Nostalgic Tour Company Comes to Rehoboth Beach

By Arnold Santos  |  Lifestyles Editor, Contributor

REHOBOTH BEACH, DE — In response to what he describes as “rapid, irreversible, and frankly disrespectful levels of progress,” lifelong Sussex County resident Dale “Skip” Hitchens has launched a new walking tour company dedicated entirely to showing visitors where things used to be.

Operating under the name “Back In The Day Tours, LLC,” Hitchens guides small groups along the Rehoboth Beach boardwalk and surrounding areas, pointing out former landmarks, beloved hangouts, and businesses that have long since disappeared—often replaced by luxury condos, boutique shops, or something described vaguely as “upscale coastal concepts.”

The tour begins, as all good local outings do, at the Rehoboth Wawa—specifically, according to Hitchens, “the old new one, not the new-new one, and definitely not the original one, which was better.”

From there, guests are led on a carefully curated journey through absence.

“Over here,” Hitchens said during a recent tour, gesturing toward a row of polished storefronts, “this is where both miniature golf courses used to be. Two of ‘em. Now look at it. Nothing. Just… money.”

Participants are then shown the former location of a once-popular video arcade, where, according to Hitchens, “kids used to go to actually have fun instead of whatever it is they do now.”

The tour continues past the former site of the iconic Dolle’s sign—“not where it is now,” Hitchens clarified, “but where it used to be, when it meant something”—before stopping briefly at the location of the long-defunct downtown 7-Eleven gas station.

“You could actually get gas down here,” he explained. “Imagine that. Right here. Civilization.”

Guests are also treated to an emotional walkthrough of where the Country Squire once stood, with Hitchens often pausing to recount what he describes as “some of the last good nights this town ever saw,” before remembering that neither the pool tables nor the beer are still available.

Tour participant Greg Malloy of Wilmington described the experience as “confusing but deeply moving.”

“I’m not entirely sure what we saw,” Malloy admitted. “But I definitely feel like I missed something important.”

Hitchens says business has been steadily growing, particularly among locals and longtime visitors eager to reconnect with a version of Rehoboth that, according to him, “had just the right amount of stuff and then stopped.”

Future plans for the tour include expanded routes covering “where the old parking used to be,” “the original beach crowd,” and a premium sunset package featuring a quiet moment of reflection near “where everything started going wrong.”

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BoardWalk Barker is a satirical publication. The stories and quotes herein are works of humor and parody.