A big thank you for all those people who’ve already contributed to our sticker project.
Long way to go but we love the progress and we wanted to share. Just so you know we have no allegiances to any sports teams, states, countries, restaurants, so everything (if passed by the misses) will make the table. I’ve been informed that my peeps across the pond will be making a contribution and also Hawaii will hopefully be making an appearance on the table soon.
So usually my blogs are about sharing goodies with my readers about being a local at the beach. Well this time I’m asking you guys to give something back. I know it’s a little cheeky of me, but there you go.
I have a picnic table which I want to cover with stickers of any kind from state, country, restaurant, business everything and anything. It saves me from painting and we think it’s kind of cool. I had a bright idea – yes it happens now and then – to ask everybody out there to contribute and we can send updates of the how the table is progressing.
As you can see we have started with a Schell Brothers sticker, of course, and a whale from Vineyard Vines (new outlet store). We want more please.
Please send them to Adam’s sticker project, Schell Brothers, 55 Cascade Lane, Rehoboth Beach 19971 OR come and see me at my Villages at Herring Creek community.
Chris has nicely backed my little project and has said the best sticker sent will get a Schell Brothers prize!!! Whoooohooooo!!
Cheers,
Adam
When you live at The Avenue, you will be steps away from downtown Rehoboth Beach. Check out some favorite places downtown in this video, and let me know where you like to go.
Photo by Colleen R. View full image
It’s normal for our ‘homeowners-to-be’ to ask what it’s like to live at the beach. Do you make friends? Are there activities all year round? These are all normal questions to ask about a place you’re investing in, whether it be a vacation or primary residence.
I talk a lot about ‘living like a local’. I recommend places to eat that maybe aren’t on the ‘main strip’. In fact just this week after recommendations from friends I told our recent new homeowners Jim and Eileen to try El Dorado, a small, beachy Mexican restaurant on Route 24, near the UPS Store and the Gray Hare Tavern. Well, it’s small and quaint but Jim now claims they’ve got the best fish tacos in the WORLD and you can’t tell him otherwise!!! Oh my, his compliments gushed when I saw him after his visit. I’m just trying now to wean him off so he tries something new 🙂 Sorry Jim!
Not long ago I asked another new homeowner for her personal comments about coming from the ‘outside’ to now feeling like a ‘local’. Colleen will probably kill me, but I’ve also included a photo above that she recently took at our community. I’ve told her to enter competitions, it’s a winner in my eyes. Below is Colleen’s story. This was given freely and without hardly any harassment from me 🙂
When we moved from NY to NJ just over 10 years ago and it took nearly that long to feel like a local. It comes down to a certain comfort level. Knowing the best places to shop and eat, finding good short cuts around town.
Our home at The Villages at Herring Creek is a vacation home, so we want a little of both worlds- Vacation & Home. We moved in mid-Fall. We spent the months leading up to this Summer getting familiar with the lay of the land. Naturally, you start at the tourist attractions, but then you start to settle in and approach it more like a local. I’ve been using websites and blogs to read reviews that the locals post. Of course, we have been shamelessly using Adam as our personal concierge!
Our NJ town is very friendly and neighborly, and that is exactly what we have found at The Villages at Herring Creek. That’s what makes you feel like a local.
Yes, I am one of those people. I do love food. I also love trying new restaurants. Put these together and I guess I couldn’t of landed anywhere better than Rehoboth Beach where food and restaurants are in abundance. As luck would have it, a special event is happening in Rehoboth from the 3rd of June till the 9th. It’s restaurant week! Yaaaaaaaaaaay.
So what does that mean? Yes restaurants will be open as always BUT in this period of time you can go and get a lunch or dinner at super-duper prices. As much as I like food, some of the fine dining experiences to be had usually come at a cost. You’ve heard the saying ”you get what you pay for”. For gourmet food you expect to pay a bit more. I guess in many ways, it’s like Schell Brothers. We use higher quality materials than most other builders in the area. We deliver higher quality homes just like fine dining restaurants deliver higher quality food! How many times have you gone and brought an item only to be disappointed by the lack of quality in the end? Probably more often than you would like to admit. Never take that chance with food and especially not when you’re buying a home at the beach.
So getting back to food. What does this mean? Well it means that during restaurant week you can go and try out many fine dining restaurants in Rehoboth and still have money left for Funland.
