Ask Listology: Activites in Ocean City, Maryland? [Feedback Requested]
Dear, Listology,
On Saturday, July 30th my wife and I are driving to Ocean City, Maryland to spend a week with her family, her Mom and Dad, her two siblings and their spouses, and three little ones (two 2-year olds and a 4-year old, all girls).
I'm looking for ideas of things to during this week. We will be returning Saturday, August 6th.
I like the water a lot but I'm not a big fan of the beach. Too much sun could literally kill me but plenty of sunscreen can take care of that. I hate golf. I'm not a big outdoors person but I like it well enough. No huge hiking expeditions for me but reasonable outdoor things are cool.
I don't want to stay inside for a week and read books but I also don't want to spend an arm and a leg on too many touristy things. I'm looking for fun, relatively cheap and wholesome things that either a couple or group of people could do.
As a bonus, my 1 year wedding anniversary is the Friday, August 5th, so if you have a good idea of something special my wife and I could do that day that would be great as well.
If you have any personal experience with the area or if you've heard of good things to do your feedback would be most appreciated.
I'm keeping a list of the suggestions that I receive.
Thanks In Advance,
Dan
Ocean City is about an hour and a half from me. I visited there for a little while last year during my Senior Week. To be honest, I wasn't too impressed. There's not a heck of a lot to do (or if there is, we didn't do it). I played so much miniature golf I wanted to throw up. If you like the boardwalk, do check that out, especially if you like arcades - but even if you don't, it's pretty fun to walk around in the shops, restaurants, and just check out the general atmosphere.
That's pretty much what I was afraid of. I'm not big on the "touristy" places. I'm taking my PS2, so I can play games and watch DVDs, and I'll be taking 1/2 dozen or so books and we'll probably have some board games and such. Unfortunately I'm not a very good relaxer nor am I big in crowds. I wonder if they have any decent theaters in the area? Thanks for the info, AJ.
I've never seen a movie while I was there, so I don't know about a theater. The boardwalk is trashy (you'll realize that as soon as you see the stores with Confederate flag merchandise), and the beach can get really crowded.
If you need a day off from all of that, I recommend a day trip to Assateague Island. It's really close, and it's so pretty there. It wasn't crowded at all when I went. The girls might be excited by driving through the island, searching for the wild horses, and there are nice areas for a picnic. There's also a beach. It's a national park, so it's not very touristy.
And make sure you have a crab feast!
Oops, I just saw that this is already on your list of things to do!
Well, consider this feedback on your suggestion, rather than a new idea...
My favorite site for travel tips is One Bag. It has a great packing list.
I'm partial to Virtual Tourist, though I have no idea how much information it has on Maryland.