Looking for a fun get away in Maryland? Head to Ocean City to get away from the daily grind!
Ocean City
Ocean City, MD is one of the more popular vacation spots on the east coast of the U.S. Soak in some rays of sunshine and catch waves at the beach. And head to the boardwalk for rides, games, food, and entertainment. The boardwalk in OC is second to none.
Little Known Facts About the OC Boardwalk
Did you know that the first boardwalk in OC was laid in the early 1900s. Believe it or not, the original Ocean City boardwalk was taken up in the winter and laid back down when the weather warmed up. It is not a permanent, year-round installation.
Parking at Ocean City Boardwalk
If taking a trip to the boardwalk, there is a parking lot available, called “inlet parking.” The beach is also accessible from this parking lot. So, if you park here, you can hit the beach and boardwalk without having to find a new parking spot. We found the parking convenient and reasonably priced.
Our experience: After circling the parking lot for 15-20 minutes, we were finally able to find a spot. We were driving a dually F350, so finding a spot was a little more difficult than it would be for a smaller sedan. We arrived at the parking lot around around 5 pm on a Saturday mid-summer. This is probably one of the worst times to try and find a spot. It’s doable but you’ll just need to be patient.
The Beach and Pool by Atlantis in OC
We went for a short weekend trip with our family during the summer of 2021. We stayed in a condo right on the beach called The Atlantis. The beach was to be clean and not overly crowded. The Atlantis has an outdoor pool and outdoor showers to rinse off. On Saturday evening we went out to the boardwalk, which was about a fifteen-minute drive from where we were staying.
Attractions on the OC Boardwalk
Fries, pizza, candy, ice cream, street performers, tattoo shops, arcades, caramel popcorn, beachwear and souvenirs. . . phew, they have a little bit of everything on the boardwalk. There is even a Ripley’s Believe It or Not in OC, MD.
All that being said if you’re looking to have fun, let-loose, and enjoy time with family, we wouldn’t worry about planning an itinerary, just go with the waves, we mean flow.
We would spend time planning is your route going to and coming back from Ocean City.
Driving to and from Ocean City
Going downee ocean hun, we took the route that Google Maps said would get us there the fastest. Coming from Baltimore, MD, this route took us onto Interstate 695 to U.S. Route 301 and U.S. Route 50.
Basically, we spent the whole time looking at asphalt. It wasn’t a bad drive but it was by no means a scenic one. The highlight is going over the Chesapeake Bay Bridge. At over 4 miles long it is one of the 15th longest bridges in the United States.
On the way back, we ended up heading back a slightly different route than on the drive to OC. This new route home took us on Delaware Route 1 and U.S. Route 113 and was much more scenic. There were farms with horses, cows and chickens; old towns with small movie theaters and restaurants; outlet malls with restrooms; in short it was perfect!
The ride home was relaxing and pleasant with the country views and less traffic. Overall, it was a beautiful ride. It took only about 10 minutes more than the route we took getting there. That route will be the only route we would take when drive our fifth-wheel RV there next time.
Let us know! What is your favorite thing to do in Ocean City? Which route do you take to get there?