A three course meal at Blue Moon, Zebra (yummy), or Salt Air for only $20 is a steal! Nearly as good as buying a new home on The Avenue with Schell Brothers. Okay that was a shameless plug, but The Avenue will go down in history as one of the last new-home communities in Rehoboth, that I’m sure about.
If you can’t make it out for dinner, go for lunch. Go and try places you’ve never tried before. You’ll never know unless you try it. I’m sure I say that to my kids… and wife! Remember, we are all here for a good time, not a long time 🙂
If you’re still undecided, well have a look at the Rehoboth Foodie website. It gives you reviews on all the restaurants in the area and tells you about the new ones opening up. PLEASE remember though, everybody has different tastes and one person’s heaven is another person’s hell.
Top 4 restaurants I’ve not tried yet:
I’ve been lucky enough to have tried most all the others so let me know what type of food you’re looking for and I’ll be sure to give you my recommendation.
Good luck out there food lovers!
Dos Locos on Rehoboth Ave.
Cinco de Mayo (Spanish for “fifth of May”) is a celebration held on May 5, surprisingly enough. It is celebrated regionally in Mexico, nationwide in the United States, and is a big occasion down here at the beach. The date is observed in the United States as a celebration of Mexican heritage and pride to commemorate the cause of freedom and democracy during the first years of the American Civil War.
What does it mean to me? It’s a super duper excuse to go Mexican for the night and believe me I don’t need an excuse. What’s the best place to celebrate Cinco de Mayo here at the beach? Well this is right up my street. I guess it depends on your mood and whether margaritas are important to you. Margaritas are imperative in my family as my wife loves them!
My go to suggestion has to be Moe’s Southwest Grill. I think I could honesty eat Moe’s everyday of my life. Queso and chips are stupendous and I rarely leave with my food under my arm without rummaging around for the chips straight away. Plus how can you not like a place that shouts out “WELCOME TO MOE’S” every time someone enters. Scared the wits out of me the first time I went in! My favorite menu item is the Joey with steak, rice, peppers, mushrooms, queso and salsa. Moe’s just added an app so you can order on your phone and avoid the queues! It might just be the best app ever! Although my MIL loves the Walgreens app for repeat prescriptions… She’ll kill me for writing that.
My favorite spot for margaritas and dinner in Rehoboth has to be Dos Locos. They do pumpkin margaritas (Halloween season) and the misses loves them. Not my cup of tea but there you go. Great bar food and they have awesome Karaoke! Yes I participated and it was amazing. “I feel it in my fingers, I feel it in my toes…” and so the song continues! Classic.
My favorite Lewes spot is the crème de la crème of exquisite Mexican food and drink, Agave. There is no rival in my eyes. When they do their local gift card sale I’m at the front of the line and I hold my ground! Great location in the heart of down town Lewes and right next to Kings Ice cream. The food gods couldn’t of placed them better even if they tried.
For the best happy hour experience ever there’s Que Pasa in Dewey Beach. Catch the sunset drink margaritas and be on the beach… what could be better?
For a quirky and great value experience check out La Tonalteca on Route 1. You’re not going to get a brighter decorated restaurant that’s for sure. The location on Route 1 makes it easily accessible as well.
So where should you go? Well, that depends on your mood and where you are I guess. From my Rehoboth community, The Avenue, you can walk to Dos Locos, eat and drink as much as you like, and walk it off on the journey home. From The Avenue you could also walk to the Jolly Trolley stop just behind Lingo Realty and ride over to Dewey Beach to catch Que Pasa for happy hour.
At The Villages at Herring Creek you’re nestled nicely between Rehoboth and Lewes, although it’s a bit challenging when you actually have to decide where to go! Whether it’s a margarita in hand or a corona, it’s always good to remember how blessed we are to live at the beach with such fabulous restaurants and bars to frequent! Cheers!
The Mulberry courtyard at The Villages at Herring Creek.
The Mulberry has its first anniversary in April and we’re celebrating in true Schell Brothers style. The Mulberry has been a hit and it’s made many strong hearted people melt when they walk through the front door. For good reason, and not just because I greet them as they enter (couldn’t resist that one). To celebrate, we’ll be throwing a party on Saturday the 21st of April as part of the Momentum event. We’ll have party food, drinks and prizes along with some very special incentives!!!
