What are some quintessential activities of a perfect summer vacation? Lounging a beach, eating delicious food, and strolling through an aquarium are all on my list! That’s why I really enjoyed my trip to Ocean City, Maryland with my parents in 2018!
It was a nice place to spend a day trip! You got all the elements you need for a good time– some time to just chill on the boardwalk, a chance to try fresh seafood, and the opportunity to learn more about marine life at the aquarium! (When I was younger, I wanted to be a marine biologist until I realized I was no good at biology (;^_^), but I still enjoy learning about aquatic life!)
The Ocean City Boardwalk gave full access to a ton of shops and restaurants, as well a great view of the beach- there were even sand sculptures with descriptions introducing them! The only issue was that it was sweltering, and the sun was brutal. I love sunny weather, but I can’t stand the heat for very long, and too much sun can be a bad thing, too! Remember to wear a hat and bring sunscreen when you spend time outside, and to drink plenty of water to stay hydrated! It was at the boardwalk that I tried Doc-Popcorn for the first time. I’d never tried popcorn from a specialty store before, and I was skeptical that this was one of those stores that fool you into paying for something of poor quality just for the novelty. Thus, it was a pleasant surprise when we decided on a bag of the Sweet Butter: the popcorn was fresh and crunchy, with a tiny hint of sweetness! I also bought a cup of Rainbow Ice from a Dippin’ Dots. It was a refreshing way to cool down from the heat!
After we had strolled the length of the boardwalk, we headed over to the visitor’s center. My expectations were pretty low; most visitor centers that I’ve been to are extremely dull– usually just filled with racks and racks of pamphlets, an information desk, and restrooms. However, this center had a balcony that offered a beautiful view of the bay, along with the lush greenery that grew on the banks.The height of the balcony allowed a cooling breeze to wash over us and after the stifling heat of the inside of the center, it was, literally, a breath of fresh air.
We even took a stroll around across the bridge spanning the wetlands near the visitor’s center. It was very relaxing to enjoy the view of the field of bright green grasses.
Seafood is a big part of the local cuisine in Maryland, so we seized the chance to try some at the Crab Deck, a small local restaurant built near the docks. It was lucky that crabs were in season during the summer! The crab meat was sweet and succulent– delicious!
Our stop at the National Aquarium was very enjoyable. Our tickets even had a fun fact about an aquatic animal on each of them! I loved the way that the aquarium was structured: on the first floor, there was an open tank of sharks swimming over white sand with a glass railing.
There were even touch tanks for moon jellyfish and stingrays! The jellies were extremely smooth and soft; the stingrays felt smooth but slightly slimy. It’s always a unique experience getting to come in contact with the animals!
The rest of the aquatic exhibitions consisted of massive tanks filled with colorful fish darting around among the textured coral. There was even an exhibit where a diver was swimming around feeding cabbage to the fish!
The National Aquarium also had an aviary and a reptile exhibit featuring frogs, turtles, and crocodiles!
However, my favorite part of the aquarium was the shark exhibit. It was located at the very last floor of the building, and a long, winding ramp allowed visitors to descend into the dark exhibit. I loved wandering among the tanks in the twilight atmosphere! It was fascinating to see all of the predators skulking around in the perpetual darkness. There was even a sawshark with a bizarre-looking snout!
Maryland was a fun place to visit during the summer; I’d recommend it to anyone who enjoys fresh seafood and a place to just relax!
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[…] in all, Cape Cod reminded me a lot of Ocean City, Maryland, which you can read my post about here. Both had abundant seafood and plenty of opportunities to admire the seashore. Although nothing in […]
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