Photo courtesy Town of Ocean City
Set between the Atlantic Ocean and Sinepuxent Bay, Ocean City, Maryland, rolls over 10 miles of white sandy beach. This resort city’s first oceanfront hostelry was built by Isaac Coffin in 1869. At that time, Ocean City was connected to Assateague Island. Then, the storm of 1933 separated the two, creating the Ocean City Inlet. This transformative event changed the city’s economy from one based on fishing to the city becoming a major East Coast tourist destination.
Few older vacation homes remain in downtown — most were felled by water or destroyed by fire — but look closely and you’ll find the 1920s Atlantic House Bed & Breakfast one block east of the beach. Traveling down the strip, you’ll find a mix of colorful, midcentury hotels, vintage neon signs, and condominiums. The wooden, circa 1902 boardwalk, originally laid down daily in temporary sections and removed at high tide, was made more accessible in 2012. It remains open for biking, jogging and strolling, 24 hours a day.
Most of the hotels and restaurants retain a quaint, timeworn vibe that switches to full-on party mode during Senior Week, actually, three weeks: the prime school graduation season that generally includes the last week of May and the first two weeks of June.
See
The 3-mile wooden board-walk fronts dozens of restaurants and shops facing the Atlantic Ocean.Pull through Dolle’s Candyland, where saltwater taffy has been made onsite daily since 1910, then take in an astounding collection of African and Asian artifacts and pop art at Ripley’s Believe It or Not!. A second boardwalk borders Sinepuxent Bay, offering sweeping sunsets. Both walkways back up to the Victorian-era Ocean City Life-Saving Station Museum.
Do
Ocean City is an active, family-focused beach town with activities including a year-round ice rink at the Carousel Hotel, assorted miniature golf courses and waterslides, an oceanfront amusement park, Jolly Roger at the Pier, several boardwalk arcades, parasailing and world-class fishing. For teens, the H20 club offers an alcohol-free club environment.
Ocean City’s Old Pro Golf mini-golf course (Photo courtesy Town of Ocean City)
Eat
The Chatterbox, nestled in a Spanish mission revival-style building, has been repainted to its original 1937 shrimp-pink color. The contemporary but classic American menu offers Cobb salad, fried clams, meatball hoagies and a signature Impossible burger with boardwalk fries. Try fresh-squeezed watermelon juice and breakfast beignets.
Seacrets Jamaica USA is a lush raw bar, rum distillery and bay-front bar with nightly music, while Pablo’s Bowls crushes healthy juice shots, smoothies and locally roasted coffee.
Stay
The family-owned Atlantic Hotel roosts on the oldest portion of the esplanade. This refreshed inn has a heated pool and rooftop deck overlooking the Jolly Roger Amusement Park’s oceanfront Ferris wheel. Single rooms and full apartments are available — Apartment 3 exits to the pool.
The modern, amenity-stuffed Aloft hotel opens summer 2019 on the bay side.
What’s New
The Woodward Wrecktangle Ocean City, one of seven Wrecktangle courses in the world, opened in spring 2019. This triangular, ninja warrior-style obstacle course is designed for all ability levels. A short walk from the beach, Wrecktangle abuts the Ocean Bowl Skatepark, a public skate park with instructors. See ococean.com for more suggestions of activities and things to do.
Nearby
The wayward beaches of Assateague Island National Seashore, a 37 mile barrier island with roaming wild ponies, are popular among locals for surfing, camping and pristine beach combing. It borders the Atlantic Ocean on the east and the Sinepuxent Bay on the west, which provides bird watching and kayaking launches.
Save the Date
June 7-9: OC Surf Fest. Surf team competition Saturday, long board individual with $5,000 purse Sunday. Free.
