Berlin

In 2014, Berlin was named Budget Travel’s Coolest Small Town in America. We agree. Surrounded by farmland and forest, the town is as quaint as it gets in rural America. Here, a stroll down Main Street is the same path taken by the Assateague and Pocomoke Indians well before the colonial period. Today, Berlin’s beautiful tree-lined streets, Victorian town center, museum and historic homes captivate those who visit. Deriving from a contraction of the words “Burleigh” and “Inn,” Berlin has some of the most sought-after B&Bs and culinary delights on the shore.

But it also has birds. For duck lovers, Berlin Falls Park across from Burley Oak Brewing Company is the place to be in fall, winter, and early spring. Formerly a Tyson chicken facility, the 60-acre park and its four ponds were purchased in 2016, and they are loaded with Northern Shovelers, Hooded Mergansers, Ruddy Ducks, and Buffleheads, to name a few. In spring and early summer Wood Ducks and Green Herons regularly nest on the property along with hundreds of painted turtles.

Moreover, Berlin’s central location makes for easy nearby jaunts to some of Maryland’s best birding sites, including the Pocomoke River, Nassawango Creek, Ocean City Inlet, Sunset Park, and Assateague Island National Seashore.

For convenience, good eats, good lodging, and good birds, Berlin is hard to beat.