<p>We decided on the Park Place. Booked it and we’ll be staying for 5 nights I believe. It has fabulous reviews (best of all the ones we looked at) and is located right on the boardwalk in the middle of everything. We looked at a couple of condos and there were quite a few to rent ( and most were cheaper then the hotel we picked ) but we voted for being right in the middle of everything and we picked an ocean front room with a balcony.</p>
<p>We love going to the Fenwick Crab House when we go there. We tend to rent a house in Bethany Beach and spend a day or two of the week in OC. If you call the realty firms there, you can find a condo, house or apt rental at a variety of price ranges.</p>
<p>I like Bethany Beach. It is a bit quieter than other towns. We have also been to Fenwick Crab House. There are a lot of good crab places. Last time we were there, we rented a condo right on the beach. I think it was Memorial Day weekend. We didn’t go in the water, but it was very warm.</p>
<p>Ocean City would be fun for the younger set who might like strolling the boardwalk…we used to vacation there every summer when I lived in Delaware. It has its charms. I prefer the DE shore. Bethany is full of good family rentals for the price and you can then go to any of the beach towns for half a day: Lewes, Cape Henlopen, Rehobeth, Ocean City, Fenwick and on and on.</p>
<p>Rehobeth can also be nice if you can get in a good location…nice little boardwalk. However, Lewes is where I would go to see a more authentic Delaware for suppers and then retreat to a five dollar entrance fee to the magnificent state park at Cape Henlopen with its wonderful dunes and protected sea walks and large beach. Taking the ferry at Lewes for an stroll around Cape May for an afternoon is a fun outing. You can drive your vehicle onto the ferry. People do get camping permits at the Cape but Henlopen is a more beautiful and pristine preserve and place to park for a day of walking and strolling on the shore. You will find Lewes and Rehobeth to be surrounded by outlet malls only a couple of miles away from shore because of DE’s lack of a sales tax. A good place to pick up bargains and there were stores catering to college age tastes as well.</p>
<p>There’s also The Hobbit which used to be a really fun and funky family place, but they changed it to be upscale and elegant. Very good food but only if you want to do something special. It is not a place to go in flip-flops and shorts after a long sandy day…although people do!</p>
<p>Dogfish also has tasty food in addition to craft beers. The DoughRoller is okay for pizza-beer-pasta. And you must go to Dumsers Dairyland (49th St) for ice cream…I think there’s a city ordinance requiring it!</p>
<p>Novelisto, I’ll have to write down that Galaxy Bar if your foodie friends suggest it. My foodie has been talking for about three weeks now about how excited he is to go to the beach and EAT. Nothing about how excited he is to go on vacation with me or see the ocean, lol! I guess me being there is just a bonus! Food is the main attraction, haha! It looks like Dogfish has a resteraunt and some kind of tour in Rehobeth but also it’s brewery in Milford. Have you been to both? </p>
<p>Faline, I love the outlets over in Rehobeth but I don’t know how my BF would feel about visiting them. He’s not exactly the shopping type, haha. We do like strolling along the boardwalk which is why we are staying on it this year. We are hoping that the week we picked (during a week as opposed to a weekend, and during May) it should eliminate a lot of school kids and be more quiet then going in July.</p>
<p>My big thing is (and I hate to admit this) but I’m really not a big sea food fan. He knows this so we usually try to pick places that have excellent sea food but also something different for me (chicken or something). I’ll eat some crabs but I’m not a giant seafood head. I appreciate all these links because I’ve been looking them up and writing them down as places we may have to try to check out. :)</p>
<p>Last year when we went to Assateague it asked us if we wanted to go to the state park or to the seashore (or something like that). Does anyone know what the difference is? I assumed the state park took you to the sea shore also?</p>
<p>I accidentally purchased a book on my Kindle again today called The Lonely Planet: New York, Washington DC and the Mid-Atlantic trips. As I had a five hour drive ahead of me, I decided to peruse it. I was looking for a DC/Virginia travel guide, but I got much more out of this.</p>
<p>I highly recommend it. It offers recommendations on day trips, eateries, places to stay, and the atmosphere of the different places.</p>
<p>As for Ocean City, it seemed to be described as a little wild, but nearby places seemed nice. The park mentioned above I believe has the wild horses. Would love to see that.</p>
<p>I’ll see if I can figure out how to use my Kindle to find out more detailed info for you on Ocean City.</p>
