Don’t be confused by the name: It refersnot to any of the Barnegats (located north of here), but to owners Frank and Lois Barna, who thought it conjured up images of the Jersey Shore. Called simply a “seashore cottage,” this homey 1896 guest house in Ocean City’s historic district has no definable architectural style. The exterior is vaguely Queen Anne, with a broad porch and burgundy awnings. Inside feelsjustlike grandma’s house. A Second Empire oak dining room is framed by Lois’s collections of spoons, teapots, and bells. Frank collects John Wayne memorabilia and is happy to show the Duke’s movies.
Three blocks from the beach and convenient to Ocean City’s busy downtown shopping area, the inn is reasonably priced by shore standards. Rooms, named for flowers, are dressed with country Victorian antiques and hand-made quilts and afghans and are stocked with Perrier water and candies. (Ocean City is a dry town, but you’re welcome to bring a bottle of wine and chill it in the Barnas’ refrigerator.) Under the eaves on the third floor, two bedrooms and an adjacent sitting area make a cozy family suite.
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