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In many ways OC is similar to Virginia Beach, but in many ways different. It is similar in that the beach is public and their is a broad range of properties along the beach. Both towns also offer lots of things to do, places to shop, and entertainment options. OC probably has more of these than Virginia Beach. OC is different in that Virginia Beach is a large city, even independent of its tourism. It has places on the beach, and places not near the beach. It has an economy that supports its population beyond tourism. In OC, pretty much everyplace is in walking distance form the beach and essentially the entire economy is driven by tourism.

OC is small enough that it is easy to get around and go anywhere in town to do what you want. The bus runs every 20 minutes and is $1 a ride or $3 a day and can get you anywhere in town. Here is my perspective on the different areas of town and what they each offer. It should give you some sense of what area is best for you and your situation.

The boardwalk is at the south end of town. It runs 37 blocks starting with streets named after Maryland's Eastern Shore Counties up to 27th Street. If you like all the action and noise of the boardwalk, stay south of 5th Street. If you want it a bit quieter, but want to be on the boardwalk, stay north of 5th Street. The further north you go the quieter it will be. If you want a great midtown location where it is not too far from anything, stay between 28th and 80th Streets. This is my favorite part of town. Most of the buildings are low rise condos and hotels with more condos to the north and more hotels to the south. From about 95th street to 118th Street are mostly high rise condos, many have lots of amenities including pools, tennis courts, game rooms, and gyms. North of 118th to the Delaware line at 146th are mostly low rise condos with a few motels/hotels, but very few (none I can recall) are ocean front. The bay side of town tends to be more  low rise condos, smaller hotels, houses, and townhouses for most of the are north of about 5th street for the whole length of town.

There is really no bad place to stay. Almost everyplace is in walking distance to the beach and it is easy to drive or take the bus along Coastal Highway to anywhere else you'd want to go. All over town there are lots of different kinds of accommodations including efficiency places (beds and a kitchenette), traditional hotel rooms, suites, and multi-bedroom hotels and condos.

If you want some ideas of places to stay checkout this thread.

Have fun in OC!

There is lots of on-street free parking on the side streets near 136th Street on the ocean side. It is hard to predict how full it will get. I'd suggest starting to look early, before 10am. Most streets have parking on both sides which increases capacity, but many people staying in Montego Bay will also be looking for places to park.

It depends where in Virginia you are coming from. I live in Northern Virginia,so I am very familiar with the route from that area.

If you are coming from the Northern Virginia Area, you might have tolls on the Dulles Greenway (up to $4.10) and Dulles Toll Road (up to $2.25). The only other toll is to cross the Chesapeake Bay Bridge. That toll is $4.00 when going east only. There is no toll for the westbound trip.

If you are coming from southern Virginia and planning to take the Bay Bridge-Tunnel, the toll is $12.00 each way. You may also have some tolls in the Newport News area, depending what specific route you take.

If you are coming from the Richmond area and take Route 301, you would have the $4.00 toll on the Harry Nice Bridge (southbound only) to cross the Potomac River and the $4.00 toll on the Chesapeake Bay Bridge (eastbound only).

Have a great trip to OC!

If you are talking about a major aquarium, the closest is probably the National Aquarium in Baltimore. It is about 175 miles or 3 hours from Ocean City.

If you just want to see some fish and marine life I'd suggest the tanks at the OC Lifesaving museum, the touch tank at the Assateague Visitor's Center, or the Delmarva Discover Center.

There are no laws that regulate your concern. Anyone can rent or bring their own umbrella and beach equipment to use in OC. Use of the beach is essentially on a first-come, first-serve basis, where first-come often is dictated by who puts their beach equipment down first. Placement of umbrellas can be regulated by the lifeguards and umbrellas are not allowed east of the lifeguard stands. Some rental places do typically place umbrellas on the beach early, effectively claiming some of the better areas. When I am in OC, I go out early (around 8:30) to place my umbrella and chairs to get the spot I want. I usually go out to the beach around 10am.

There are really only two good ways to get to OC without a car. One is Greyhound bus. They arrive at the West OC park and ride lot. From there you take a short bus ride (< a mile) to OC ($1) and then a city bus ($1 a ride, $3 for the day) to anywhere in town. For more information on Greyhound times call 800.231.2222 or go to https://www.greyhound.com/farefinder/step1.aspx .

The other option is the Bay Runner Shuttle which runs to OC from several places in Maryland. It is about $100 and runs frequently.  More information on Bay Runner Shuttles can be found at http://www.bayrunners.com/

Have a great trip to OC!

There are no public or for fee changing stations or bathhouses anywhere in OC.

There are bathhouses with showers and changing areas at nearby Fenwick Island State Park and in the Day Use Area of Assateague State Park. There is an entrance fee for each of these parks.

Have fun in OC!

At this time of year bikes are allowed on the boardwalk from 2am to 11am.

The Dunes Manor is a great place to stay. My family stays there often.

The closest place to gt fresh deli meets is probably the Minit Market at 31st Street (on the west side of Ocean Highway). Another option, but not in walking distance is Rick's 64th Street Market. They have an excellent deli and outstanding sandwiches.

Almost all of the jewelry stores in OC will sell wedding bands. Three I'd recommend are Park Place,  D.A. Kozma, and Somerset South.

Have a great trip to OC!

The Castle in the Sand beach area is not really private. All ocean beaches in OC are public, accessible, and free. However, The Castle in the Sand is one of a very few places with a license to serve alcohol on the beach. It needs to be purchased from Coconuts, their on site restaurant. They have on beach waitresses that will serve you. You do not need to be staying at the Castle in the Sand to use the beach or be served by their wait staff.

As far as other rules, they are the same rules as the rest of OC's beaches. Kids can bring toys, you can bring your own food and drink (but not your own alcohol), boggie boards and rafts are allowed but surfboards and skim boards are not.

Have a great trip to OC!