Scarborough Inn

Scarborough Inn Rated #1 hotel of all 533 on the Jersey Shore by TripAdvisor users. Historic charm, modern design, architect-owned, operated by life-long yearround locals

The #1 hotel in OCNJ. TripAdvisor’s words, not ours. Founded in 1895, Scarborough Inn is the oldest hotel in town. Recently renovated, the inn combines Guilded Age charm with modern convenience. Located in the heart of the Downtown Historic District, park in our lot and then walk to the beach, the shops on Asbury Avenue, the boardwalk, the rides, and enjoy an evening stroll taking in all the neigh

borhood’s Victorian architecture. This is your home by the sea on New Jersey’s storied barrier islands. www.scarboroughinn.com

Game recognize game.Sometimes my ankle monitor gives me enough range to get off island. This time I made it all the way ...
08/31/2026

Game recognize game.

Sometimes my ankle monitor gives me enough range to get off island. This time I made it all the way to Absecon Island, Steel Pier. Naturally, pink things found me.

It only took us 131 years, but Scarborough finally got her Friends of OCNJ History & Culture born-on plaque.These plaque...
08/25/2026

It only took us 131 years, but Scarborough finally got her Friends of OCNJ History & Culture born-on plaque.

These plaques serve a useful purpose. They put a historical context on the buildings we casually walk past every day. They remind passersby that these old pieces of architecture aren’t just background noise. They’re fundamental pieces of the Ocean City we inherited from the stewards before us. They’re the narrative thread that gives grandparents and grandkids overlapping OCNJ memories.

But 1895 is just a number. So here’s another way to put one and a third centuries into perspective:

What do Jell-O, Hershey bars, teenagers, PB&Js, teddy bears, empathy, Crayola crayons, parenting, banana splits, Mother’s Day, extroverts, Oreos, T-shirts and Kleenex all have in common?

Scarborough Inn has been part of Ocean City and Earth longer than all of them.

Jell-O (1897)
Hershey’s Milk Chocolate Bar (1900)
PB&J (first known recipe, 1901)
Teddy bear (1902)
Crayola crayons (1903)
Banana split (1904)
Mother’s Day (modern observance, 1908)
Oreo (1912)
T-shirt (modern form, 1913; name first recorded, 1920)
Kleenex (1924)

And these things certainly existed. We just didn’t have these words for them yet:

empathy (coined 1909)
teenager (coined 1913)
parenting (coined 1918)
extrovert (coined 1918)

Scarborough Inn (1895)

“What are we gonna leave for the young?”

I’m going to leave an inn built for the Victorian Age but painted for the W***y Wonka Age.

On Friday, we told you all of us at Scarborough Inn were Team Athena.Turns out we chose wisely.Athena Staros wrapped up ...
08/24/2026

On Friday, we told you all of us at Scarborough Inn were Team Athena.

Turns out we chose wisely.

Athena Staros wrapped up the Rip Curl GromSearch weekend in Ocean City with a 1st-place finish in Girls U16 and 3rd in U14.

Yes, she won the older division.

Not a bad weekend for our second-year Scarborough guest from Huntington Beach. Congratulations to Athena, and to her mom, Anna, who logged a pretty serious weekend on the beach herself.

After two summers with us, I think it’s official: Athena and Anna have been inducted into the Scarborough Illuminati.

Team Athena, indeed.

08/24/2026

Monday…

Normally, we always root for the local groms. But today, all of us at Scarborough Inn are Team Athena.Athena Staros and ...
08/22/2026

Normally, we always root for the local groms. But today, all of us at Scarborough Inn are Team Athena.

Athena Staros and her mom, Anna, are back at Scarborough Inn for their second year, making the trip east from Huntington Beach, California for the Rip Curl GromSearch North America, presented by Flexfit.

And Athena came east with a pretty ridiculous résumé.

At the NSSA Southwest season finale at Huntington Beach Pier in May, she entered three divisions and won all three: Explorer Women, Open Girls U16, and Explorer Super Girls U12. A rare trifecta.

This morning in Ocean City, Athena won her U14 heat and moves on to the next round tomorrow. Later today, she gets back in the water for the U16 round.

She’s got a busy docket this weekend. We’re very happy to have Athena and Anna back with us for year two.

Go Athena.

Summer’s last stand.One last night when the year-rounders, summer people, visitors, friends, neighbors, and guests are a...
08/12/2026

Summer’s last stand.

One last night when the year-rounders, summer people, visitors, friends, neighbors, and guests are all still here together.

So we’re doing what porches are made for.

Good food. Good music. Good company. Neighbors and guests on equal ground.

Thursday, August 20 • 6–8 PM
Scarborough Inn • 720 Ocean Ave.
Free food truck. Live music. All are welcome.

Come up the steps.

Mark Grande is one of my “kindergarten friends.”That’s what I call the guests who have been with me since my inaugural y...
08/11/2026

Mark Grande is one of my “kindergarten friends.”

That’s what I call the guests who have been with me since my inaugural year as innkeeper in 2020. I stole the term from my friend Sophie Halbeisen, who calls me her kindergarten friend because I’ve known her since her first year in NYC.

I always tell guests: if you have friends or family in town, invite them over. Order takeout. Have a family-style dinner on the wraparound porch.

Mark, naturally, takes this to another level.

Crabs from Woodburne’s in Somers Point. Brown paper. A crowded table. Shell crackers. Mallets. Minutes of effort and chatter for every ounce of meat.

Good food. Old friends. New friends. A common table. What porches were made for.

Address

720 Ocean Avenue
Ocean City, NJ
08226

Telephone

+16093991558

Website

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