Hotel at a Glance: Paradise Plaza Inn

Paradise Plaza Inn is located just steps from the Ocean City boardwalk, the Atlantic Ocean, and many of the town’s main attractions, including Trimper’s Rides and Amusements and the fishing pier. But guests don’t have to leave the hotel premises for entertainment—the onsite bar and grill hosts live music on weekends in season.

• Try Maryland crab cakes at the onsite 9th Street Taphouse Bar & Grille, which also serves fish and chips and burgers. The restaurant is open seasonally.
• Room with a view: Guest rooms have balconies overlooking the Atlantic, as well as free bottled water, WiFi, cable TV, and kitchenettes with refrigerators and microwaves.
• Go for a swim in the outdoor pool.
• Things to do: Shop along the boardwalk, ride bikes along the coast, or take a short drive south to Assateague Island National Seashore.

Ocean City, Maryland: Family-Friendly Boardwalk next to the Atlantic

Along Ocean City’s century-old boardwalk, you can savor wild-caught blue crab, play old-fashioned arcade games, and watch candy makers spin colorful saltwater taffy. The lively boardwalk, which stretches for three miles along Maryland’s eastern shore, helped earn Ocean City a spot on USA Today’s list of the “10 great places to have some fun on a boardwalk.” Kids can ride a ferris wheel and climb aboard one of the country’s oldest carousels at Trimper’s Amusement Park, a family-owned theme park for more than 100 years.

Assateague Island National Seashore—a 37-mile stretch of salt marshes running from Ocean City down to Virginia—offers a peaceful reprieve from the boardwalk’s constant activity. The island’s famous wild horses gallop on the shores, and you can can climb up a vintage, candy-striped lighthouse, or hike the seaside forests to spot birds, including great horned owls, ruby-crowned kinglets, and great blue herons.

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