Top 8 Underrated Things to Do in Ocean City, New Jersey

Ocean City, New Jersey

Ocean City, New Jersey draws 130,000 visitors each summer weekend thanks to its mix of old-time boardwalk charm and modern family fun. The city began as a religious retreat in 1879 when Methodist ministers founded it, and it remains the largest alcohol-free beach town on the East Coast today.

The city stretches along 8 miles of beach, where about 192 trained lifeguards keep swimmers safe. Its 2.5-mile boardwalk offers classic seaside activities without the noisy bars you’ll find in places like Wildwood or Atlantic City.

The Historic Music Pier’s Year-Round Shows

The Ocean City Music Pier has stood on the boardwalk since 1928, when it was built to replace a building lost in a fire. Inside, you’ll find original Mercer tiles and specially designed walls that carry sound evenly to all 800 seats.

The building hosts 200 shows each year, from orchestra concerts to Broadway performances. In winter, it becomes home to craft fairs and holiday markets that bring in thousands of people, while its large windows offer beautiful views of the sunset during evening shows.

The Protected Sand Dunes

Ocean City’s dunes feature rare types of beach grass that scientists developed just for this shoreline in the 1930s. These dunes do such a good job of protecting the coast that environmental experts from around the world come to study them.

Visitors can walk on raised wooden paths through the dunes while reading signs that explain how these small hills shield the town from storms. Local marine scientists regularly update these educational displays with new information about the dune ecosystem.

The 1885 Coastal Rescue Station

The rescue station on 4th Street looks exactly as it did when it opened in 1885. Inside, you can see the original Lyle gun that crews once used to shoot rescue lines to ships in trouble, along with other historic lifesaving equipment.

Waverly Beach

A unique underwater sandbar and special water currents at Waverly Beach create perfect waves for surfing. While most East Coast beaches have flat water in summer, this spot’s position and the shape of the ocean floor help form good waves year-round.

Great Egg Harbor

The waters of Great Egg Harbor Bay hold some of the East Coast’s last natural hard-shell clam beds. Some local families have had special rights to gather clams here since the 1800s, passed down through generations.

You can go on clamming trips and learn to use wooden rakes made by local craftspeople. These traditional tools work better than modern equipment for finding clams in the bay’s sandy bottom.

The Art Deco Buildings Along the Boardwalk

Ocean City’s boardwalk has more preserved 1930s Art Deco buildings than any other beach town in America. Local artist Howard Schilling designed special ocean-themed decorations for these buildings in 1934, including carved dolphins and wave patterns.

Many of the original storefronts still have their first decorative tiles and chrome trim. These buildings show how beach architecture changed from Victorian to modern styles in the early 1900s.

Peaceful Sundays

Every Sunday until noon, the boardwalk becomes unusually quiet, following a custom that started with the town’s Methodist founders. Shops open later than usual, and even the rides run without their normal music and sounds.

Locals call this weekly quiet time ‘boardwalk meditation.’ This tradition makes Ocean City unique among busy shore towns, offering a peaceful start to Sunday mornings.

The Beach Patrol’s Historic Equipment Collection

The Ocean City Beach Patrol headquarters holds the oldest complete collection of beach rescue equipment still in use in America. This includes wooden lifeboats from 1898 that lifeguards still maintain.

Modern guards train using many of the same methods developed over a century ago. Visitors can watch morning practice sessions where guards use both old and new rescue techniques.