13 Totally Rad Things To Do With Kids On The Ocean City Boardwalk!
13 Totally Rad Things To Do With Kids On The Ocean City Boardwalk!
The Ocean City Boardwalk is the perfect place to spend a few hours with your kids. There are so many fun things to do!
No visit to Ocean City, MD would be complete without spending time cruising the Ocean City Boardwalk. National Geographic and the Travel Channel have rated it one of the best beach boardwalks in the nation. If you are visiting with kids, here are our top votes for things to do that your kids will love. Ha. You will likely have a blast too!
Related: How to Rock Your Family Vacation to Ocean City, MD
1. Walk the Boardwalk!
You don’t need an agenda. Just park and walk. The boardwalk is 3 miles long and great for people watching.. all with an ocean breeze. There are plenty of benches and of course, the beach and ocean are literally right there!
2. Fly a Kite
The Kite Loft is such a fun store and with its location on the boardwalk, you won’t be able to pass up the opportunity to go fly a kite!
You will know you are close when you see a ton of super fun kites blowing in the wind.
There is also a 2nd location at mid-town.
Related: The Perfect Family Hotel For an Ocean City Vacation
3. Go for a Morning Bike Ride
There are a number of bike rental places on the boardwalk. During summer months you can’t ride a bike during the high traffic times, but an early morning bike ride is always a great idea! Two locations you should check out are Dandy Don’s and Bike World.
Related: Check out the Kid Friendly Maryland comprehensive resource for parents: Things To Do In Maryland With Kids!
4. Ripley’s Believe It Or Not
Ripley’s Believe It Or Not actually bundles three fun attractions into 1! Start with the main museum for all things wacky and strange. Just be careful with the ‘not great for young kids’ section about torture and execution. It’s easily avoidable if you know it’s there.
The other two attractions that are part of the Riley’s museum (extra admission fee applies) are the Mirror Maze and Laser Obstacle Course. Both attractions are pretty fun and a great way to spend an hour or so on the boardwalk.. especially if it is too hot or too rainy.
5. Play on a Playground
There are a few small playgrounds sprinkled throughout the boardwalk. Two of them are non-traditional playground– dinosaur bones and a giant whale. The playground near the Ocean City arch is a traditional playground. Super fun!
6. Check Out The Fun Arcades
There are numerous arcades on the boardwalk. Our favorites are Marty’s Playland and Fun City Arcade.
Both arcades have tons of fun games.. new and older (like Skee-Ball). Visitors play to win tickets and if you win enough tickets you can cash them in for a small prize at the prize counter.
If your kids have ever been to Chuck E Cheeses, the concept is similar to that.. except the games can be a lot more challenging.
7. Ride a Few Rides
There are two main amusement park areas that are open seasonally. Trimper’s Rides and Amusements is basically the end of the boardwalk, across from inlet parking. There are indoor rides for younger children that are open year round. Plus, from mid-June to Labor Day outdoor rides (family rides and thrill rides) are also open.
Jolly Roger at the Pier is the 2nd location of the Jolly Roger Amusement Park. Outdoor rides, including the iconic Ferris Wheel, are open mid-June through mid-September (weather dependent).
8. Have Fun Getting Your Photo Taken At Old Time Photo
The minute we heard about Old Time Photo, we had to check it out! It was every bit as fun as we thought it would be.
There are a lot of scenes you can recreate. We picked Sheriff and Criminal, because I figured my daughter would get a hoot out of being the boss for once. Ha!
The resulting photos were so cute!
Ha! You only live once!
9. Ice Cream!
You really can’t visit the Ocean City Boardwalk without indulging in some ice cream. Two of the most popular options are:
And Kohr Brothers.
10.Other Iconic Ocean City Treats
Of course, ice cream isn’t the only thing to indulge in on the Ocean City Boardwalk. Don’t forget to save room for these awesome treats!
- Dolle’s Candyland (salt water taffy, candy apples, and more!)
- Fractured Prune Donuts (my favorite is the Peppermint Patty donuts)
11. Visit OCean City’s Life SAving Station Museum
The Ocean City Life Saving Station Museum is a museum dedicated to collecting and preserving the history of life saving on the Eastern Shore of Maryland, Delaware and Virginia. There are quite a few hands on exhibits (including touch tanks) perfect for kids!
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12. Ocean Gallery World Center
This gallery on the boardwalk is not to be missed. It is a completely recycled building that has been in operation for 50 years. It is a wacky and odd gallery that is also so much fun! Don’t forget to snap a photo of your kids in front of the Batmobile!
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13. Special Events
The Boardwalk hosts tons of special events throughout the year. Check out the Ocean City Visitor Center website for more details:
- In the summer, there are regular fireworks and movies on the beach
- Sunfest is the biggest Ocean City festival that celebrates the end of the summer every September
- Springfest, the OC Air Show, and Bike Fest are other highlighted events throughout the year
