Touted not only as the No. 1 place to retire in Delaware, but one of the top 10 spots in the country to do so, the pivot to full-time beach life points to this quiet little resort town (population 1,064) on the lower Delaware coast. Sure, things rev up in the summer, but Bethany Beach takes it all in stride by leaning into old-fashioned pleasures like bandstand concerts, boardwalk strolling, and a no-alcohol policy on its broad, tawny-sand town beach. Just north of town, Delaware Seashore State park adds six miles of Atlantic coastline for surfing, fishing, paddling, boating, and taking in epic ocean sunrises.