Big crowds go to Ocean City for Memorial Day weekend
OCEAN CITY, N.J. (CBS) -- Memorial Day weekend is in full swing. The Ocean City Boardwalk was packed as people flocked to the Jersey Shore to celebrate the unofficial start of summer.
Picture-perfect weather drew big crowds to Ocean City this holiday weekend.
"It's our first time in New Jersey, so we thought we'd come here for Memorial Day weekend," Ade Adeleke said.
Adeleke came from Charlottesville, Virginia with her husband and child to soak in the sun and enjoy the scenery.
"It's time to spend with family and be thankful for the opportunity to enjoy love," Adeleke said.
The atmosphere was relaxed with people walking along the shore, tossing a football, and tanning.
"I've never done it before, and I'm probably going to burn, but you know, gotta try everything once I guess," Kailey Sadler said.
For some people, Memorial Day weekend took months of planning and they're glad it's finally here.
People are flocking to the beach in Ocean City this Memorial Day weekend. There are folks suntanning, dipping their feet in the water, building sand castles and having a picnic with friends. Others are walking the boardwalk or riding the roller coaster nearby. pic.twitter.com/vFpuXQZSrd
— Madeleine Wright (@MWrightReports) May 27, 2023
"We rent, usually, like a house, with my wife's family," Federico Fontanella said. "At least, we're like 10 people all together in the house and we just spend the weekend and the rest of the week also together."
Some people say the reason they picked Ocean City as the place to spend their Memorial Day weekend is because they've been coming here since they were kids and they wanted to keep up the tradition.
"It's like the closest and the nicest, and we like it the most," Sadler said. "It's very nice. It has a lot to do."
A lot to do, like ride the rollercoaster near the Boardwalk, go parasailing, or build a sand castle.
"You need the wet sand to have structure and the dry sand to make it look like crumbly, to make it cool-looking," nine-year-old Carolina Righter said.
For some folks, going for a swim was a must.
"It's not that bad," Liam Vega said. "I like cold water."
Despite the chilly ocean temperature, there were a lot of people in the water.
They're ready to get summer started.