Ocean City Beach

Located in the resort town of Ocean City, Ocean City Beach – also known as OC Beach – is a 10-mile-long and large beach with light brown sand with a rocky jetty near its southern end.  Ocean City Beach was named the 24th Best Beach in the Top 50 Beaches in the United States list in 2022 by Randall Kaplan, the world’s foremost beach expert who is known as Mr. Beach.  This beach was listed as the 10th best beach in the United States by TripAdvisor’s Travellers’ Choice award in 2017 and it was also listed as one of the 16 best beaches in Maryland by Travel+Leisure magazine.

Ocean City Beach has lifeguards during summers between 10 am and 5:30 pm.  In addition, the beach also has many other amenities including showers, restrooms, picnic areas, nearby watersporting equipment rental facilities, a nearby boardwalk, and a pier.  Dogs on leash are allowed in Ocean City Beach between October 1 and April 30th. 

Ocean City Beach offers many fun activities including sunbathing, beachcombing, wildlife watching, picnicking, fishing, biking, snorkeling, paddleboarding, swimming, surfing, kitesurfing, windsurfing, jet-skiing, surf-skiing, water-skiing, skimboarding, bodyboarding, boating, kayaking, canoeing, wakeboarding, and parasailing.  Ocean City Beach is popular with surfers because the water here is known to have fun surfing waves throughout the year.  In addition, Ocean City Beach is also popular with snorkelers.

However, if you are planning to surf, swim, kayak, canoe, snorkel, or paddleboard near Ocean City Beach, we recommend being careful because the water here is known to have unpredictable rip currents.  In addition, the water here also has low underwater visibility.  

If you are planning to surf near Ocean City Beach, please also note that three portions of Ocean City Beach have been designated by local authorities as “surfing areas” where only surfing is allowed.  One of these surfing areas is located at the southern end of the beach, while the locations of the other two surfing areas are changed daily by the local authorities.  You can visit the “Surf Beaches” webpage on Ocean City’s website for more information regarding the updated surfing area locations and surfing area timings.  If you are looking for a quieter beach experience, we recommend visiting the northern portion of Ocean City Beach – this portion of the beach sees fewer visitors than the southern portion of the beach. 

Ocean City Beach offers wheelchair access mats to people with disabilities between Memorial Day weekend and Columbus Day weekend.  In addition, beach wheelchairs are also available on a first come-first-serve for visitors with disabilities from 10 am to 5 pm between Memorial Day and Labor Day.  Please visit Ocean City’s official website for detailed information and listing regarding the exact location of the wheelchair access mats and beach wheelchair loaner facilities in Ocean City Beach.

Getting to Ocean City Beach is easy – the beach is easily accessible from the eastern end of United States Highway 50 and Maryland State Highway 90. 

There are multiple parking lots and street parking spaces near Ocean City Beach and these parking lots and street parking spaces charge differing seasonal parking rates during different times of the week – you can visit the “Ocean City Parking Information” webpage at Ocean City’s official website for more information regarding the seasonal parking rates. 

Ocean City Beach hosts many fun events throughout the year including open-air movie screenings that are held between June 5th and August 28th and the annual Family Beach Olympics.

There are many attractions near Ocean City Beach. Ocean City Fishing Pier– also called Oceanic Fishing Pier – is a 450-feet-long wooden fishing pier that is located on Ocean City Beach and it offers an amazing fishing experience.  In addition, this pier also has a popular amusement park named Jolly Roger at the Pier.  The Ocean City Boardwalk is a boardwalk near Ocean City Beach offers many amazing shops and restaurants – this pier is also located conveniently close to some of the most popular landmarks in Ocean City Beach.  Trimper’s Rides– also called Trimper Rides is an amusement park that offers many fun rides including roller coasters, a historic carousel, a mirror maze, and spinning teacups and this amusement park also has a gaming arcade.  Ripley’s Believe It or Not! is another great attraction that displays a wide variety of unique and wacky memorabilia.  In addition, Ripley’s Believe It or Not! also has a unique mirror maze.  If you are looking for another attraction near Ocean City Beach, Ocean City Lifesaving Museum offers interesting exhibits on the rich and vibrant history of Ocean City and northern Maryland and it also has exhibits on the United States Life-Saving Service. This museum also has an aquarium. 

If you get hungry, there are many great restaurants near Ocean City Beach.  Shenanigan’s – also called Shenanigans Ocean City – is an Irish-style pub and restaurant that serves many amazing Irish-inspired dishes including seafood, steaks, chicken, sandwiches, and burgers – this restaurant also offers live music performances.  Fager’s Island is another waterfront upscale restaurant that serves a variety of amazing seasonal dishes including grilled veal, steaks, seafood, and pasta.  Harrison’s Harbor Watch is primarily known for its amazing seafood and it also serves amazing soups, sandwiches, steaks, and poultry dishes.  Ropewalk is a popular restaurant which serves outstanding seafood.  The restaurant also serves great steaks, poultry dishes, sandwiches, tacos, and burgers.  If you are looking for another good and affordable restaurant near Ocean City Beach, Happy Jack Pancake House primarily offers amazing breakfast dishes including eggs, French toasts, pancakes, and waffles.

If you are looking for a hotel near Ocean City Beach, there are many great nearby options.  The 4-Star Hilton Ocean City Oceanfront Suites offers many amenities including a restaurant, a cafe, a fitness center, two pools, a bar, and multiple pools.  A more affordable hotel is the 3-Star Holiday Inn & Suites Ocean City, an IHG Hotel that offers many amenities including two restaurants, three pools (including one with a waterslide), a game room, and a fitness center.  Another moderately priced hotel is the 3-Star Grand Hotel that offers many amenities including a fitness center, multiple restaurants, a bar, a fitness center, a sauna, multiple pools, a coffee shop, and a game room.  The 3-StarPrincess Royale Oceanfront Resort is another great moderately priced resort that offers many amenities including a pool, a spa, a sundeck, a hot tub, shopping stores, multiple restaurants, a bar, a cafe, and a grocery service.  If you are looking for another good and affordable hotel near Ocean City Beach, the 3-Star Fenwick Inn offers many amenities including a pool, a restaurant, a splash pad, a hot tub, a sun deck, a lobby market, and complimentary breakfast and beverages.