OC has more than 10 miles of white, sandy beaches and sparkling waters. Over 7 million people visit Ocean City each year, making it the second largest city in Maryland during the summer season.

The Beach

The Inlet, at the southern end of the resort, was formed by a massive storm in 1933. Engineers preserved it as the city’s only port and fishing boat access to the Atlantic Ocean. The Inlet led to OC’s designation as the “White Marlin Capital of the World.”

Ocean City began a beach replenishment program in 1988 to pump sand from off-shore to the beaches, thereby restoring the beaches to a uniform width. Since the program is ongoing, visitors may see distant ships and pipes working during off-season times, replenishing the resort’s beaches.

The beach’s geography includes packed sand at the low-tide line, soft sands for beach blankets, and dunes that help protect the lands, buildings, and bays behind the beach from high winds, waves, and salt water. Not walking on the dunes saves the coastline and the resort.

Favorite beach activities include boogie boarding, surfing, sand castle building, kite flying, treasure hunting, collecting shells, digging, strolling, running, and lolling about in the sun. Everyone loves to listen to the breaking surf and to smell the salt air.

The beaches are guarded by the Ocean City Beach Patrol, a highly trained team of lifeguards (now more properly called “surf rescue technicians”) who guard the beaches from 10 a.m. – 5 p.m. each summer day – from the Inlet to the Delaware Line.

OC beaches are among the cleanest in the nation—for good reason. The Public Works Department dedicates a huge crew of people and machines to combing and grooming the beach each day to be sure it is free of debris and silky smooth.

The Boardwalk

The numbers: Ocean City’s Boardwalk, also known as Atlantic Avenue, is about 2-1/2 miles long, running from the Inlet to 27th Street.

The Boardwalk began in 1902 as a wooden walkway for hotel guests to use as they promenaded from one hotel to another. The boards were rolled up and stored on porches during high tides. A permanent boardwalk was extended to 15th Street in the 1920’s and to 27th Street in the 1960’s.

The Boardwalk was recently refurbished with new benches, lighting, signs, and an archway that decorates its entrance. At the public’s urging, concrete sections have been replaced with traditional boards.

The Tram provides daily transportation along the entire Boardwalk, 7 days a week during the summer, 10 a.m. until midnight. One-way fare is $2.75 (M-Th) and $3.00 on weekends. Trams stop where and when you wish.

Bicycles – of all descriptions – are permitted on the Boardwalk on summer mornings and all day at other times. (Check your hotel for specific times during your visit.) Bikes can be rented at your hotel and/or at shops along the Boardwalk. Roller skates and roller blades are forbidden on the Boards between Memorial and Labor days; skateboards are not permitted on the Boardwalk.

Boardwalk venues span the realm of “classy to crazy,” including places for amusement, food, clothing, souvenirs, and museums – as well as places for resting and people-watching.

Among the perennial, long-time tourist favorites: Trimper’s Rides (with its 100-year-old carousel), OC Pier Rides, the OC Lifesaving Station Museum, Ripley’s Believe It or Not Museum, Thrasher’s Fries, Dolle’s Candyland, Tony’s Pizza, and Candy Kitchen.

You can buy a hermit crab, a tee shirt, or a boogie board. You can get a tattoo, fly a kite, or pose for an old-time photo. You can dine on crab cakes, funnel cakes, or – cotton candy. You can cool off with a shaved ice, a lemonade, or a beer.

You can do it all – with a smile. It’s a Boardwalk!