<p>Okay. Found the chapter. Ocean City is described as the East Coast’s OC. The towns of Berlin and Snow Hill are called cute and quaint. In Berlin, they recommend the Pink Box Bakery on Main Street, that makes something similar to our New Orleans doberge cakes. The Atlantic Hotel is recommended, as well as its attached restaurant, Solstice. The Globe Theater Restaurant. Apparently, Runaway Bride was filmed in Berlin. Snow Hill is even cuter and quieter than Berlin. Fine Needle, showcases knitting and quilting, Artiques showcases art and antique. River House Inn has large poodles and a beautiful view of the Pocomoke River. Recommend the Palette restaurant. Also a tiny Julia Purnell Museum which has embroidery and historical artifacts. There’s also the Pocomoke River State Park for the outdoorsy.</p>
<p>Ocean City has a boardwalk. They recommend the Inn on the Ocean and the King Charles Hotel. </p>
<p>In Salisbury, 30 miles from Ocean City, has the Ward Museum of Wildfowl Art, which showcases duck decoys, which we love down in our Louisiana bayous.</p>
<p>The Edge Hotel has sweeping views of Assawoman Bay. Walk from there to Fager’s Island, a local bar. There’s also all you can eat at Phillip’s, and also the less excessive and more intimate Crab Bag. Seacrets is mentioned as a wild place.</p>
<p>Two local state parks: Wight Wildlife Management Area, with migrating waterfowl, and Assateauge Island National Seashore, with a herd of wild horses.</p>
<p>Other mentions:</p>
<p>Snow Hill: Fine Needle, fabric focused gallery.</p>
<p>dudedad, Yes they give tours and yes there are samples at the end. We got to sample their 90 minute IPA, sah tea, palos anto, and one other one that I’m forgetting the name of. It was a great tour learned all about the company, how it was started and how they do their brewing. Free too. We joked that it was the best bar we’ve ever been to since they just kept handing us cups of beer for no money in return. Each sample was about half of a plastic cup. We asked them about that and they said that’s the most they can legally give away during a sampling.</p>
<p>The whole trip was very quiet… but awesome. Dogfish Head was neat. We did go to the rehobeth outlets as well. Also stopped at the OC outlets (didn’t know they had any!). </p>
<p>Made it to Seacrets one day for lunch. Food was really good. Ate at an Italian place called Davinci’s, a mexican place called Mothers Catina, and the rest of the places we went to were right on the boardwalk. Ate at Hammerheads (BF has been dying to eat there all year), Bull on the beach (best chicken sandwich I’ve literally had in my life), The wrapper (love that place), the dough roller (this wasn’t really one of our first choices of places to eat but it was right near our hotel and after driving all the way there we didn’t feel like searching far for a place to eat… that being said, it was good.), and a few other places.</p>
<p>I’m so glad you had a great time in Ocean City, MD. It has been my family’s vacation spot for most of my life, and that’s a lot of years. We’ve run the gamut from renting condos in the heart of the boardwalk to going completely the opposite direction and camping. When we rent a place, our main requirement is that it be ocean front, and even better right on the boardwalk. My favorite place is Dunes Manor Hotel, one block from the end of the boardwalk on 28th street. You can catch the tram at the terminal on 26th street. We’ve also stayed right down in the main part of the boardwalk. We all, even the grandparents, love the hubbub of the boardwalk and I hate to say it, the tackiness of it. The t-shirt shops, the hermit crab places, all the great boardwalk food, the Kite Shop…wow, I want to leave right now. I can taste the Thrasher’s fries and the Polish Water Ice. I always bring home Wockenfuss or Candy Kitchen fudge and Dolles or Fishers carmel corn. I’m gaining weight just thinking about it. Since we’re there with family of all ages we’re not into the bar or party scene, and we do spend most days on the beach. Being right on the boardwalk is so convenient because you can take a break from the sun and walk the boardwalk or take a break back in the room. There are so many things to do, and everyone has a favorite that we have to do each year. Assateague is a short drive and sometimes we go there for a day. We love Phillips buffet, and get there at least once for the early bird discount and because it’s not crowded then. We avoid Paul Revere buffet on the boardwalk like the plague. We also do not like English’s. We always eat at least once at Dumser’s and splurge on their ice cream. When we have a condo we might make pina coladas and sit on the balcony and people watch. I know some people think OC is tacky, but to us it’s fun, maybe because I grew up going there and my kids have grown up going there and it brings back such wonderful memories.</p>