When summer comes to the Mid-Atlantic region, hundreds of thousands of tourists head — say it with us — downee ocean, hon!
For the uninitiated, that means they’re taking a trip to Ocean City, Maryland.
“What I love to hear is people who used to go to Ocean City as a child who are now taking their children and grandchildren,” says Jessica Waters, marketing director at Ocean City Maryland.gov. “There’s always something new going on, whether it’s a hotel or attraction, restaurant. But there’s also a lot of nostalgia that exists here. People really feel at home.”
While OC always has a great deal to offer — swimming, boardwalk amusements, boating, fishing, restaurants, bars, nightclubs, mini-golf and more — the resort town has even more to recommend it this year. That’s because 2025 marks OC’s 150th anniversary. To commemorate the milestone, the Ocean City Department of Tourism launched a year-long celebration. And many of the best anniversary happenings are still to come.
“In the early days, we were a barrier island,” says Susan L. Jones, executive director of the OC Hotel-Motel-Restaurant Association. “But we were a very windy barrier island, and it was hard to live here. It wasn’t until the Atlantic Hotel was built in 1875 that somebody decided to actually conduct business on the island.”
Jones directs folks interested in learning about the town’s history to the Ocean City Life-Saving Station Museum, at 813 S. Atlantic Avenue. Visitors can see “The Petticoat Regime and the Women of Hospitality,” an exhibition created for the anniversary year on how OC women transformed the town from a sleepy fishing village into a world-class resort.
“Back in the day, Ocean City was called the ‘ladies resort,’” says Jones. “Many of them were widowed because their husbands were killed in wars [and] had to fend for themselves. So they rented out rooms in their homes to vacationers to make a dollar. The coolest lady was Zippy Lewis, who used to collect seashells and literally sold seashells by the seashore.”
Lewis’ name is memorialized by OC’s Dunes Manor Hotel on 28th Street, which has a Zippy Lewis Lounge. The hotel was started by Thelma Connor, OC’s first councilwoman. People thought Connor, then a 72-year-old widow, was foolish for taking on such an ambitious project, but she persevered. She opened the hotel on April Fool’s Day, 1987.
“That was the thing with the women here,” says Jones. “They just forged forward and nothing would stop them.”
While you’re at the Life-Saving Station Museum, don’t miss another new exhibition, “Sun and Sand: 100 Years of Bathing Suits.”
Museum-lovers can also find plenty to see at the new Museum of Ocean City at 217 S. Baltimore Avenue. The museum was built on the site of a 1910 bank building and currently hosts several exhibitions, including one about the building’s past lives as a grocery and bank. Additionally, visitors can view exhibitions about Indigenous peoples and native wildlife; OC’s hotels and restaurants; and downtown OC’s historic people and places.
Even if you don’t find time to visit the museums, visitors will find rotating mobile exhibitions at many of OC’s signature events “so people can feel engaged with the anniversary,” says Waters.
Whether you’re visiting OC for the 100th or first time, you’ll no doubt enjoy the resort’s annual events, as well as some new ones. Almost all of these will be enriched with special anniversary touches.
“Essentially, we’re taking the 150th anniversary and having 150 days of celebrations throughout the entire year,” Waters says. “This summer, we’re enhancing some of our traditional free summer events like ‘Sundays in the Park,’ which has music and fireworks and ice cream sundaes. We’ll have our beach dance party nights, where we have a DJ down on the beach, weekly fireworks. … In August, we’re going to do a summer sendoff with a hot air balloon display on the beach, monster kites and a laser show.”
Tourists will also find anniversary-themed calendars of events posted in their hotels, so there’s no excuse to miss any of the fun.
Jones recommends that visitors check out “Dine, Shop & Play” monthly specials to celebrate the anniversary, featuring promotions and discounts at shops and restaurants. You can find information about these deals at ococean.com/events/150. And don’t forget to take advantage of mid-week deals when OC is less crowded and hotel rooms are well-priced.
Waters reminds visitors that the anniversary doesn’t end on Labor Day. “Fall and winter in Ocean City also bring a lot of excitement. Our 150 days of celebrations are going to stretch all the way to the new year.”
Highlights include the Rising Tides Festival featuring music from the 1970s, ‘80s and ‘90s on Nov. 22; and an anniversary gala during the “Winterfest of Lights” on Dec. 12.
“One thing people don’t know about Ocean City is how deeply rooted we are in hospitality,” says Waters. “As you will see from the story of the Petticoat Regime, we were founded on the idea of bringing people to Ocean City, hosting them, welcoming them. … I think 150 years later, that still rings true for our community. We pride ourselves in being a place where you can come as you are, be who you are. … Relax, unwind, take your watch off, turn your cellphone off. That’s what we hoped for in the past and still hope for in the present and in the next 150 years.”
For information, visit ococean.com/blog/post/ocean-citys-150th-anniversary-what-you-need-to-know-to-celebrate/
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