NEWS

Find out what's new in Ocean City for the 2017 season

Jeremy Cox
jcox6@delmarvanow.com
Shotties Point at K-Coast 35th Street in Ocean City. Friday, March 31, 2017.

Coming to Ocean City this season: a pirate ship, a crab that "clucks" and a cavalcade of spotlights to rival anything in Las Vegas.

And that's just the start.

Maryland's oceanfront resort is once again remaking itself just in time for the annual migration of tourists. If the economy and the weather comply, about 8 million people will stream into town, mostly between Memorial Day and Labor Day.

Ocean City's place in America's travel milieu puts an emphasis on the "new." Its proximity to major urban centers translates into frequent repeat visits "down the ocean." And with so many restaurants and attractions sharing so little space, proprietors face constant pressure to stand out from the crowd.

READ MORE: Ocean City extends season but strives to be year-round

An exhaustive list of new places and updated old ones would be, well, exhausting. But there are several additions worth highlighting.

One literally consists of ... high ... lights.

The 100 Nights of Lights is the latest eye-catching attraction along the Boardwalk. Between 9-11 p.m., walkers will be greeted every 20 minutes by a dozen 4,000-watt spotlights putting on a synchronized light show. They can expect a spectacular sight not unlike the Bellagio's fountain display in Las Vegas, town spokeswoman Jessica Waters said.

READ MORE: A Berger Bite: Enhancing daily life with regional history

"We really wanted to do something new," she said.

The spotlights themselves will be placed inside smaller versions of the lifeguard beach chairs that already line the beach, so they will provide decoration in the daytime as well, Waters said. The shows are scheduled to take place from May 27 to Sept. 4.

The Monte Carlo oceanfront on 11th street in Ocean City.

For its part, the Jolly Roger has a long track record — more than 50 years — of changing with the times, and this year is no different.

Each of its amusement parks will boast a new offering this summer, said Dean Langrall, the company's marketing director. The Splash Mountain Water Park on 30th Street is expanding its family fair with a pirate ship-themed pool called the Lost Lagoon.

“It’s kind of a younger version of the Rain Forest," Langrall said, referring to another slide-and-pool amenity on the property.

At its pier location, the Jolly Roger is adding the Kraken, a "spider-like" contraption that flings riders up and down and side to side with its many arms. And the company's go-kart attraction, Speedworld, is hoping to turn heads with a new track shaped like a figure 8, which is coming equipped with faster cars, Langrall said.

A rendering of the Lost Lagoon at the Jolly Roger's Splash Mountain water park.

While that attraction goads people to speed up, another is looking to slow them way down. The Escape Room between 118th and 119th streets, opening later this summer, presents a real-life game in which patrons are locked inside and must solve clues to get out.

READ MORE: Escape rooms busting out across Delmarva

Northside Pit & Pub 127th Street in Ocean City. Monday, April 3, 2017

As its Facebook page puts it, "you have 60 minutes to escape. The clock is ticking, so be quick! Or ... you could be trapped inside forever!" (That plop you just heard is every claustrophobe you know hitting the floor.)

If it starts to rain, another new Ocean City venue promises to shine. A new laser tag center opened in December, operated by Game World, at 146th Street. The venue also features a pizza restaurant and arcade.

The crowded hotel scene is adding a pair of new choices this season: a Residence Inn near the Route 90 bridge and the Hotel Monte Carlo Oceanfront and Suites on 11th Street.

As people's tastes evolve, so too does the menu of restaurants available to them in Ocean City.

Residence Inn, Marrott near the Rt. 90 bridge in Ocean City on Monday, April 3, 2017.

Among the new selections:

  • Shotti's Point, a second location after its Baltimore flagship. The restaurant offers lunch and dinner as well as a grab-and-go breakfast. The main fare is seafood with a tropical twist. It's nestled next door to the K-Coast Surf Shop between 35th and 36th streets.
  • Dry Dock 28, a fast-casual expansion to the venerable Buxy's Salty Dog Saloon. Owner Doug Buxbaum took over the former Pizza Hut location adjacent to his bar on Coastal Highway to offer a restaurant with a wide-ranging menu.
  • Rare & Rye, in the La Quinta Inn on 32nd Street. Word is it will put the "casual" back into fine dining.
  • Clucking Crab, on 15th Street.
  • The Northside Pit & Pub on 127th Street. Like its 28th Street location, the main ingredient is the barbecue sauce. 

410-845-4630

On Twitter @Jeremy_Cox