At The Beach – Ocean City Maryland

Ocean City MD and Bethany Beach DE Vacationers and locals are both currently enjoying the locally grown summer harvest of squash, corn, tomatoes, peppers, watermelon, and more in North Ocean City Md and Bethany Beach Delaware. Bethany Beach DE. is host to a farmers market every Sunday through Aug 19th on Garfield Ave., Bethany Beach Delaware. CLICK HERE FOR DETAILS AND MAP. Ocean City and Berlin Md have a farmers market 4 days a week. CLICK HERE FOR DETAILS AND MAP. The corn and tomatoes from the Perfecto Pereyra Farms stand ( 142nd St and Coastal Hwy, Ocean City MD ) were absolutely the sweetest and freshest. We enjoyed these locally grown produce items Sunday for dinner. Of course also found at the Farmers Market is a variety of locally grown produce and fruits including peppers, potatoes, onions, fresh herbs, green beans and of course the sweet cantelope and watermelons.

Of course, a side dish included fresh Organically grown squash and zuchinni from the Quindocqua Organic Farm stand, a Maryland Certified Organic farm since 1997. The squash, zuchinni and tomatoes, coupled with freshly harvested corn made were the mainstays of a wonderful Sunday Dinner.
Oh! don’t forget the huge and locally grown peaches from Bennett Farms, Ocean City MD and Bethany Beach DE markets. Jerry the Peach Man is always at his stand in the Ocean City MD market. I love these peaches sliced up on Vanilla Ice Cream. The locally grown peaches are usually available until Mid August, so stop in and let Jerry send you home with a bag of peaches.


The Ocean City MD Farmers Market continues on into Sept and Oct right into the Pumkin Season. We always enjoy their presence locally as a main source of fresh produce and fruits.

Vacationers to the Ocean City MD and Delaware seashore areas may find the Assawoman Wildlife Area a refreshing change of pace and certainly an exploratory activity. The area is less than a 30 minute drive from the Beaches of Fenwick Island DE and North Ocean City MD. CLICK HERE FOR A GOOGLE MAP of the Wildlife Area..

On July 24, 2007 I managed a 3 hour excursion to the area. Accompanied by an international student summer worker, Sasha from Russia, who has a love of photography, we ventured off to explore this little known treasure by the seashore. I printed out a Google map before departing to ensure we didn’t get lost in the countryside and arrived at our intended destination promptly.

As we entered the wildlife area, we stopped and picked up a self guided Assawoman Auto Tour printed guide and a map of the wildlife area (available free). After reviewing the tour map, we proceeded into the preserve driving through densely forested areas on a gravel road. Our 1st destination was Mulberry Landing on the Little Assawoman Bay.
We stopped enroute to climb up the Observation Tower to take a scenic look and snap some photos of the panoramic view. Sasha brought up the camera tripod to use when taking the photos.

Mulberry Landing offers boat ramp, shaded picnic area with picnic tables and portable johns. A floating dock offers the opportunity to fish or crab from it’s extension into the bay. On the direct bay, we found it quite windy on this day so we continue on with the auto tour and drove through densely wooded areas to Strawberry Landing.

Here we found the setting more serene and the waters calm and relaxing. Picnic tables and a boat launch was available here also. A family was crabbing here from a small dock area. The view was picturesque!

Onward we ventured then to our last stop. Sassafras Landing, the most remote and inland area where we found a small parking lot and view of the Millers Creek from which we could see Fenwick Island DE in the distance. The water was smooth and only interrupted once by a lone jetskier.

So give it a try! Pack a picnic lunch, some beverage and bring the family or friend for a few hours “getaway” from the seashore crowds in Fenwick Island DE and At The Beach in Ocean City MD.. Bring your camera, possibly some insect repellant, sunhat, and enjoy the nature that abounds by the seashore.

Ocean City MD is a barrier spit ( island ) and is very close to the Assateague Island National Seashore. Vacationers to the Ocean City MD and Delaware Coastal Seashore Resorts can easily drive to the National Seashore for a 1/2 or full day of family enjoyment! CLICK HERE FOR GOOGLE MAP. The web site of The US National Park Service provides a wealth of information about the Island and tips on planning a visit to the Island. Make sure you stop in at the Visitor Center located just before the Verranzano Bridge before you cross over from the mainland to the Island to gather informative brochures, maps and allow the children to explore this small educational and information center. You will find public restrooms here also. Assateague Island National Seashore offers a variety of kids programs during the summer months. Check at the Barrier Island visitor centers for program descriptions and schedules.

