What to do in Ocean City
The Cruisers roll out and the Corvettes roll in – all in all it hasn’t been a bad couple of weeks for those who love things with engines here in Ocean City. Also it’s time for a couple of Oktoberfests. Oktobersfest? Hrm. We’ll come back to that but suffice to say for now there’s one at the Convention Center in OC and another just over the bridge in Berlin. Restaurant Week is just about to end so get while the getting is good.
Fast cars, flowing beer and prix fixe’d food. A couple of arts and crafts while everyone is paying attention and we’ve made ourselves a weekend.
Corvettes don’t have to be especially loud or embellished to make an impact. I’ll admit it, I have a soft spot for them, and there are a lot of people like me out there. A good portion of these cars will be at the Free State Corvette Weekend. The home base remains the Clarion Grand Ballroom where all registration will now be taking place – online registration ended in September. All the relevant information for participants can be found there. For spectators, the fun begins Saturday morning at the Inlet. At 4 the corvettes will parade down the Boardwalk so even if you’re not on the boards for cars, corvettes are what you’re going to get. Make appropriate plans if this is something you’d like to avoid.
Oktoberfest Alpha is at the convention center at 40th Street bayside. Admissions are $6 per adult, $5 per student/senior and kids 13 and under plus Military (with ID) are free. Saturday’s admission is just $2. Now the fun part is after 6 p.m. on Friday and Saturday: anyone wearing suspenders gets in free, or if you wear traditional German, Bavarian or Austrian clothing or vestments (if you have to ask then you don’t own any) you get in free anytime. There will be music, there will be sausages of various types, and there will be dancing. Also there shall be arts and crafts next door within the convention center. So, if you need a break from the oom pah pahs, duck in and grab yourself an apple strudel.
Berlin’s Oktoberfest is on Sat. from noon to 6 p.m. downtown. This is the first year they’re trying this out, and will feature traditional German foods and bands. Burley Oak, a Berlin-based craft brewer that opened only a few months ago, will be providing a beer garden. If you’ve never been to Berlin it’s the perfect opportunity to check it out.
Fall Restaurant Week wraps this Sun., so check out one of the following restaurants for some great deals on some great food.
- Bayside Skillet — 77th St. and Coastal Hwy.
- BJ’s on the Water — 75th St. and the Bay
- Bombora Restaurant & Lounge — 13th St. in the Beach Plaza Hotel
- Captain’s Galley II — 12817 Harbor Rd.
- Captain’s Table — 15th Street in the Marriott
- Coral Reef Cafe/Hemingway’s — 17th St. in the Holiday Inn Hotel & Suites
- Crab Alley — 12507 Sunset Ave. Ste. 8
- Dead Freddies Island Grill — 105 64th St.
- Fager’s Island Restaurant – 60th St. and the Bay
- Finnigans Irish Pub & Eatery — 4801 Coastal Hwy. in the Princess Bayside Hotel
- Fresco’s Fine Dining — 82nd St. and the Bay
- Galaxy 66 Bar & Grille — 66th St. and Coastal Hwy.
- Greene Turtle West — 9616 Stephen Decatur Hwy.
- Horizons Oceanfront Restaurant – Clarion Resort Hotel — 101st St.
- Jules Restaurant — 118th St. and Coastal Hwy.
- Layton’s on 92nd — 9204 Coastal Highway
- Micky Fins– 12952 Inlet Isle Lane
- Original Smith Island Cake Company — 12741 Ocean Gateway in the OC Factory Outlets
- Phillips Crab House — 2004 Philadelphia Ave.
- Phillips Seafood House — 141st St. and Coastal Hwy.
- Reflections Restaurant — 6600 Coastal Hwy.
- Sunset Grille — 12933 Sunset Ave.
- The Hobbit Restaurant — 81st St. in the Rivendell Condominiums
- The Shark on the Harbor — 12924 Sunset Ave.
So you’ve got your beer, you’ve got your food and there’s a nice event to tie it all together. All in all, not too shabby.
NEXT WEEK: More things with engines – can you believe it? Anyone with an OC license plate has been invited by the Town to take part in a Boardwalk parade. This could be very fancy or a POS fest – either way that’s pretty great.
Thanks for using the pic of me and my hubby in our Vette. We love Corvette weekend!
Thanks for being the shot on the Corvette Weekend site!