Stepping Out of OC: Things to do Near Ocean City, MD

Are you someone who frequents Ocean City, MD? Have you recently been considering purchasing a beach house of your own? What is it really like to live in Ocean City (or the surrounding areas)? Are there things to do near Ocean City, MD that are outside of the normal you're accustomed to?

If you've been a long-time annual visitor of Ocean City for a long time, and have considered purchasing property here, chances are you've asked yourself one of these questions before! You also probably find yourself doing the same thing over and over again when you visit. Breakfast, beach, dinner, activity with family and friends, sleep, repeat.

While we love going t, going to the beach and out for dinner & drinks at Seacrets & Fagers, then playing mini-golf or grabbing ice cream to finish off our day- sometimes we need a change of pace!

Today, we're going to step outside of Ocean City and show you some of our favorite activities that are a bit outside of normal activities for an OCMD vacation! There is so much more to do around the OC area than people realize!

1. Explore Assateague Island National Seashore

Just a short drive from Ocean City, Assateague Island offers a bit of a different experience than Ocean City, MD. Here you can enjoy the beach, a bike ride or a nature hike, and even see some wild horses!

The beaches at Assateague are a great chance to enjoy a quiet and relaxing beach day. You can also enjoy a guided tour of the Island, and the kiddos can even take a class to become a certified Junior park ranger! Pretty cool!

 Now, if you're really looking for a tip from Locals you might be asking "What's your favorite thing to do at Assateague?" Well, our favorite thing to do at Assateague is to have a small cookout with our family and friends on the beach in the evening! If you purchase an OSV pass, you can even drive your vehicle on the beach. Cap off the night with a few refreshments and a bonfire on the beach!

2. Visit Berlin, MD: A Charming Small Town

About a 10–15-minute drive from Downtown Ocean City lies Berlin, MD. Berlin is a small & quaint town known for its history, shopping, restaurants, and so much more. In fact, the movie Runaway Bride featuring Julia Roberts and Richard Gere was filmed right in berlin at the Atlantic Hotel!

Our favorite thing about Berlin is the amount of super fun events they host over the summer, and their holiday celebrations. For example, just last week they had their Christmas Parade! Berlin does a great Job celebrating bigger holidays such as July 4th, Halloween, Christmas, Hanukkah, and New Years Eve. View the full list of Town of Berlin Events here!

Fun Fact: Berlin was voted "America's Coolest Small Town" in 2014! It's a great place to stop by if you need a little bit of a change of pace from your normal OC day! Put on some nicer clothes, do some shopping at local Mom & Pop shops, have a nice lunch, and enjoy all that downtown Berlin has to offer!

Locals Tip: Don't miss out on Berlin's farmers markets every Sunday from May through September!

3. West Ocean City: Shopping & Dining

Last, but certainly not least, we'll bring you along to West Ocean City. Located directly across the Rt. 50 bridge, West Ocean City is a convenient place to grab a bite to eat or even go on an impromptu shopping spree!

One of our favorite things about West Ocean City is the food. If you know our team, you know it runs on all of the good eats we have here at the beach. In particular, you can find some GREAT seafood in West O. Check out Sunset Grille, or the home of the Orange Crush, Harborside Bar & Grille! Yes, that's right, we said the home of the Orange Crush- it was invented right here in West Ocean City! Moving on, we love the food at Shotti’s Point at Lunas, Pancho and Lefty's, breakfast at Bad Monkey... the list goes on and on!

Before we took our usual detour where we go on and on about all of the great restaurants here, we said West O was a great place to go on a shopping spree. The Tanger outlets in West Ocean City have just about any type of storefront you can think of. Need some makeup, a pair of new tennis shoes, or some golf shirts at a great price? There's an Ulta and an Under Armour outlet here! We could go on and on about all of the different stores here, but to us, any shopping center where you can find a Coach, Polo Ralph Lauren, Old Navy, Bath and Body Works, or a Sunglass Hut, is worth visiting.

Check out the full list of shops in the Tanger outlets here!

What are you waiting for? Step out of OC!

We LOVE Ocean City, MD, but we know that if you're considering a purchase here- it's nice to know that there are things to do outside of OC for a bit of a change of pace! Being able to step out of the "hustle and bustle" of OC for a day or even a few short hours is one of the many luxuries we enjoy.

Whether that means going on a shopping spree in downtown Berlin or West Ocean City or having a family bonfire on the beach in Assateague, there's always something to do when you’re at the beach!

We hope you enjoyed reading this blog and we hope you consider checking out one of the area's we mentioned here today! If you're considering making a move to the beach, or even just have a few questions about what it's like to live here, give us a call! We'd be happy to help!

Grant Fritschle

Email: grant@grantf.com

Cell: 410-430-5880

Office: 410-524-6400

Jon Barker

Email: jon@markf.com

Cell: 410-935-3810

Office: 410-524-6400

See you at the beach soon!