Well, it may be a little early to be thinking about the beach, with March just winding down. But, actually this is a time that many people start thinking about where to go and when to go in the coming summer. I am no different, well actually I am, I've been thinking of the beach since well...... my last trip last summer. I usually go to the beach at least once a summer and usually 2-3 times. My favorite two beaches are Ocean City, MD and Wildwood, NJ.

Which one is better you ask? Well the answer is that it depends on what you are going for. I'll break down the different aspects I look for at the beach when I go and evaluate both places for each category.

Location

Ocean City, MD- This is located on a peninsula in the Atlantic Ocean, separated from the rest of the eastern shore of Maryland on one side by Assawoman Bay, and on the other side is the Ocean. This is approximately a 3 hour drive from Baltimore and DC.

Wildwood,NJ- This is on the Southern Tip of New Jersey, just above Cape May. Actually Wildwood is made up of Wildwood Crest (the Southern end), Wildwood (middle), and North Wildwood (northern part).

HOTELS

The first question most people want to know is , where am I going to stay. Both locations have plenty of choices. While there is a variety at both, they do seem to have themes running through each town.

Ocean City, MD- The hotels here tend to be on the larger side. With more rooms, and therefore maybe just a little less attention from the hotel staff for individual guests. The hotels are located mainly along Coastal Highway, which is 2-3 blocks off the beach in most parts of town. There are also a large number of hotels on the boardwalk itself. Be careful though, just because you get a room at a hotel on the boardwalk doesn't mean you will have a view. Many sell street views, pool views, and ocean view. The trick is even with an ocean "view" that may mean peaking around the corner out of your window. Ocean front, is what you want if you want to be facing the water itself. My favorite hotel in Ocean City is Plim Plaza. This used to be a rather cheap hotel but the interior has been renovated and costs have gone up. The nice thing about this Hotel is you have a deck that you can sit on and people watch right at the board walk.

Wildwood- I won't go into as much depth here as Ocean City. Most of their hotels are on "the beach block". This means that you don't have to cross a main street to get to the beach, this does not mean they are "ocean front". Actually for families this is nice because you are removed from the noise of the boardwalk. Yes they do have some on the boardwalk, and if you get a room there the same definitions of views applies as Ocean City. The key difference here is these are more "motels" than "hotels" usually 3 floors at the most, this makes it a little easier to get information you request from the hotel staff, and a more "family atmosphere".



The rest of the comparisons will be grouped together to keep them shorter instead of separate sections for each town.

THE BEACH!!!

Ocean City has had a major problem for about the past 10 years with beach erosion that resulted in the Army Corps of Engineers starting a beach replenishment program. This has improved the beach some, but a couple problems still remain. The sand is pumped in from the ocean, this means that there is a pronounced drop in level of the ocean floor as you walk out in the ocean. Once you go past about 10th street the distance from the boardwalk or street to the water also decreases considerably, meaning less room. Many of the beach areas in Ocean City do not allow Boogie Boards. Meanwhile in Wildwood, NJ the beach is much wider, and the drop off when going into the water is more gradual. The good thing about this is there is more room on the beach, the bad thing is it's a long walk to the water across hot sand. Recently they have actually started using "sand trams" to take you closer to the water from the edge of the beach. I have never had any problem with using a boogie board at the beach in Wildwood, but during crowded times they lifeguards do have the authority to restrict their use. Water temperatures are best in both beaches from about late June through early to mid September. Watch out for jellyfish, sometimes jellyfish season is unpredictable. Also in Wildwood you will run across your fair share of Horseshoe crabs.


The Boardwalk

Well, this is one area that Wildwood,NJ has a clear advantage. Their boardwalk has 4 piers with rides on it, while Ocean City, MD only has 2. Both boardwalks have a pier with interesting shops, and of course have shops along the length of the boardwalk. The majority of the shopping and entertainment for Ocean City's boardwalk is in the third of it closest to the Inlet. The rest of it is mostly hotels. Meanwhile, Wildwood has shops, games, and entertainment all along it's boardwalk. Ocean City's Thrasher's French Fries are the best choice for fries, but Max's Pizza in Wildwood,NJ has the better pizza. Another thing I like about Wildwood is that they have more "family owned" little sub shops on the boardwalk. A lot of these are actually run by families who own sub shops in Philadelphia, and open these additional locations in Wildwood to expand their business during the summer. Sausage and Pepper subs at almost any stand here are better than others back home. One of my favorite games to play in Wildwood,NJ on the boardwalk is Fascination, but I will explain more about that in the New Jersey Travel section under a separate posting.

Meals

The food in both locations varies from just edible, to extremely good. Of course seafood is the main focus of many restaurants taking advantage of their location. If you want Crabs, then Ocean City, MD is the best place to find them on the east coast, the classic "blue tip" crabs. Both towns have plenty of variety of types of food. In Ocean City I would suggest avoiding the "all you can eat places". These tend to be overpriced, many close to $20. In Wildwood you can eat at the same type of places for $10. Overall the prices in Wildwood tend to be a bit lower for their food.

Night Life

Okay, here is where if you are into barhopping and partying Ocean City completely blows away Wildwood. Ocean City has many bars both on the boardwalk and along Coastal Highway, with some on the Bay Side as well. The one that's best known is probably Secrets which has a Jamaican theme and is around 48th Street on Bayside. They have 10-12 bar areas on the beach with live music, entertainment, etc. The rest of the bars are your typical bars with live bands and dance floors, but there are plenty of them. Ocean City has a bus that you can ride all day and night for a $1 ticket. This is very convenient for the barhopping crowd. Wildwood's nightlife tends to be more subdued with a few bars in the "downtown mall" area which is 2 blocks off the boardwalk. The lack of bars clearly designate this as a family town. There are other bars scattered in the town, but those are rather small, and most of them are restaurant/bar combinations for those that want to relax maybe listen to a band and socialize without the large crowds.

OVERALL

Well, the question is what are you going to the beach for? Are you going down with your buddies to party, drink, flirt with the opposite sex, and don't mind large crowds while doing that? Well then Ocean City is the better place to go.

Are you going on a family vacation, want to just enjoy the beach, the boardwalk , the rides, and maybe have a couple drinks while relaxing, or a nice meal at night instead of hitting the bars? Well then Wildwood,NJ is the better place to go.

Personally, I go to Wildwood with my wife, sometimes to a nice Bed and Breakfast, or with another couple just for a fun relaxing vacation. If the guys want to go to the beach, that's another story, Ocean City is the clear choice in that situation.


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