A,
Let's see, accommodations first. I would recommend a midtown location, somewhere between 15th and 40th Streets. Easiest access to the beach would be either oceanfront or oceanblock. A few of our favorite hotels are Holiday Inn Suites, Castle in the Sand, Quality Inn Oceanfront, and Thunderbird Beach Motel. If you book through
www.ocean-city.com they are offering great certificates just for using their site.
Another alternative would be a condo in which you have all the comforts of home and lots of space. Check out Coldwell Banker and Central Reservations - they will be able to provide you a listing of available units which meet your needs (ie price, location, bedrooms, baths, amenities, dates, etc.).
Attractions - Number one for my kids is the beach. They love wave riding, sea shell hunting, sand castles, etc. Then there is the boardwalk, lots of activities here alone (rides, arcades, yummy treats, souveniers, etc.). Other activities my kids enjoyed at 4 and 7 - mini golf, go karts, early morning bike rides on the boardwalk, riding the trolley and bus, and eating out at fun restaurants.
Speaking of restaurants. There are so many family friendly locations in OC, but my children's favorites, and have been for many years (they are 8 and 10 and have been OC babies since birth!) - Fishtales which has a great fenced in play area (tip - ask for table near play entrance and waitresses will do their best, may have to wait, but well worth it!), De Lazy Lizard (new last year, but great play area), Greene Turtle (great game room upstairs), Hooters (they love the outside dining area b/c there are tons of fish swimming right next to the deck), and Tony's Pizza (they love their rooftop deck).
You will have a blast and really can't go wrong with whatever you choose to do or wherever you choose to stay. The best option is to review all the prior Insider questions and responses for great resources, use
www.ococean.com to plan your trip, and just have fun.
Have a great vacation! (enjoy the planning as well)
Anna G.