Tourists flock to this stretch of the Atlantic Ocean for the delights and diversions of the beach. While the area beaches share the same body of water, each has its own flavor.
Spend a day at Assateague Island or travel a few miles north to Bethany, Dewey or Rehoboth Beach, Del., and it is startling to see how independent each community is.
If you are in Ocean City for more than a few days, it's worth packing up the sand chairs and cooler in the car and taking a day trip to some of the neighboring beaches. You'll find that even the sand on each beach has a different texture.
If you find this surprising, check out the sand display at the Ocean City Life Saving Station Museum near the inlet on the boardwalk. There you can compare the Ocean City sand to 88 sands from around the world.
Ocean City
Ocean City has long been a popular vacation resort for Baltimore and Washington, but look out. Yankees from New York and New Jersey have started heading south in increasing numbers. They say the beaches here are larger and less congested than those at the Jersey shore.
This year the resort was also advertised in Canada, and it is not unusual to see cars from that other North American country around town. It is easy to understand why the Northerners are making lengthy journeys to visit Ocean City. Not many resorts have 10.5 miles of beaches patrolled by lifeguards.
The Ocean City lifeguards are on duty daily during the summer season from 10 a.m. to 5:30 p.m.
While their primary duty is to guard the beaches, lifeguards can also provide the lowdown on water tides and currents. "A lot of times people are embarrassed to ask lifeguards about the conditions of the water," says Lt. Edward Kovacs of the Ocean City Beach Patrol.
He points out that the ocean is an active body of water that is constantly changing. "A lot of times people aren't aware of the hazards," says Lieutenant Kovacs.
If you arrive at the beach without chairs and umbrellas, there are 137 rental stands on the beach. Rental prices vary. Want to remember your vacation? Have your photo taken on the beach. The photographers who canvas the beach are known as "scopers" and will take photos, which are eventually mounted in a small plastic telescope viewer.
There are three businesses in town competing for those $3.25 sales, and it happens that all three owners share the same last name -- Ferrante. Brothers Greg and Todd and Greg's wife, Katie Ferrante, have three independent businesses. "We are as competitive as we can be," says Greg Ferrante.
