Maintain your favorite Ocean City traditions — riding the Ferris wheel, Boardwalk fries, family bike rides — and make some new ones this summer, too! A new summer means a new story in Ocean City, with a fresh lineup of activities, accommodations and restaurants to keep your annual vacation from being anything but boring.
New things to do
Thanks to the OC Bay Hopper and the Liquid Limo, getting around Ocean City by water has never been easier. Family fun abounds with new niche businesses like Selfie Fantasy — an Instagram-friendly selfie-taking experience featuring a variety of backdrops and props to make your selfie stand out — and the Woodward WreckTangle, an outdoor Ninja Warrior-style obstacle course for all ages and skill levels.
For rainy day fun, the Flagship Premium Cinemas in the White Marlin Mall will open its doors this month; sit back and relax as you watch the latest blockbuster from the comfort of their reclining seats.
Additionally, Tanger Outlets is under new ownership and has been rebranded the Ocean City Outlets, where a Forever 21 and Michael Kors outlet will be opening soon.
OC Bay Hopper
All aboard the Bay Hopper! The new water taxi offers a variety of options, including transportation around Ocean City, rental services and expeditions like crabbing on Assateague and watching seasonal fireworks from the water.
North Ocean City Water Taxi ‘OC Bay Hopper’ Hits the Water this May
The OC Bay Hopper is an Uber of the ocean, designed to shuttle passengers along Ocean City’s back bays from the northernmost reaches of Ocean City all the way down to the Inlet and Assateague Island.
Woodward WreckTangle
Are you up to the challenge? The Woodward WreckTangle is an obstacle course that’s fit for both children and adults, regardless of their current Ninja abilities.
Woodward WreckTangle Obstacle Course Coming to Ocean City this April
Ocean City, Maryland, (February 26, 2019) The Town of Ocean City announced today a new partnership with POWDR Adventure Lifestyle Co. and Woodward, a playground for progressive athletic experiences. Beginning in late April and continuing through October, the Woodward WreckTangle — a proprietary ninja obstacle challenge course for kids and adults, named for its rectangular shape — will be available for use in Ocean City.
The Liquid Limo
Whether you’re hosting a bachelorette party this summer or just looking to have a peaceful day on the bay with your family, the Liquid Limo is another great option for cruising around Ocean City’s waterways.
Wherever you’re going, the Liquid Limo will get you there in style
Imagine riding along Ocean City’s back bays while the sun’s going down, a cold drink in your hand and all of your closest friends by your side. They’re snapping pictures, taking turns picking which song to play next, pulling snacks and sodas out of the cooler and passing them around.
Selfie Fantasy
Even if you’re not a regular selfie-taker, you probably know someone who is, whose Instagram fantasies can come to life at Selfie Fantasy. 60-90 minutes of picture taking costs $20 for adults, with discounted rates for children.
Selfie Fantasy’s interactive, Instagram-worthy experience to open in May
The exterior walls of 14 Worcester Street won’t be deep sea-blue and decorated with spine-chilling underwater monsters for much longer.
New places to eat
One of the best parts of an annual summer vacation in Ocean City is that there will always be a variety of great new restaurants to try. Even the pickiest of eaters can find something new to please their palette every year, besides just caramel corn and ice cream cones. This season in Ocean City has seen the openings and upcoming-openings of eateries including Mexican cafe Casita Linda (located inside the Monte Carlo hotel), a fourth location for the Taphouse Tavern (replacing Kirby’s Red Onion Grill in North Ocean City), Irish beach bar The Lucky Anchor (replacing the Alibi Room downtown), Papi Joe’s Cafe (opening soon on Somerset St.) and a second Ocean City location for Shotti’s Point on Atlantic Ave.
Casita Linda
Casita Linda, located across from City Hall inside the Monte Carlo hotel, is a family-owned-and-operated cafe that serves breakfast, baked goods, lunch and coffee.
Inside Casita Linda, Ocean City’s New Mexican Bakery and Cafรยฉ
Casita Linda, a bakery and cafe serving traditional Mexican baked goods, breakfast foods, coffee and espresso, opened to a steady stream of customers on Thursday, April 25. Located on N. Baltimore Avenue in the Monte Carlo Hotel, the new cafe is now open daily from 6 a.m.
The Lucky Anchor
Making its debut on St. Patrick’s Day weekend of 2019, The Lucky Anchor is a beachy bar and restaurant “with an Irish twist.”
The Lucky Anchor brings beach flair with an Irish twist to downtown Ocean City
Starting this March, a new downtown bar and grill is adding its unique, beach-friendly flair with an Irish twist to the lineup of bars and restaurants that are on, and just off of, the Ocean City Boardwalk.ร The Lucky Anchor is the latest addition in town, taking over the building that previously housed The Alibi Room from 2016-18 on the corner of Baltimore and Wicomico St.
Marisol’s Market and Cafe
Marisol’s Market will be hard to miss this summer. Now with Ocean City locations in Sunset Island, the Gateway Hotel and eventually the under-construction Cambria Hotel, along with a location on Chincoteague Island, Marisol’s grab-and-go food and drink selection won’t be hard to come by.
Marisol’s Market & Cafe opens a second location in the Gateway Hotel
The Gateway Hotel and Suites on 1st Street and Baltimore Ave. is known for its prime location across from the beach, along with amenities like an outdoor pool and a free continental breakfast. Now, as of spring 2019, the Gateway is also known for hosting the second Ocean City location of an up-and-coming, family-run business.
New places to stay
Ocean City’s two newest hotels are both modern, artistically designed and perfect for every vacationer, from the family to the young couple to the business traveler. The Aloft Hotel is ‘different by design’: It boasts a bar with an area for live entertainment, indoor and outdoor pools, and plenty of space for guests to hang out, mingle and socialize. Meanwhile, the Hampton Inn & Suites in West Ocean City is an intimate and personal hotel that makes guests feel right at home, but still includes all the amenities of a large chain from spacious rooms and WiFi to free hot breakfast and a pool.
In addition to the Aloft and the Hampton Inn, top-rated hotels that are entering their second year of operation in Ocean City include the Hyatt Place on 16th Street and the Boardwalk and the bayside Residence Inn at the foot of the Route 90 bridge.
Aloft Hotel
Take a look inside the Aloft, Ocean City’s newest, ‘different by design’ hotel
The gym isn’t called the gym — it’s Re:charge. The breakfast bar is Re:fuel. The indoor pool is called the Splash. And the lobby, the center of all the action at the Aloft hotel, home of both the check-in desk and the W XYZ Bar, is referred to only as Re:mix.
Hampton Inn & Suites
Peek inside West Ocean City’s new Hampton Inn & Suites
West Ocean City’s business boom continues with the brand new Hampton Inn & Suites, which will celebrate its grand opening with a ribbon-cutting ceremony on May 14. The Hampton Inn takes the place of the old Wheels of Yesterday Museum, sandwiched between a Dumser’s and Comfort Suites and with the White Marlin Mall a hop, skip and a jump across Ocean Gateway.