I recently took 2 visiting International visitors for a 2 some hour adventure on the Island. We spotted wild deer, and of course the famous Assateague Ponies. A 1/2 mile walk along the marsh trail provided a great view of the bay and the ecosystem populated with crabs, birds, marshy grasses and more! Informative displays along the walk provided information about our environment and the wildlife. We also crossed over to the Atlantic Ocean side of the Island and enjoyed the cool ocean breezes and views of the dunes. Elena and Guzel found the trip totally refreshing and a great respite from the visiting vacationer populations in Ocean City MD. You will find other informational resources AT THE BEACH about Ocean City MD and the Assateague Island National Seashore. When you are vacationing for a week or even a weekend stay, I encourage everyone to visit this environmental wonder. When entering the National Seashore entrance, the fee is $10 for one vehicle, valid for 7 days. Be sure to bring a spray can of mosquito repellant if you plan on enjoying one of the 1//2 mile walking trails, sunglasses, sun hats, some beverages in a cooler and even a picnic lunch as you will find picnic tables awaiting you at various locations throughout the seashore park. OH! You might even want to bring your bathing suits and spend the day on the Assateague beach! There are public restrooms to change clothing in and outdoor showers to wash the sand from your sun drenched body when you return to your car. Bring your camera to capture the moments and the scenery!

Click here to view a few photos taken on Assateague Island during our visit.

Adventure on the high seas? Not Quite – On July 6th, 2007 I took two international guest visitors to the USA to the Pocomoke River Canoe Company in Snow Hill MD. We rented a 3 person canoe and embarked upon a panoramic and wonderfully relaxing morning paddling our vessel on the Pocomoke River in Snow Hill MD. We were assisted and helped into our vessel by Aaron, a knowledgeable and polite summertime canoe company employee who is a local high school student.

Elena and Guzel were my much younger canoers and also provided most of the paddling power. We were all three carrying digital cameras and immediately came upon a rather large Turtle sunbathing on a fallen log. During our excursion on the Pocomoke River we enjoyed viewing many turtles, a beautiful Heron, Cyprus Trees growing out of the water, water lillies, and a blue sky backfilled with white puffy clouds.

We paddled against the gentle current heading North and explored both banks of the river, often navigating through huge lilly pad areas, and eventually decided to turn back so that we could return within a 2 hour period. (We had other plans for the midday and late afternoon) . Our return paddle was a bit quicker and we occasionally saw others paddling the river during our morning trip. When we were within about 200 feet of the dock, Aaron and the manager were awaiting us to help us get out of the canoe onto the dock.

If you are vacationing At The Beach in Ocean City MD., or possibly staying at the Riverhouse Inn in Snow Hill MD, (a stones throw away from the Canoe Company), live nearby or simply passing through the Coastal Maryland region, a paddle on the Pocomoke River from the Pocomoke River Canoe Company is a great experience for young and old. Take the kids along and give them an adventure they will not forget. Don’t forget to bring your camera, a sunhat, possibly sunglasses and even bring along a picnic lunch to enjoy on the picnic tables upon your return to the docks. Then continue on and explore the historic Town of Berlin MD

I have added quite a few photos of this memorable journey in our photo gallery section At The Beach Photo Gallery. Hoping you enjoy this remote adventure and are able to try it yourself someday soon!

Ocean City MD – Rip Current Awareness Week – June 3-9, 2007

With the recent drowning tragedy here in Ocean City Maryland still fresh on our minds we of At The Beach, www.AtBeach.com would like to remind everyone, especially our summertime visitors to be alert at all times when enjoying the waters along our beautiful stretch of Atlantic coastline. Knowing the facts regarding Rip Currents may save your life or that of a loved one.

According to the NOAA (National Oceanic Atmospheric Administration) website at www.ripcurrents.noaa.gov/

“Rip currents are powerful, channeled currents of water flowing away from shore. They typically extend from the shoreline, through the surf zone, and past the line of breaking waves. Rip currents can occur at any beach with breaking waves, including the Great Lakes.

Rip currents can be killers. The United States Lifesaving Association estimates that the annual number of deaths due to rip currents on our nation’s beaches exceeds 100. Rip currents account for over 80% of rescues performed by surf beach lifeguards.

The greatest safety precaution that can be taken is to recognize the danger of rip currents and always remember to swim at beaches with lifeguards…If caught in a rip current at an unguarded beach, how you respond could make the difference between life and death.”

We want you to enjoy every minute of your visit to Ocean City Maryland. Please swim safe!
The Gang at AtBeach