Worcester, Maryland’s Beach & Beyond

Maryland’s only seaside county is best known for Ocean City and their 10 miles of beautiful, free sandy beaches, 3-mile boardwalk, amusements and great family fun. In addition to Ocean City, the county offers a wide range of unique attractions, from historic towns to lazy rivers to Assateague Island State Park and National Seashore. Worcester also has the best birding in Maryland, more than a dozen championship golf courses, and 100 miles of marked bicycle trails on flat country roads. The Pocomoke River, which has been designated a wild and scenic river, offers canoe and kayak rentals.

At the county’s southern tip, Pocomoke City is a place where river life is celebrated. Visitors can picnic among the water lilies or walk along a nature trail in Cypress Park. The newly opened Delmarva Discovery Center is located downtown, right along the river. The center focuses on river ecology and the history of the Pocomoke River, including shipbuilding, trading, fishing and local Native American history.

Snow Hill, the county seat, is a collage of handsome churches and manicured Colonial and Victorian-style homes. A walking tour brochure guides visitors through the historic district, filled with 100 houses more than 100 years old. Just five miles up the road, Furnace Town is the home of the National Historical Mechanical Engineering Landmark. If it sounds intimidating, it isn’t. Families in particular will enjoy a relaxing and educational visit to a reconstructed 19th century village featuring the Nassawango Iron Furnace, a print shop as well as brooms and looms.

Just a few miles inland from Ocean City and Assateague, Berlin proudly sports a restored downtown, filled with delicious shops and restaurants. Berlin has numerous structures on both the National Register of Historic Places and the Maryland State Register. They span two centuries of architecture and three distinct periods. Visitors can explore downtown’s historic collection with a free iPod walking tour, narrated by a noted architectural historian.

The downtowns of Berlin and Snow Hill are both designated by Maryland as the “Arts and Entertainment Districts.” As defined by Americans for the Arts, such districts must be in mixed-use areas where there is a high concentration of arts and cultural facilities. To show off their best A & E features, Snow Hill hosts First Friday-Arts on the River and Berlin hosts Second Friday Art Strolls each month. Both open their galleries in the evening, allowing visitors to see the work of local and regional artists. There’s also dancing (and music) in the streets and at various venues around the towns.

Just south of Ocean City lies Assateague Island National Seashore and Assateague State Park, Maryland’s only ocean park; its features include sandy beaches, biking, hiking and paddling and, of course, those wild ponies. A unique treasure of Assateague Island, visitors can observe them wandering the beaches, trails, campgrounds and marsh areas. Both the State Park and the National Seashore offer ranger-guided programs that encourage visitors of all ages to learn more about the barrier island environment and its wildlife.