Not only is The Mulberry celebrating its first anniversary, but The Sanderling will be having its baby shower!!! Ha. Yes that’s right, it’s the grand opening of the new Sanderling model at Villages at Herring Creek. The model is already sold – actually it sold even before the construction process was finished – that’s how great it is! You can come and see two Courtyard Series homes in one community! The Sanderling starts at $292,900 at Herring Creek.
The Courtyard Series was revealed one year ago with the opening of The Mulberry and has received rave reviews ever since. We foresee The Sanderling following in the footsteps of it’s bigger brother, The Mulberry.
Consider this your personal invitation to come along to my party and who knows, maybe you’ll win what you’ve always been wishing for. While you’re here you can check out our superior building techniques in person; we’ll have two homes under construction that are a stone’s throw away from the model. To top it off, you’ll get to wear a Schell construction hard-hat so you look the part! What more could you ask for?
I couldn’t conclude this blog without mentioning another big anniversary in the beach area – Funland. I’m not sure you can go to Rehoboth or Lewes and miss out on Funland. Can you miss it? Would you want to? ABSOLUTELY NOT.
Opening night is a big event for all locals no matter how many times you’ve visited before. It’s a must. A bit like the Mulberry in many ways. 🙂
The Funland season begins Mother’s Day Weekend and runs through Labor Day. Do I need to tell you about the flying frogs or the silver goblet? If I do then you definitely need to spend more time at Funland.
Check out The Funland Story video on YouTube and 50 Years of Funland photoset on Flickr.
I never like writing one of those very ‘salesy’ blogs about my special community, with its amazing amenities, low HOA fees and wonderful wildlife and views. Whooops – Ha ha. Well, enough about me; what did my new family at Herring Creek say when I asked them why they choose The Villages at Herring Creek?
“We have moved here from Long Island, which seems like a simple thing when you say it, but to us it was a very big adventure. We felt like pioneers. We love the New York area and yet, as our family was growing, we realized we wanted a change. We were looking for someplace that still had all the things we loved about Long Island – the beaches, good schools, great restaurants, the arts, and access to a big city – but with lower property taxes, more room to breathe, and the opportunity to build our dream house within our budget. Southern Delaware fit the bill from our very first visit, but it took us two years from making that first decision to move to buying our home in the Villages at Herring Creek.
We moved here in July of 2010 as renters, enrolled our kids in the schools, and began our search for the perfect home. We had first seen VHC in March of 2009 on a visit here, and it made a big impression, but we wanted to be sure we had seen everything that was available in the area. We looked at so many communities and homes in the two years after that first visit, but we kept going back to VHC. The natural beauty and character of the neighborhood just felt like home, and in February of 2011 we finally told the Schell Brothers to start building us our Henlopen model! Working with the Schell Brothers was a great experience. There were so many models and floor plan options that we really felt we were constructing a home that would be unique to our tastes and needs as a family. Everyone from Josh and Adam who helped us through the sales and purchase process, to Larry who helped us pick out every fixture and floor tile, to Johnny who managed the construction, was a pleasure to work with, and you really felt like they shared in your interests in making sure everything in the home was going to come out perfectly.
We absolutely love our home. Our kids have enjoyed making their rooms into their own space, and we have already created wonderful memories enjoying cooking with family and friends in our beautiful kitchen and relaxing in the sunroom. I recently had a moment where I stood in my driveway after a long day at work and stared at the sky in amazement – there were so many stars! In a densely populated area like Long Island, the light pollution really dims the night sky, but here we have gotten a lot of pleasure from stargazing with our kids since our move. We have also enjoyed the pool and the clubhouse, especially my teenager who uses the fitness room nearly every day.
You know, it’s also kind of hard to describe why our community is special. It just feels special, and people have to visit it and compare it to the other communities in the area to really get a sense of that. We had been moving away from buying in a community, right up until the week before we purchased the lot; we thought we wanted a home on a private piece of land because the communities felt a bit sterile and cookie-cutter. On Long Island we would have called them Levittown communities (Google this!). But VHC didn’t feel that way, it felt like a real neighborhood and the homes felt like they were a part of the natural landscape instead of on top of it.
We look forward to all the memories we still have to create here, and we could not be happier with the service and the product that the Schell Brothers delivered to us in the construction of our dream home! Thank you!
