Kickback and relax at America's Family Seaside Resort Town with its 8-miles of guarded sandy beaches stretching from the Downtown Boardwalk to Corsets Inlet—Ocean City's fresh coastal air, family-oriented activities, boardwalk, and scenic beaches are a great summer escape.
Beaches
Ocean City has miles of sandy scenic shoreline to enjoy sunbathing, swimming, paddleboarding, skimboarding, and surfing. From the active youthful beaches along the boardwalk, a quieter stretch of sand above 23rd street—or naturally secluded beaches on the south end, there is plenty of room to lounge and enjoy the sand, surf, and sun.
On the southernmost end of the island is Corson's Inlet State Park—natural wildlife preserve with pristine beaches, sand dunes, nature trails, and scenic shoreline. Corson's offers great fishing, crabbing, boating, or sand dune hiking—and secluded picturesque beaches away from crowds the best sunbathing and magical sunset walks in the spectacular natural inlet.
The recreational area is great for bird watchers—American oystercatchers, piper plover, sandpipers, gulls, herons, and sanderlings are commonly seen. Turtles can also be found throughout the area—such as the wood, spotted, snapping, and eastern painted turtle.
The Boardwalk
Seaside shopping, casual cuisine, entertainment, rides, and games, the boardwalk has activities for all ages and great for kids. Scenic walks and biking are popular in the early morning—with bicycles and surrey rentals. And later in the day, the boardwalk comes alive with festive eateries, taffy, cotton candy, souvenir shops, miniature golf, arcades, and amusement park rides. There are two major amusement parks Gillian’s Wonderland Pier and Playland’s Castaway Cove with ferris wheels and roller coasters. Centered on the boardwalk is the community concert hall—so catch the Ocean City Pops Orchestra or another musical act at the iconic 1928 Music Pier.
For a boutique shopping experience—visit the downtown historic district with vibrant cafes, art galleries, and distinctive stores. Or one of the many surf and bike shops throughout the island.
Surfers Supplies
Modern boards, longboards, paddles boards, skimboards, skateboards or just searching for authentic surf-wear, Surfers Supplies on 31st street has equipped all levels of surfers since 1962. Their lifetime commitment to the craft, knowledge, and friendly service makes them a surfer's paradise.
Beach House BBQ
Enjoy the refreshing sounds of breaking waves and gather at the beach house for summer coastal cuisine. The island's many fresh fish markets make it a great place to BBQ—so grill delicious clams, mussels, shrimp, bluefish, crab, and steak—and pair these fresh catches with locally harvested vegetables and your favorite tropical drink or glass of wine from one of the Cape May vineyards. Afterward, take a walk to the beach or bay for a stunning sunset. If you go out for food—here are a few local favorites.
Sand House Kitchen
Located at North Street and Beach Road, Sand House Kitchen is the only beachfront island-inspired culinary experience in Ocean City. The weathered surf shack serves amazing artisan breakfast and lunch in the salty outdoors at the Waverly Beach sand dunes. For the early morning try the Hawaiian Benedict with SPAM, poached eggs, and chives hollandaise sauce or Lobster Avocado Toast—lunch the classic Fish Tacos.
Mallon's Homemade Sticky Buns
A visit wouldn’t be complete without delicious Sticky Buns with layers of Korintje cinnamon and butter for breakfast. Mallon’s two locations offer connivance for those staying on the Southern or Northern parts of the island and with a variety of bun options—including Traditional Plain, Raisin, Walnut, Fruit, and Raspberry. Truly sweet and delicious.
A La Mode
Classic ice cream parlor on the south end of Ocean City with 40 years of tradition. A La Mode gourmet creamery is always a favorite with over 24 traditional flavors and homemade originals—from Rum Raisin, Butter Pecan, Swiss Chocolate Almond, Mocha Fudge, Cherry Vanilla, Chocolate Chip Cookie Dough, Coconut, Bacon Maple Syrup—or try a signature FBI or Brownies A La Mode. The ice cream made daily—so you can always expect the freshest.
Quincy's Original Lobster Rolls
Celebrate summer on the boardwalk with scenic views of the ocean and amusement rides with this one-of-a-kind lobster shack. Quincy's Original New England style lobster rolls are delicious and full of chunks of freshest lobster meat.
Manco & Manco Pizza
Since 1956 Manco & Manco is the first and last name in pizza at this Boardwalk favorite with its signature plain crispy thin slice—with tomato sauce swirled on top cheese. Skip the rest because Manco & Manco is always the best and fresh.
Lucy - Margate City
Just north in the charming seaside town of Margate City is Lucy—a novelty home designed by architect James Lafferty in 1881. Modeled after Barnum Bailey’s Jumbo the Elephant, Lucy stands 65-feet tall, weighs 90-tons, and listed as the 12th tallest statue in the United States. The historic landmark is open for guided tours and a fun stop for children and sure to puzzle architecture lovers. So take a break from the beach and get inside an elephant.
Sundown
End the day with a relaxing walk on the beach or sundown cocktail at a bayside restaurant—the stunning sunset and painted colored skyline with waves of rich yellows, coral orange, milky grays, turquoise, and sea blues is magical. Corson's Inlet, Great Egg Harbor Bay, or Long Point Bridge Beach are great viewing areas—yet enjoyable just about anywhere on the island.
Ocean City is a relaxing beach town and casual seaside resort. Its natural beaches, boardwalk, and casual eateries are charming and enjoyable for the entire family—and New Jersey offers dozens of charming seaside towns and beautiful coastline—so get out and explore. Return for future posts on Cape May, Douro Valley Vineyards, Finger Lakes Region, and more Connecticut adventures.
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