Somewhere around day four of a shore week, somebody wants a change of scenery. Ocean City is well placed for that. Everything below is under 45 minutes from the island, and we have done all of them.
Cape May: the classic, 40 minutes south
Cape May is about a 40-minute drive south of Ocean City via the Garden State Parkway. Go for the Victorian streets, the walkable downtown, and a slower, grown-up seaside pace; it pairs well with a stop at the free Cape May County Park & Zoo in Cape May Court House on the way down.
Forty minutes down the Parkway is Cape May. It is the shore town for walking: blocks of Victorian houses, a compact core of shops and restaurants, and a promenade along the beach. Without kids it is the best grown-up day within reach: a long lunch, the historic district, a slow browse. With kids, plan a half day in Cape May and spend the other half at the zoo below, which sits on the way home.
Cape May County Park & Zoo: free, and good
The Cape May County Park & Zoo in Cape May Court House, about half an hour from Ocean City, is free: no admission and free parking, open every day except Christmas. In 2026 it is open 10am to 4:30pm through October 29. Big animals and a large county park around the zoo make it an easy half day.
There is no catch. The county runs a full zoo with big animals and a large park around it, and charges nothing: free admission, free parking, open every day of the year but Christmas, 10am to 4:30pm in the 2026 summer season. It is about half an hour from the island at 707 Route 9 North in Cape May Court House. On a hot day the shade helps; on a marginal-weather day it saves the schedule. Leave something in the donation box.
Historic Smithville: shops, ducks, and a carousel, 32 minutes north
Historic Smithville, about 32 minutes north of Ocean City in Galloway, is a free-admission colonial-style village: 60-plus specialty shops and several eateries around a pond, with a carousel, train ride, and paddle boats for kids, and around 30 free events a year including Oktoberfest on October 3-4, 2026.
Smithville is the day trip grandparents and kids agree on. It is a re-created colonial village, a walkable old town around a duck pond, with more than 60 small shops and no admission or parking fee. Kids ride the carousel, the small train, and the paddle boats; adults browse and eat. For fall visits: the village runs free festival weekends most of the year, including Oktoberfest October 3-4, 2026 and the Irish Festival the following weekend, October 10-11.
Atlantic City: 29 minutes, with or without kids
Atlantic City is about 29 minutes from Ocean City. Without kids it supplies what dry, quiet Ocean City does not: casinos, nightlife, big-name concerts, and late restaurants. With kids, keep to a daytime slice of the boardwalk around Steel Pier’s rides and the beach, then head home for dinner on the island.
Ocean City is dry, family-first, and quiet by 11pm; Atlantic City is none of those things, and it is 29 minutes away. Grown-ups can book a show or a casino night and the drive home is short. As a family outing, we would keep it to daylight: the boardwalk, the Steel Pier rides, the beach (free in AC), an ice cream, and home. AC’s boardwalk is bigger and louder than ours, so a little goes a long way with young kids.
Somers Point: the errand that became a tradition
Somers Point, directly across the 9th Street bridge, is the mainland stop most Ocean City visits include: Circle Liquors for the dry-town stock-up, then bayfront seafood at spots like the Crab Trap (40-plus years overlooking Great Egg Harbor Bay), Smitty’s Clam Bar, or Josie Kelly’s Public House in town.
Because Ocean City sells no alcohol, most stays begin or end with the Somers Point run, and Circle Liquors at the traffic circle is the store that serves it. Locals turned the errand into an evening: the Somers Point bayfront looks back across the water toward the island and has a row of seafood restaurants, led by the Crab Trap, a family-run spot on Great Egg Harbor Bay for over 40 years, with Smitty’s Clam Bar and Josie Kelly’s Public House nearby. It is a five-minute drive from the 9th Street bridge, which barely counts as a trip, but it is the one everyone takes.
Two nature escapes: Corson’s Inlet and the Wetlands Institute
Corson’s Inlet State Park, at the southern tip of Ocean City’s own island around 59th Street, has free dune trails, a natural beach, and good shorebird watching. The Wetlands Institute in Stone Harbor (1075 Stone Harbor Blvd) adds salt-marsh trails and osprey viewing; admission is $12 for ages 13-plus, $10 for ages 4-12. Check current hours before going.
The quietest trip does not leave the island. Corson’s Inlet State Park protects 98 undeveloped acres at Ocean City’s southern tip: no buildings, no boardwalk, dune trails, a wild beach, and more than 50 bird species, with ospreys in summer and shorebird flocks in migration. Parking is a small free lot just before the Corson’s Inlet bridge, and it fills, so go early. For more, continue to the Wetlands Institute in Stone Harbor (about 30 minutes from mid-island, less from Corson’s), where elevated walkways and a salt-marsh trail put kids at eye level with the marsh; admission is $12 for ages 13 and up and $10 for ages 4 to 12, and hours shift by season, so check before you drive down. Either one is a good afternoon, and you are still back on the island in time for the boards.
Frequently asked questions
How far is Cape May from Ocean City NJ?
About 40 minutes by car, straight down the Garden State Parkway to its southern end. That is close enough for an easy day trip: Victorian streets and a walkable downtown for the adults, plus the Cape May County Park & Zoo on the way at Cape May Court House, about ten minutes short of Cape May.
Is the Cape May County Zoo really free?
Yes. Admission and personal-vehicle parking at the Cape May County Park & Zoo are free, and it is open every day of the year except Christmas. In 2026, summer hours are 10am to 4:30pm through October 29, then 10am to 3:30pm. Donations are welcome.
How far is Atlantic City from Ocean City NJ?
About 30 minutes by car, up the Garden State Parkway or the coastal route through Somers Point and Longport. It is an easy evening trip for the casinos, dining, and big-venue entertainment that dry, family-focused Ocean City does not have; with kids, the boardwalk and Steel Pier area works as a shorter outing.
What day trips from Ocean City NJ are best with kids?
Three stand out: the free Cape May County Park & Zoo (about half an hour south), Historic Smithville with its carousel, train ride, and paddle boats (about 32 minutes north), and the Wetlands Institute in Stone Harbor for salt-marsh trails and osprey viewing. All three are cheap, outdoors, and done between breakfast and dinner.
Where do you buy beer or wine near Ocean City NJ?
Ocean City is a dry town with no alcohol sales inside city limits, so visitors stock up in Somers Point, just over the 9th Street bridge. Circle Liquors at the Somers Point traffic circle is the traditional stop on the way onto the island; pair the errand with a bayfront dinner nearby.
Is Historic Smithville free to visit?
Yes. There is no admission or parking fee at Historic Smithville; you pay only for shopping, food, and the small rides like the carousel, train, and paddle boats. The village has more than 60 shops and several eateries around a pond, plus free festival weekends through the year, including Oktoberfest October 3-4, 2026.
