By Keith Griffith, Senior Travel Correspondent

Charming Bed-and-Breakfast in Picturesque Beach Resort Town

It's the first day of school, and innkeeper Nancy's two children are off to catch the bus. Guests are eating breakfast on the porch of the three-story house, built in 1896 by one of the seaside town's founding families. A cheerful, efficient multitasker, Nancy pauses from bringing out fresh fruit and copies of the daily paper to resolve a lunch-money debacle, then whisks back to chatting with the guests.

Ocean City Mansion's homey charm continues in its four nonsuite rooms, which comfort visitors and confound Roombas with eclectic, thematic décor, king or queen beds, and private fireplaces. Richard's Quarters—which comes guarded by a suit of armor gripping a think-positive book—is tinged with a crimson design scheme and dons a private balcony. In the Little Cabin Room, snugly arranged with a two-person jacuzzi at the foot of the bed, couples can unwind after a long day while watching the ceiling-mounted TV above the queen bed.

Quirky touches round out each room, making the inn feel less like a hotel and more like a design-obsessed aunt's house. Books and puzzles tether TV remotes to keep them from getting lost, and carefully curated knickknacks lend each room its own vibe. The guesthouse feel is most apparent in the bathrooms—though the soap bars are individually packaged as at a hotel, baskets full of full-size sunscreen, perfume, and sundries get the communal treatment.

Every morning, the inn offers a full-service breakfast from about 7:30 to 9:30, which guests can take either on the porch or in the first-floor sitting area. Fruit, omelets, and french toast prepare seaside vacationers for a day of shopping downtown, fishing, or surfing peak-season fall waves.

Ocean City, New Jersey: Pristine Beaches and Small-Town Charm

The broad, tree-lined streets of Ocean City, lined with well-kept lawns and patriotic bunting, exude the aura of a Norman Rockwell painting. Perched at the end of the barrier island separating the Atlantic from Great Egg Harbor Bay, this coastal resort town feels far removed from the bright lights of Atlantic City that flicker 30 minutes to the north.

"It's really busy here from Memorial Day to Labor Day," says Stef Godfrey, the editor of Ocean City magazine. "But now the town takes a nice deep breath." Off-season for tourists means good things for visitors, too, as the town shows off a quieter side and seasonal activities that are typically known only to locals start to pick up.

"This is the best time for waves, in the fall and winter," says Bobby, a surf instructor at 7th Street Surf Shop, which offers lessons and board rentals as deep into the winter as students are willing to go. Bobby, who got his start surfing 20 years ago with lessons at the very same shop, says the consistency of Ocean City's waves makes them among the best on the Jersey shoreline.

Also in the fall, fishing rods cast out for the striped bass that start lurking in the coastal shallows—in fact, the world-record striper catch was right up the shoreline on a late-September day in 1982. "I fish until I cast out and my sinker bounces off the ice," says Gene, the salty proprietor of Pappy's Fishin' Stuff. Down the road from Pappy's, the 12th Street pier—jutting out from the bay side of the island—is a local gathering spot for anglers, casual spectators, and plankton groupies.