Dog Days of Summer
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Dogfish Inn
105 Savannah Rd.
Lewes, DE 19958
(302) 644-8292
www.dogfishinn.com
Since it's a lot easier to dream about a Parisian getaway than to actually plan (and pay for) a Parisian getaway, your vacations so far this summer can best be described as "urban camping."
Translation: you sit outside, drink lukewarm beer and tell ghost stories to a circle of unimpressed friends. Vacations don't have to be an all-or-nothing endeavor, especially when a less-than-two-hour drive gets you to Coastal Delaware and the slightly offbeat, beer-celebrating Dogfish Inn.
Effectively satisfying the ol' camping yen, this just-opened hotel mixes a rustic, outdoorsy aesthetic with design elements that pay homage to the days when vacation meant loading up the family station wagon and hitting the road.
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This quirky bygone sensibility can best be seen in the living-room-like lobby, where brass deep-sea diving helmets flank a sign reading "Welcome to Lewes. Mother Nature, let's do this," potted greenery perches on three-legged wood stools, and a library contains a collection curated by San Francisco's City Lights bookstore.
Designed in collaboration with Studio Tack in Brooklyn, the 16 creatively outfitted rooms all contain wool Dogfish blankets from iconic American brand Woolrich, retro Tivoli radios, Dogfish beer label screen-prints, and a hidden painting of the historic Lightship Overfalls, created by a local artist to be a treasure hunt of sorts. The rooms are even equipped with mini-fridges stocked with locally made snacks and Dogfish brewery barware.
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Out back, you'll find cauldron-equipped fire pits, views of the canal and rugged-wood lawn furniture – the ideal setup for stargazing after a long day at the beach. As your home base for exploring the area's scenic trails, beaches, open waters and of course, the nearby Dogfish brewery, the hotel even provides a "treasure map" of local landmarks, retro beach chairs and Apolis tote bags for any adventuring you may have in mind.
Paris is pretty overrated this time of year, anyway.
By Arielle Sachar
