When the Atlantic Hotel opened its doors to the public in the tiny seaside village of Ocean City in 1875, no one could have envisioned what the next hundred years would bring. Today, Ocean City is Maryland’s Miami Beach. Ten thousand hotel rooms, more than 25,000 condominium units, plus apartments, beach houses, and 17 championship golf courses are spread along 10 miles of the finest white-sand beach anywhere on the East Coast.

Despite the growth of shopping malls, water sports, and golf courses, its primary attraction is still the beach and its boardwalk. Ecocruises provide the opportunity to see porpoises and whales off Ocean City’s coast, or take a trip to famous Assateague Island, where wild ponies wander its beaches, roads, and trails.

Ocean City’s 160 restaurants serve everything from eastern shore seafood fresh from the docks to a variety of ethnic cuisines. Seafood favorites include crab, lobster, oysters, clams, and a bountiful selection of fish. After dining, you can stroll out onto the decking and look west across Sinepuxent Bay and another unforgettable sunset.

Ocean City is also known as the “White Marlin Capital of the World,” attracting anglers from all over the United States. Members of the Ocean City Marlin Club have caught more than 40,000 marlin, most of which have been released.