Bikes and surreys have always been a fun way to enjoy summer on the Boardwalk. Ocean City’s designated morning biking hours are a great way to start the day with some movement while spending time with family and friends.
The Boardwalk itself stretches 2.5 miles from one end to the other, making a round trip about 5 miles. The ride is smooth and relatively easy, partly because of the lack of incline. But personally, I think the ride feels even easier because of the views and the overall good mood it puts you in.
From the shoreline, you can look out at the hazy morning ocean while listening to the waves and seagulls. As you ride past the stores, you see business owners setting up for the day and getting ready for another busy summer morning.
You may smell freshly baked donuts from down the Boardwalk. Others are walking with their morning coffee, while families sit down for breakfast and start mapping out their beach day.
It is a completely different feel from the Boardwalk later in the day. The morning is calmer, and there is something nice about seeing Ocean City wake up around you.
Nothing says the Boardwalk — or South Jersey’s shore towns — quite like a surrey.
I remember riding them growing up, from not being able to reach the pedals to finally being big enough to help. As a kid, they always reminded me of a golf cart, but instead of a motor, everyone had to work together to keep it moving. That is still part of the fun.
With seating options depending on the size of your group, surreys are a great way to get everyone involved. Ultimately, it is a group effort to keep the surrey moving, which is what makes it so entertaining.
I see families laughing on them all the time. Sometimes, the beginning of the ride is spent trying to get used to how everything works and figuring out everyone’s rhythm. By the end, they have mastered it — and are usually still laughing.
For those looking to rent, there are several options up and down the Boardwalk.
Oves on 4th Street offers a variety of bike and surrey rentals, including single bikes, children’s bikes with helmets, bikes with baby seats and tandem bikes. They also offer surreys in different sizes, making them an option for families and groups.
Oves is also known for its donuts, so the sweet smell will likely hit you as you approach. It is the perfect snack before or after a morning bike ride.
At 13th Street, 13th Street Bikes offers bike and surrey rentals, along with parking and a bathhouse for visitors who want to shower and clean up afterward.
For someone coming to Ocean City for a day at the beach, this can make for an easy beach-day plan. Park your car, rent a bike or surrey, enjoy a morning ride and then spend the rest of the day at the beach and Boardwalk.
Being near the center of the Boardwalk also gives visitors easy access to everything once the ride is over.
Bob’s Grill on 14th Street is another option for bike and surrey rentals. Bob’s is also well-known for its food, making it easy to combine a morning ride with breakfast or a meal later in the day.
You can sit down and have a full meal before biking to get some energy, or ride first and stop afterward to refuel.
Bob’s has a variety of food options depending on the time of day, and breakfast is especially convenient for those taking advantage of the Boardwalk’s morning biking hours.
Although it is not directly on the Boardwalk, Ocean City Bicycle Center at 7th Street and Atlantic Avenue is another option for riders.
Its location puts visitors close to the Boardwalk as well as downtown Asbury Avenue, making it easy to continue exploring Ocean City after the designated Boardwalk biking hours.
The business also offers longer rental durations, including weekly rentals, which can be especially convenient for visitors staying in town for the week.
A bike can become more than just a way to ride the Boardwalk in the morning. You can use it to explore Asbury Avenue, stop for coffee, do some shopping or simply ride around town.
For me, one of the best things about biking the Boardwalk is that the ride does not feel like a workout. You are moving, but you are also taking in everything around you.
You have the ocean on one side, the Boardwalk businesses on the other and people beginning their day all around you.
It is also an activity that brings back memories. Whether you grew up riding bikes and surreys on the Boardwalk or you are experiencing it for the first time, there is something nostalgic about seeing families pedal together on a summer morning. So grab a bike, gather your family or friends and make your way down the Boardwalk.
Remember, if you choose a surrey, everyone has to pedal.
That is part of the fun.