We stumbled across VHC community quite by accident as we had been looking at resale homes nearby when we saw the Schell Brothers sign at the end of the road. We had decided some time ago upon the Lewes/Rehoboth Beach area as the place we wanted to retire and had settled on Schell Brothers as the builder if we bought new. We liked the elevations, finishes and the quality of construction. The value we received at VHC was better than any of their other communities in our estimation and we were fortunate to find a very nice wooded lot, so it made the decision all the easier for us.
Our home is in the construction stage at this moment and we’ve had the opportunity to be in the area at the early stages to see it go up. We’re still very impressed and now very excited to see the progress. We brag to all our friends who can stand to listen to us drone on about how happy we are about our new home and the Schell atmosphere. Seriously, what other construction manager hugs his customers other than Johnny?
Steve and I looked at lots of houses and builders in the area over the course of 2 1/2 years. We had looked at the Mariner model first at another Schell subdivision. We fell in love with it but knew there wasn’t enough land with the houses there. We started looking at lots of houses both online and in person in the area. We have another house that we knew we were going to down size from and wanted to be near the water-too much land and too big of a house at our other place. We are getting close to retirement and wanted to make a gradual transition. We kept going back to see the Mariner online and then discovered the Mulberry. We wanted to see it in person. By the time we met you and discovered the Villages of Herring Creek, we knew we wanted a Schell Brothers home. The quality was not anywhere else. We had eliminated all of the other builders in our search but we had the decision to make whether we wanted to build a Mulberry home or a Mariner home. Once we realized we could have a half acre lot, along with a lot that could have a basement and a 3 car garage, we knew we had to build the Mariner here. Now that our home is completed we just love it!
Scott, Colleen and Family
We bought there because Sean loves your accent! (Sean is one of their three children.) I always knew I liked Sean. 🙂
It’s true to say that one of the biggest decisions you make after you’ve bought a new home at the beach with Schell Brothers is what color your new home will be. How do people make this decision? Does it come down to the personality of the new homeowners? Do you want your home to settle into the community with the existing neighborhood or do you want to stand out from the rest? I’m fascinated about the decision-making behind this.
It all came about with one of my recent new homeowners in The Villages at Herring Creek. He’s a super chap and we had a chat about colors that would suit his home with the environment being the biggest factor for him. At the Villages at Herring Creek we’ve got every different environment you could possibly choose. Wooded homes, waterfront homes, water view with woods and wetlands, open homesites and a few other combinations.
Does a wooded site suit certain colors compared to a setting on the water? It’s the first time I’d thought about it but it got me thinking about the huge decision new Schell Brothers family members have when they go to their selections appointment with our style-gurus Larry Gee and Karen Ryan.
Here’s what I do know; our Selections Center staff are the very best (apart from my good self of course 🙂 and give you homework to make sure you’ve toured our communities and looked at other happy homeowners’ choices in this department. They also share their knowledge and crazy-good style about what looks good. And, I’ve not seen one of our homes that doesn’t look awesome so you’re in the very best hands.
I would love to know what color you would choose and hopefully you’ll be making that decision real soon with us!
Would you choose: Regatta Blue? Lighthouse Red? Greystone? Cypress Green? Clay? Wheat Yellow? Aspen White? The list goes on. Does the color depend on which community you choose? Does it depend on a flip of a coin?
I’ll be the first to admit having had reservations about how home colors look on paper and then being amazed when they come together in real life. Hey, I love color; don’t get me wrong. Anybody who knows me or has seen any of my clothing will tell you that. My pinks shorts are well-known in Schell Brothers ranks! I would love to have all of them, but not all on one home!
If you’ve made this decision recently or in the past how did you finally decide what the dream exterior of your new home would be? If you’re making this decision soon, what will impact your choice?
It’s getting to be that time of the year again, folks. This is the best time of year when all the ice cream parlors open once again. The first one reopened on March 1st: Dairy Queen in Lewes is back in business for the season. Whooohoooo!
We’ve been talking about the opening of Dairy Queen on our Villages at Herring Creek community Facebook page and now it looks like we also opened up a big can of worms. Everybody has a favorite ice cream store in the area. I’m no different, just a little less biased. I love them all! Ha.
Oliver enjoying some ice cream
Wherever you go, whatever you choose, ice cream is delicious and it tastes even more fantastic at the beach. When you buy a home with Schell Brothers at the beach I guess you get to enjoy it more than most. That’s something I’m very thankful for but the waistline isn’t! Oh well.
