on the shores of Silver Lake, one of Rehoboth’s two serene freshwater lakes. From a glance at the surrounding houses, it’s clear that the housing prices have gone up since Reverend Todd’s day. Though the median home value in Sussex County is only $122,400, Rehoboth’s waterfront properties run into the millions, even for homes located many blocks away from the beach.

“Today, you can’t find a vacant space anywhere,” MacDonald says of the continuing building boom.

The big vacation homes are deceptive—they may have the look of huge family compounds, but Rehoboth’s year-round population is small, around 1,500 people, in only 600 of the city’s 3,200 homes, according to MacDonald.

As I drive into town for a visit on a beautiful spring day, it seems like half of those residents are out for a midday stroll. The town’s attractions huddle around and along Rehoboth Avenue, a long, wide main street, which ends at a T intersection with the mile-long boardwalk, parallel to the waves. In addition to the tacky T-shirt shops, saltwater taffy, french fries, and sea shells for sale, Rehoboth also has something most beach towns don’t have—a cosmopolitan, sophisticated atmosphere, with a mélange of upscale beach boutiques, art galleries, and hip night spots.

But Rehoboth’s real jewel is its lively restaurant scene, attracting urban, sun-worshipping gourmands from Washington, Baltimore, Philadelphia, and New York. Forget spring-break style beach food. Just a couple of blocks from the boardwalk, there’s a Russian caviar and vodka bar, which also serves smoked wild boar, buffalo, and pheasant, a hotel that serves Victorian high afternoon tea, and a Mediterranean bistro that offers a “Cosmo flight.” Perhaps Carrie Bradshaw and her gaggle of gal pals should have ventured further from the Hamptons. This May, Rehoboth hosted its first-ever restaurant week, where twenty-five restaurants prepared three-course prix fixe menus for $30—a bargain that pleased both shore and city palates. “It was a wild success,” says Jennifer Rubenstein, year-round resident and associate director of Rehoboth Beach Main Street. The association sponsored the event, which brought so many tourists and locals into town for the shoulder season that some restaurants had record-breaking sales.

But haute cuisine isn’t everything. Rubenstein is quick to point out that residents and visitors alike still line up for a chance to swallow some more traditional boardwalk eats. “People come here from all over and wouldn’t dream of leaving without getting a slice of Grotto pizza or some Thrasher’s fries.” The next food event goes back to the beach’s roots—a best chicken wings contest, complete with voting ballot.

It’s not just the food that evokes Rehoboth’s boardwalk beginnings. The mile-long strip of wood is still the place to go for some family-oriented fun, especially at Funland, the old-style amusement park that has been owned and operated by the Fasnacht family for more than forty years. Four generations of Fasnachts are working at Funland this season, greeting long time customers on the bumper cars, helicopters, and boat rides. “I had a grandmother in here Saturday night who rode the rocket ship in 1963, and now she’s here putting her granddaughter onto it,” says retired general manager and Funland patriarch Allen Fasnacht.

“It’s nice to have that continuity.”

Rehoboth’s mix of subtle urbanity and timeless-resort feel is a big draw. As I walk through the town’s leafy back streets, I see couples of every type of orientation along the way—walking dogs, holding hands, cutting the grass. My innkeeper, Inez Conover, sees her establishment as a microcosm of Rehoboth’s “room for all” philosophy. As I gobble up her fresh blueberry muffins after a comfortable night’s sleep at the Victorian Sea Witch Inn, she tells me tales of the friendly, diverse guests she’s welcomed to Rehoboth—black and white, gay and straight.

“If the whole world could be like my dining room table, it would be great,” she says.

The town has plenty of activities to keep residents of all ages busy year-round. “The off-season used to be pretty dead, but now more people are moving here full time,” says six-year resident David Ruffner, who works in the gallery of the Rehoboth Art League. The Art League is on an historic eighteenth-century property, tucked away in one of Rehoboth’s prettiest neighborhoods, Henlopen Acres. With its galleries and unique shops, Rehoboth is an ideal artists’ haven, and the Art League promotes local artists with exhibitions and sales, including a large outdoor fine art and craft show in August, and invites out-of-town artists to an outdoor “paint-off” in June.

There are plenty of other ways for Rehoboth residents to show their creativity. August brings the annual Sandcastle Contest, and in October, Rehoboth teams up with Dewey for the “sea of hounds,” when 3,500 greyhounds descend on the shore for Greyhounds Reach the Beach. The end of the month is time for the Sea Witch Halloween and Fiddlers’ Festival, where either you or your pet can win a prize for best costume. And just when it’s cold enough to avoid the outdoors, in November the Rehoboth Beach Independent Film Festival brings some indoor culture to the beach town.

But for many full-time residents, the summer hordes are still crucial for business. As he pulls me a potent pint of one of their local brews, the 90 Minute IPA, Dogfish Head bartender Tim Hollenback tells me that by the end of the off-season, he’s ready for something more than the regulars: “You recognize all the faces…you’ve seen them before.” The only drawback to tourist season is the traffic. “You can sit for two hours between Dewey and Rehoboth.” That’s a distance of less than three miles. During a summer weekend, the people-count can increase to 60,000 or more. But most people can park the car and leave it.

