The shopping in Ocean City may not be high class, but there's a lot of it. The boardwalk, the outlet center, dozens of strip malls along Coastal Highway, and small-town antiques in nearby Berlin are all happy to take visitors' money.
If you enter town from the Route 50 Bridge, you can't miss the Ocean City Factory Outlets (www.ocfactoryoutlets.com), a half-mile from the bridge, on the mainland at the intersection of Golf Course Road. The 41 brand-name outlets include Ann Taylor, Bass, Levi's, Jos. A. Bank, OshKosh, and Reebok. Parking is free and plentiful; a daily shuttle also stops at a variety of O.C. hotels from late July to mid-September (check the website for a schedule). The complex is open Sunday through Thursday from 10am to 6pm (until at least 8pm June-Aug), and Friday and Saturday from 10am to 9pm.
The Tanger Outlet Centers, in Rehoboth Beach, has a much bigger selection -- and no sales tax is charged in Delaware. If you're a serious shopper, you may want to take the short trip north.
Perhaps the most popular and populated shopping destination in O.C. is the boardwalk -- 27 blocks of souvenirs, candy, restaurants, snack shacks, and, of course, T-shirts. You'll find much of the same merchandise in all the souvenir shops, but there are a couple places worth visiting. Ocean Gallery World Center, at Second Street (tel. 410/289-5300), is a standout, with its mosaic-like facade of art from around the world. Its three stories are full of art posters, prints, and original oil paintings, all for sale at closeout prices. The Kite Loft, at Fifth Street (tel. 410/289-7855), has a large selection of kites (from simple to really cool), flags, windsocks, and toys. You may even see a pig fly. There's another location on 131st Street.
For something sweet, you can't miss Candy Kitchen, which specializes in fudge and saltwater taffy; it has numerous locations. But if you're down at the inlet end, stop in Wockenfuss Candy, First Street and the boardwalk (tel. 410/289-5054), for fine chocolates. The Baltimore-based candy shop has a new outlet on Seventh Street and the boardwalk as well.
