Staying in Ocean City, MD
Labor Day dates and after offer great weather at Ocean City, MD. Fewer tourists, sea breezes, and mild surf invites first time tourists and returning visitors well into late fall. Maybe it’s the white sands, the game fish, and the fantastic golfing, but people are still discovering what Ocean City has to offer. So, if you’re staying in an OCMD hotel for the first time or returning for the fun, consider what the city has to offer.
The Beach: Ocean City takes most of a stringy spit of Fenwick Island between the Atlantic Ocean and the Isle of Wight Bay off Maryland’s Eastern Shore.
With summer crowds around 300,000, fall sees the population return to its stable 8,000. The white sands are cleaned nightly by city crews to invite surf fishers and bathers each day.
The Weather: Temperatures stay in the mid-80s through most of the fall, but the steady drop in humidity makes things seem pleasantly cool. Cooler nights in the 70s call for a light jacket on the evening boardwalk, but that won’t keep from “walking the boards.”
The Fishing: “Ocean City is the White Marlin Capital of the World.” Once a year, the city hosts the White Marlin Open offering big cash awards. But, amateur fishers of all ages fish from the beach at early hours or from one of several fishing piers. Head boats and charter boats take serious anglers out to deeper waters for yellowfin tuna, mahi-mahi, flounder, kingfish, trout, sea bass, and more.
The Boardwalk: The famed Ocean City Boardwalk originated in 1905, and despite buffeting from the occasional storm, it is bigger, brighter, and busier than ever.
It boasts attractions like Inlet Indian, a neo-classical Pier Building, the Ocean City Life Saving Museum, and the United States Coast Guard Tower. Live-streaming of traffic and weather conditions on the Boardwalk is available through webcams.
The Entertainment: There are plenty of bars and pubs including the 28th Street Pit & Pub and the Greene Turtle Sports Bar & Grille. Seacrets on the Bay and Fager’s Island offer musical and jazz entertainment. And, BJ’s on the Bay and Macky’s Bayside Bar & Grill rock with music and dancing.
The Food: Maryland’s Eastern Shore is all about its famous blue crab dishes. There may be finer dining experiences at The Victorian Room or the 32 Palm Restaurant. But, crab takes center at Crab Alley and Blu Crabhouse & Raw Bar.
The Golf: The Bay Club is a 7,000 yard, par 72, championship course designed to rise and fall with local woodlands. Baywood Greens offers public golf on scenic water dominated settings. And, Eagle’s Landing “boasts the most scenic and challenging golf course on the Eastern Shore. In 1993, Eagle’s Landing was rated the 4th best Public/Private Golf Course in Maryland by Golf Digest and is the first certified Audubon Sanctuary in Maryland.”
The Lodging: Like many of the older resorts on the Mid-Atlantic coast, Ocean City has a variety of cottage and single homes, some owner resident and some rentals. But, it also makes guests at home at a number of beachfront hotels. Take the Princess Royale, for example, with its 310 two-room suites and 30 two- and three-bedroom condominiums. Guests enjoy a fitness center, a heated indoor pool, whirlpool and sauna, and free internet service. Or, food and drink are served through room service and a variety of restaurants and bars.
Yes, the summer season ends on Labor Day, but Ocean City has much more to offer when the crowds are gone for the fall and winter. It’s easy enough to get there from anywhere on the east coast, so make it a getaway adventure.