Measuring only one square mile, downtown Rehoboth is built to be explored on foot. After spending time sampling the bar’s strong brews and hand-distilled vodkas (Dogfish Head is the only legal distillery in Delaware), I feel walking is definitely a good thing.

Whatever Rehoboth’s modern pilgrims seek, be it open-minded attitudes, family fun, or a dose of sophistication along with the sand, they’re coming in all seasons, and sticking around. For eighty-five-year-old Warren MacDonald, the town has never given him any reason to leave. “It’s a delightful place to be year-round…every year there’s something new.”

Sara Edelson is a television and magazine writer who lives in Washington, D.C.

Locals’ Guide to Rehoboth Beach

Dunes and Dogs Locals take their pets to Cape Henlopen State Park in the summer, when the boardwalk and beach are closed to four-legged visitors.

Jazz Fix You don’t have to go to New Orleans to get a little dose of jazz. Sydney’s Blues and Jazz Restaurant has Southern-inspired cooking and live music Friday and Saturday nights. 25 Christian St. 302-227-1339.

Informal Brunch Dos Locos’ “Pajama Brunch” is a must in the off-season. Have a leisurely Mexican breakfast and a drink or two while kicking back in your PJ’s—you know, the ones with the teddy bear pattern. 10 Wilmington Ave. 302-227-3353.

Pious History The Anna Hazzard Museum , a narrow brown-shingled “tent” house once used in the revival camp, gives a look at the town’s religious roots. The little building perches on a narrow strip of land on Christian Street, and houses documents and memorabilia from before 1891, when Rehoboth Beach was incorporated as a resort town. 17 Christian St.

A Web’s-Eye View Want to people-watch without leaving your room? Check out the Rehoboth Beach Cam for a quick glance at the action. http://www.rehobothbeachcam.com.

When You Go

General Information: http://www.rehoboth.com, http://www.rehomain.com, http://www.beach-fun.com, Rehoboth Chamber of Commerce, 302-227-2233.

STAY

The chic Bellmoor Inn has seventy-eight rooms and suites and an in-house full-service spa. 6 Christian St. 302-227-5800 or http://www.thebellmoor.com.

Sea Witch Inn, Bewitched B&B, and BEDazzled B&B all have different, eclectic themes and a delectable full breakfast as well as spa services. 71 Lake Ave. 302-226-9482 or http://www.bewitchedbandb.com.

The Henlopen Hotel was Rehoboth’s first hotel, and is right on the beach, next to Lake Gerar. Rooms have been recently remodeled. 511 N. Boardwalk. 800-441-8450 or http://www.henlopenhotel.com

EAT

Back Porch Café is a town institution, having started off the restaurant boom in Rehoboth more than thirty years ago. 59 Rehoboth Ave. 302-227-3674.

Don’t let Nage’s location in a strip mall along Route 1 fool you. Inside the forty-six-seat eatery, an upscale culinary experience awaits (try the warm lobster gazpacho). 19730 Coastal Hwy. 302-226-2037 or http://www.nage.biz.

Pop into Café a Go-Go for a breakfast burrito, a fresh salad, or a Mexican wrap made with owner Jesus Ramirez’s homemade salsa. 102 Rehoboth Ave. 302-227-1099.

Recently reopened Planet X Café has sophisticated, health-conscious cuisine and an outdoor patio. 35 Wilmington Ave. 302-226-1928.

SHOP

Find a beach bobble at Heidi Lowe Jewelry Studio. Lowe handcrafts all her own pieces before your very eyes, from Tahitian seashell rings to Australian picture jasper earrings. 328 Rehoboth Ave. 302-227-9203 or http://www.thejewelrystudio.com.

Sole offers high-end clothing from the likes of Diane von Furstenberg and Nanette Lepore, as well as a bevy of accessories and even lingerie. 110 Rehoboth Ave. 302-227-6500.

The more casual, but no less fashionable, offerings at Hula Sue range from jeans to strappy sandals to hip jewelry. 149 Rehoboth Ave. 302-227-1012.

Great gifts are found at Bella Luna, from apparel to handmade handbags to European-style wicker beach mats and notecards. 127 Rehoboth Ave. 302-227-0267.

PLAY

Funland is a seasonal amusement park with rides and games for the whole family, and it’s right on the boardwalk. http://www.funlandrehoboth.com.

Bike to Go rents bicycles and can give suggestions for touring routes. 174 Rehoboth Ave. 800-245-8432 or http://www.biketogo.com.

The Rehoboth Beach Bandstand is being rebuilt for the 2006 summer season, with performances beginning July 2. Free concerts are held on weekend nights throughout the summer. http://www.rehobothbandstand.com/faq.shtml.

The Rehoboth Art League runs summer classes for both adults and children, but sign up early to get a space. 12 Dodds Ln. 302-227-8408 or http://www.rehobothartleague.org.