Ocean City, Maryland, is an extremely popular beach destination on the East Coast with over 8 Million annual visitors. WOW! Our town offers a HUGE NUMBER of activities for families while they’re on their beach vacation.
Our clean beaches, great places to eat, and plethora of family activities means there truly is something for everyone when visiting OC. This brief guide gives you a few different ideas of things to do while you’re in Ocean City for your annual family beach vacation!
We also figured we’d give you some links of great places to stay near some of these activities just in case you haven’t booked your vacation to OC quite yet. Let’s dive right in so we can tell you how to have family fun in Ocean City!
1. Beach Days
In our completely unbiased opinion, the beach in Ocean City, MD is one of the best on the east coast. With about 10 miles of coastline, there is more than enough beach to go around for everyone.
You and your family can enjoy sunbathing, take some time to relax, go swimming in the ocean, play beach games, build sandcastles, collect seashells, the list goes on and on!
While none of those activities are unique to just Ocean City, MD, what sets our beach apart is the cleanliness and lifeguards. Ocean City is an exceptionally clean beach. We actually have trash vehicles sweep the sand up and down the entire coastline every night during the summer!
The Ocean City beach is also monitored by lifeguards that are stationed every few streets! If you’re going on a family vacation to the beach, what’s better than knowing the beach you’re visiting is both safe & clean?
If you’re a true beach lover and just can’t get enough of the ocean, sand, and an oceanfront view, check out some of our Oceanfront vacation rentals!
2. Amusement Parks
Jolly Roger Amusement Park is a great amusement park on 29th Street in Ocean City, MD that makes for a great family friendly activity in the evening. They have rides that suit kids of all ages! From roller coasters to a carousel and even a waterpark, Jolly Roger has it all! Click here to see a map of Jolly Roger Amusement Park!
If you find yourself visiting Jolly Roger Amusement Park every year, view some of our vacation rentals that are nearby here!
Trimper Rides: Located on the south end of the Ocean City Boardwalk sits Trimper Rides. Their wide variety of attractions include their mirror maze (which can be a great show for parents), the Pirates Cove, roller coasters, bumper cars, water boats, and everything in between. If you’re on a family vacation to OC, Trimper Rides is a must visit. Click here to see a list of their different attractions!
If you think you’ll be visiting Trimer Rides when you’re in OC and want to stay close by, check out some of our vacation rentals nearby here!
3. Mini Golf
If you’ve been to Ocean City before, you know that there is NO shortage of Mini Golf courses. Most of the Mini Golf Courses in OC are themed- so if you’re kiddo loves dinosaurs or pirates, you can visit a course with that theme!
There are a number of awesome companies that have multiple Mini Golf Courses in town. If you think a round of Mini Golf is on the Horizon during your family vacation to OC, make sure you consider Nick’s Mini Golf, or Old Pro Golf.
Check out our YouTube video on some of our favorite Mini Golf Courses in Ocean City, MD here!
4. Outdoor Activities
Assateague Island: Just a short drive from Ocean City, Assateague is great for a more relaxing beach day if Ocean City is full of beach goers. Not to mention, you may even get to see some of the wild horses on the island! Keep an eye out and keep your distance! Assateague is also a great area for a family bike ride or walk as well!
Northside Park: In North Ocean City off of 125th street rests Northside Park. Just like Assateague Island, Northside Park is a great place to go for a walk or bike ride with the family! They also have a playground and tons of sports fields. During the summer months, Northside park is almost always filled up with sports camps. If you’re coming to Ocean City for one of these events, check out our vacation rentals in North Ocean City!
5. Rainy Day Activities in OC
If you have a stroke of bad luck and get a rainy day or two during your family vacation, don’t worry! There are still plenty of places to have family fun in Ocean City on a rainy day!
If the rain has you feeling lazy, you can go to the movie theaters in North OC at the Fox Movie Theatre in the Gold Coast Mall, or Flagship Cinemas in West Ocean City (best if you’re staying downtown). Old Pro Mini Golf also has a few options for indoor mini golf at their 68th Street and 136th Street locations!
6. Year-Round Events and Festivals
One of our favorite things about Ocean City is that there is almost always some sort of fun event going on! If you’re interested in seeing some of the awesome events the town of Ocean City offers throughout the year, check out ococean.com! From Sundaes in the Park at Northside Park with ice cream and fireworks, huge music festivals, and plenty of activities that bring different vendors and businesses to OC, there’s something for everyone!
7. Dining
There are soooo many different options for family friendly dining in Ocean City. Our two favorite places to recommend for families vacationing to Ocean City with young children are Ropewalk and Dead Freddie’s. Ropewalk has amazing views, great service, and most importantly, a play area for your kids. Dead Freddie’s is more of the same- it has amazing food (make sure you try their burgers), good service, and a play area for kids!
If you love a good breakfast to kickstart your day as much as we do, go check out our blog on our Top 5 Breakfast Spots in Ocean City!
P.S. Don’t forget to get some crabs or some seafood while you’re in town!
Book Today!
We hope you enjoyed this blog on family friendly fun in Ocean City, MD! If you happen to visit any of these places, take a photo and tag our Instagram channel @centralreservationsoc.
If you’re thinking about booking that next vacation to Ocean City, head to our homepage at centraloc.com, and if you have any questions don’t hesitate to reach out! We can be reached by email at info@centraloc.com or phone at (410) 723-4111!
Thanks for reading!
See you at the beach soon!
Discover endless family fun in Ocean City, Maryland! Explore our beaches, boardwalk, and tons of other attractions perfect for your family.