Having Fun at the Beach

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Ocean City, Maryland is the perfect resort town where you can feel like you’re in several parts of the world while being in the heart of the Mid-Atlantic coast of the United States.

During the United States’ Memorial Day Weekend in May 2015, a few of my friends and I took a long weekend trip to Ocean City to relax in the sun and have some fun! Prior to May 2015, I had been to Ocean City, MD a few times throughout my early teen years for dance competitions, but had never truly experienced it since I was usually performing in a convention center for hours on end.

Ocean City, Maryland is perfect for families, friend groups and couples. Discover the best things to do in one of America’s most prominent beach towns.

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Getting to Ocean City, Maryland:

Since I am from the New York City area, my friends and I did a mini road trip to Ocean City. From the New York City area, it takes around 4.5 hours; from Philadelphia, it takes around 3 hours; from Baltimore, it takes around 2.5 hours and from Washington D.C., it takes around 3 hours to get to Ocean City, Maryland. If you are planning to drive and don’t want to use the miles on your car, it is best to rent a car.

If you are planning to fly to Ocean City, the closest international airports are Baltimore, Philadelphia or Washington D.C. You could find great flight deals through Skyscanner!

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Where to Stay in Ocean City, Maryland:

Throughout my trips to Ocean City, Maryland over the years, I have stayed in a variety of different hotels, but one thing for sure is that I always try to get a room with an ocean view. The best hotel to suit a boutique traveler’s needs is staying at the Grand Hotel & Spa located right on the beach and boardwalk. You could find a variety of hotels to suit your budget by using Hotels.com and there are also a wide range of Airbnb options as well.

Where to Eat in Ocean City, Maryland:

Although there are plenty of restaurants, cafés and beach bars to savor a delicious Mid-Atlantic meal in Ocean City, below is a list of places we ate at during our weekend there:

Brass Balls Saloon: This beachside café is the perfect place to grab delicious fish tacos, coconut shrimp, grilled chicken sandwiches and Maryland crab cakes. It is also the place that has amazing crushes– a Mid Atlantic specialty drink. I enjoyed the Orange Crush, which is a delicious concoction of vodka, triple sec, Sprite and freshly squeezed orange juice. (You could also find great crush drinks in Cape May, New Jersey.)

Kohr Brothers: A trip to the beach on the Atlantic coastline would not be complete without getting frozen custard at Kohr’s. Throughout Ocean City, you could find a Kohr’s ice cream shop or a stand whether you’re on the boardwalk, strolling through the town or even walking near the bay. (I always enjoy having Kohr’s ice cream when I am at my family’s shore house in Lavallette, NJ.)

Seacrets, Jamaica U.S.A: Not only is Seacrets a fun beach bar and nightclub, they also serve delicious Jamaican food. For dinner one night in Ocean City, we grabbed food at Seacrets and I savored delicious jerk chicken. They also have classic American food such as burgers, chicken fingers, sandwiches and more.

The Dough Roller: A few blocks away from Seacrets is The Dough Roller – an iconic Ocean City pizza joint that also offers a great breakfast menu. For breakfast one morning, my friends and I enjoyed some delicious French toast, eggs and bacon at this great place.

Fager’s Island: If you are looking to enjoy a nice dinner, I couldn’t recommend Fager’s Island more. This wonderful restaurant and nightclub offers amazing seafood, steak and vegetarian dishes.

Barn 34: A cute Eastern Shore-inspired restaurant called Barn 34 is the perfect little spot to grab breakfast, lunch or dinner. During our last morning in Ocean City, we enjoyed breakfast at this great spot where I savored the best jumbo lump crab omelet.

What to do in Ocean City, Maryland:

Hit the Beach:

Ocean City, Maryland has some of the best white sand beaches in the United States. It is perfect for sunbathing, swimming in the ocean and strolling along the shoreline.

Have Fun at Seacrets:

When I went to Ocean City in 2015, Seacrets was one of the main reasons why we chose to do a girl’s weekend there. This lively bayside entertainment spot features several dance floors, concert stages, tiki bars and Jamaican-inspired foods and cocktails. We had a blast at Seacrets and I recommend it to everyone who is visiting Ocean City or the Eastern Shore area! (What is great about Seacrets is that you could enjoy it both during the day and at night.)

