A Rehoboth Beach vacation usually comes with a few guarantees: time on the beach, a little shopping, plenty of good food, and at least one night where everyone asks, “So...what are we doing tonight?”
That’s where we come in.
At Thompson Island Brewing Company, there’s almost always something happening. Live music. Beer releases. Trivia. Bingo. Chef dinners. Giant pretzels. Chicken tenders. Shark Week. Wizarding Week. Holiday events. Sometimes things get a little weird. We like it that way.
So if you’re looking for things to do in Rehoboth Beach beyond the beach and boardwalk, check our calendar before your trip. You might find something worth planning your whole night around.
There’s Usually Something Happening
We love a good beer and dinner as much as anyone, but Thompson Island has never been just about showing up, eating, and heading home.
Throughout the year, our Rehoboth Beach brewery hosts live music, seasonal events, special menus, beer releases, trivia, Bingo, beer dinners, community events, and plenty of other reasons to hang out a little longer.
And the experience changes depending on when you visit.
Summer might mean live music in the Beer Garden after a day at the beach. Fall can bring full-scale themed weekends. Winter means fire pits, holiday decorations, and events for the whole family.
Come back a few months later and it might feel like a completely different place.
We Take Our Theme Weekends Pretty Seriously
Maybe too seriously.
The best way to explain Thompson Island is probably to show you a few examples.
Shark Week
We’re at the beach. Of course we celebrate Shark Week.
Every summer, Thompson Island goes all in with shark-themed events, beer, food, trivia, movies, and educational programs focused on the animals living right off our coast.
Our friends from the Delaware Center for the Inland Bays have even joined us for talks about local sharks and the coastal ecosystem.
And, naturally, Jawsome Sauce Blood Orange IPA makes an appearance.
If you’re looking for a unique summer event in Rehoboth Beach, this one is hard to miss.
Tendython
Yes, it’s a whole weekend about chicken tenders.
Tendython is exactly what it sounds like: several days dedicated to crispy tendies, ridiculous sauces, comfort food, and whatever else our kitchen decides belongs in the chicken tender universe.
It’s fun, it’s excessive, and nobody leaves wondering whether we committed to the theme.
Snack Attack
Sometimes the snacks deserve to be the whole meal.
Snack Attack gives our kitchen a weekend to play with all the foods you’d normally order “for the table” and then quietly eat most of yourself.
Expect shareable plates, nostalgic flavors, comfort food, and plenty of reasons to order one more thing.
Pretzelmania
Then there’s Pretzelmania.
This is what happens when you combine pretzels, wrestling, and a kitchen that enjoys taking an idea way too far.
The menu becomes a wrestling card. Dishes face off in “matches.” Giant pretzels enter the ring. Pretzel paninis battle pretzel bread bowls. Dessert gets championship billing.
The tagline says it best:
Whatcha gonna chew when Pretzelmania runs wild on you?
Enough said.
Wizarding Week
Every fall, the Beer Garden gets a magical makeover for Wizarding Week.
Think Great Hall-inspired décor, themed food and drinks, trivia, Bingo, wand making, scavenger hunts, and interactive dinners.
If you’re visiting Rehoboth Beach around Halloween or Sea Witch weekend, it’s an easy way to add another stop to the itinerary — especially if someone in your group knows far too much about spells and wizarding trivia.
Winter Wonderland
When December rolls around, we trade sharks and wizards for Christmas lights.
Winter Wonderland brings holiday décor, seasonal food and drinks, cookie decorating, painting classes, trivia, Breakfast with Santa, and other family-friendly events to Thompson Island.
We’re also close to Tanger Outlets and Schellville, so it’s an easy stop if you’re already spending a December day shopping, checking out the lights, or doing the whole Rehoboth holiday thing.
Live Music Makes an Easy Night Out
Not every night needs a theme.
Sometimes you just want a beer, dinner, and some live music.
Throughout the year, Thompson Island hosts local and regional musicians in the Beer Garden, with plenty of free performances on the calendar.
Come straight from the beach. Grab a table. Order a beer. Get some food. Stay for the music.
No complicated plans required.
That’s especially nice when you’re traveling with a group and everyone wants something a little different.
Trivia, Bingo & Easy Weeknight Plans
Vacation doesn't only happen on weekends.
We regularly host Trivia and Bingo nights in Rehoboth Beach, so if your group is looking for something easy to do after the beach, there’s a good chance we can help.
No big production. No elaborate itinerary.
Just dinner, beer, a little competition, and maybe some questionable team-name decisions.
There’s Usually Something New on Tap
Craft beer travelers, this part is for you.
Thompson Island regularly releases new, seasonal, and returning beers, with many releases tied to special events throughout the year.
Depending on when you visit, you might find a summer IPA, Oktoberfest lager, pumpkin beer, collaboration release, or a big barrel-aged stout hitting the taps.
Some beers also have a bigger purpose.
We’ve brewed collaborations that help raise money for local volunteer fire departments and other community organizations, because supporting the place we call home has always been part of what we do.
The Kitchen Gets in on the Fun
You don't have to be a beer person to enjoy Thompson Island.
Our kitchen gets just as involved in the events as the brewhouse does.
Theme weekends usually mean special menus, and our beer dinners bring the culinary and brewing teams together for multi-course pairings built around both the food and the beer.
So if one person in your group wants the new IPA and someone else just wants a really good dinner, everybody wins.
The Beer Garden Is Part of the Experience
Our Beer Garden changes with the seasons.
In warmer months, it’s a place to hang outside, listen to live music, play a little cornhole, and unwind after the beach.
When the weather cools down, the fire pits come on and the space transforms for events like Wizarding Week and Winter Wonderland.
Sometimes it’s laid-back.
Sometimes there are floating candles.
That’s part of the fun.
An Easy Stop During a Rehoboth Beach Vacation
Thompson Island is located just off Coastal Highway in Rehoboth Beach, which makes it easy to fit into pretty much any kind of beach day.
Spend the morning on the sand.
Shop at the Tanger Outlets.
Walk around downtown Rehoboth.
Then come see us for lunch, dinner, Happy Hour, live music, or whatever happens to be going on that day.
You don't need to build your whole vacation around us.
But sometimes people do end up building an evening around us.
We’re fine with that.
Check the Calendar Before You Visit
If you’re planning a Rehoboth Beach vacation, our best advice is simple:
Check the Thompson Island event calendar before you come.
Your trip might line up with Shark Week, Tendython, Snack Attack, Wizarding Week, Pretzelmania, Winter Wonderland, ThompsonFest, live music, Trivia, Bingo, a beer release, or something else entirely.
You can always come for a beer and dinner.
But if you happen to leave having learned about sharks, competed in wizard trivia, eaten too many pretzels, decorated Christmas cookies, discovered a new beer, or watched a band in the Beer Garden, even better.
Great beer. Great food. Good times.
