Ocean City, Maryland

Maryland's most popular beach resort, with a 4.5 km boardwalk and amusement pier; to the south, Assateague Island's wild horses roam the dunes.

Ocean City sits in the southeastern corner of Maryland on a long, narrow barrier island on the Atlantic side of the Delmarva Peninsula. Its year-round population is under 10,000, but summer visitors can number in the hundreds of thousands, making it the favorite beach getaway for the Washington and Baltimore area. The town stretches about 16 km from north to south: the southern tip holds the inlet and downtown, home to the 4.5 km boardwalk, the amusement pier and Trimper's Rides; farther north are high-rise hotels and condos, with restaurants and bars along the bay side. The climate is humid subtropical: June–August is peak beach season with warm water and the most going on; in September the crowds thin out dramatically while the water stays warm, making it the best time to go; in winter most businesses close. There are three ways to enjoy it: the beach and boardwalk (swimming and surfing, boardwalk fries and saltwater taffy, amusement rides); Assateague Island to the south for wild horses, kayaking and camping, with Chincoteague Island in Virginia farther south offering a wildlife refuge and the Pony Swim; and historic Berlin to the west, good for a half-day stroll. Getting there: it's about a 3-hour drive from Washington, D.C.; on summer weekends US Route 50 and the Chesapeake Bay Bridge are prone to heavy traffic, so travel off-peak if you can. In town, buses run along Coastal Highway and a tram runs along the boardwalk. Plan on 2–4 days; book summer lodging well in advance, and pay attention to sun protection and rip current warnings.

Top sights

• Ocean City Boardwalk – A classic boardwalk stretching about 4.5 km along the beach, lined with amusement piers, french fry stands, saltwater taffy shops and souve…
• Assateague Island National Seashore – A national seashore of dunes, salt marshes and untouched beaches, where free-roaming wild horses are the main attraction.
• Ocean City Beach – A 16-kilometer Atlantic beach with fine sand and gentle waves, guarded by lifeguards in summer and suited to swimming, surfing and family s…
• Trimper's Rides – A family amusement park opened in 1890, keeping an 1912 antique carousel and a classic haunted house. It is the long-established park at th…
• Assateague State Park – Maryland's only seaside state park, with well-equipped beaches staffed by lifeguards in summer, where visitors can swim, camp and sometimes…
• Chincoteague National Wildlife Refuge – A refuge on the Virginia section of Assateague Island, where you can see Chincoteague ponies, migratory birds and the red-and-white striped…
• Chincoteague Island – A fishing village on a small island in a Virginia bay, famous for oysters, ice cream and the annual Chincoteague Pony Swim.
• Berlin, Maryland – A historic town about 12 km west of Ocean City, with red-brick old streets, antique shops and an 1895 old hotel. It was once named one of A…
• Ocean City Life-Saving Station Museum – A small museum in a former 1891 life-saving station at the southern end of the boardwalk, telling the story of Ocean City's sea rescues and…
• Jolly Roger Amusement Park – Ocean City's largest amusement park, with a water park, roller coaster, go-karts and mini golf, plus a branch on the pier.
• Seacrets – A Jamaican-style complex of bayside bars where you can sip cocktails on floating tires while watching the sunset, a byword for Ocean City n…
• Thrasher's French Fries – A legendary boardwalk french fry stand founded in 1929, served with vinegar and salt but no ketchup, a must-try taste in Ocean City.
• Frontier Town – A long-running theme park styled as a Wild West cowboy town, with gunfight shows, horseback riding and a steam train, next to a water park…
• Fenwick Island Light – A white lighthouse built in 1859 on the Maryland–Delaware state line, beside a 1751 boundary marker, a small attraction at the northern end…

Where to eat

• Fisher's Popcorn – A family-run boardwalk shop founded in 1937 at Talbot Street, where copper-kettle butter caramel popcorn has become an…
• Harrison's Harbor Watch – A long-standing seafood restaurant at the southern end of the Ocean City Boardwalk, overlooking the bay inlet. Voted Be…
• The Shark on the Harbor – A seafood restaurant beside the fishing harbor in West Ocean City. Fish is bought from the boats at the dock outside, a…

Itineraries

• New Jersey to Delmarva Coastal Highway – Head south along the Atlantic from boardwalk towns to Cape May, take the ferry to Delaware, and see wild horses.