Since Seacrets is one of the most popular nightspots on the Eastern Shore, the line to get in can be blocks long. Make sure to plan accordingly and get there early enough so that you aren’t wasting your whole night or day in line. During the day, people like to get to Seacrets around noon, so a perfect time to get there would be between 10:30 and 11am. At night, a reasonable time to get to Seacrets would be between 7:30 and 8pm. I know that seems early to begin a long night, but you will thank me later! It is definitely best to get dinner at Seacrets, enjoy the sunset there and then have fun dancing the night away!

I loved Seacrets and had such a blast there! We even enjoyed Seacrets during the day as well where we felt like we were on spring break. Not only are there numerous bars to grab a drink at, there are also lounge chairs, tables and water tubes in the bay where you can order drinks and have them served to you while you are relaxing in the water! To be honest, I was a little iffy about hanging out in the water for sanitary purposes, so I was content sitting on the dock and enjoying the happiness around me. Locals even sailed their boats up to the dock where they were able to get off, order food and drinks and enjoy the ambiance.

Enjoy an Evening at Fager’s Island:

In addition to Seacrets, Fager’s Island is also a great place to have some fun in Ocean City, Maryland (on a classier level). At Fager’s Island, there are live bands, DJs and dance floors. There is also a nice restaurant area where you could sit and enjoy a delicious meal. I couldn’t recommend Fager’s Island more!

Walk the Boardwalk:

The Ocean City Boardwalk offers three miles of fun attractions and activities. The Travel Channel called this classic wooden boardwalk America’s best and most exciting boardwalks, National Geographic named it one of the top 10 in the United States and USA Today recognized it as being the nation’s best boardwalk for food.

On the boardwalk, you can take the tram or rent a bike and enjoy the ocean view, play a fun arcade game, enjoy a thrilling ride on a roller coaster or catch gorgeous seaside views on top of the Ferris wheel. Don’t forget to savor some ice cream (or frozen custard), boardwalk fries, saltwater taffy, sweet caramel popcorn, funnel cakes, pizza, clams on the half shell, Maryland crabs with Old Bay (a classic) and more!

As we walked the boardwalk, we saw some of the best sandcastles. Even when I used to go to Ocean City during my dance years, there were always talented sandcastle artists showcasing their hard work. We also got to see beautiful mermaids, castles, sea animals and more!

Do a Day Trip to Assateague Island National Seashore:

If you are a lover of the beach, nature and horses then I highly recommend driving 20 minutes south to Assateague Island.

Wild horses live on the barrier island of Assateague in Maryland as well as on Chincoteague Island in Virginia. Local folklore describes these wild horses as survivors of a shipwreck off the coast of Virginia. Other explanations have been told that they are descendants of horses that were brought to the barrier islands in the late 17^th Century by mainland owners to avoid fencing laws and taxation of livestock.

While you are on the island, enjoy the beautiful nature by either parking your beach chair or towel on the oceanside or take a bike ride and adventure around the bayside. When we first arrived on Assateague Island, we had a tough time trying to find the wild horses. We then realized they don’t like to hang out where the tourists are, which is on the beach. As we continued to drive down the island, we took a few detour turns and spotted the horses hanging out along the bay areas.

It is important to note that when you are adventuring around the bay, there are a lot of mosquitoes, so make sure to bring bug spray in addition to sunscreen. We made our way onto the bayside and spotted a beautiful brown horse. As much as we wanted to pet the horse, it is highly recommended that you do not! The horses are beautiful, tough and wild. They have learned to survive in harsh environments, so feeding them human food or petting them is detrimental to your health and safety as well as the horses’. Even though we couldn’t pet the horses, we did enjoy taking pictures of them and watching them fend for themselves.

I hope you all enjoyed reading about my time in Ocean City, Maryland and discovering all of the best things to do in and around this fun beach town. If you have any questions about my time in Ocean City, please feel free to email me at info@browneyedflowerchild.com.

Basic Facts of the United States:

Currency: United States Dollar, Capital: Washington D.C., MD State Capital: Annapolis, Time Zone: Eastern Standard Time

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