Watch the Air Show Like a Local
Excitement is in the air, literally, in Ocean City this weekend. Ocean City, Maryland is one of six stops on the touring air show circuit produced by Brian Lilly. This year, the Air Force elite Thunderbirds will headline the event. Heading into its 14th year, the OC Air Show will include:
- F-22 Raptor Demo Team
- A-10 Thunderbolt II
- SOCOM Para-Commandos
- Geico Skytypers
- Mike Wiscus with his bi-wing acrobatic plane
- C-17 Globemaster III
- L-39 Cold War Era Jet Demo
- C-5M Super Galaxy
- Air Force heritage Flight Team
- UH-72A Lakota
If you have never visited Ocean City for the Air Show before, be prepared for crowds. The streets are full and it’s hard to find parking. Get where you want to be early and stay for the show – or a great day on the beach with some amazing aircraft overhead.
1. Watch the show on Friday if you want fewer crowds.
The biggest way to avoid the crowds, but still see all the shows is to come in on Thursday night and spend the day watching the show. Friday actually has more flying. The pilots are practicing so you will see more passes. It’s not as organized and you can’t listen to the commentary at the Flight Zone, but you see most of the planes and its pretty spectacular.
2. Watch the Ocean City Air Show on The Pier
This one might need some strategic planning and early wake-up calls, but the fishing pier provides a beautiful perspective of the Atlantic Ocean on a good day and a great view of the planes overhead. Imagine what it’ll be like with those planes screaming past you while you’re standing literally on top of the ocean! You might want to bring your own shade with this option though.
3. Watch from the beach
The Flight Line Club is a ticketed VIP area and gives you beach chairs in a private beach area. There are tents for shade and to enjoy your food. You will hear the professional narration and get lunch included in the price. You only get one parking space, so plan to car pool!. This VIP area is between 16t and 17th Streets.
If you don’t want to pay and you don’t care about the professional narration, you can look anything up online anyway, you can just enjoy Ocean City’s 10 miles of beach or 2.9 miles of the Boardwalk and still all the aerial activity. There are bathrooms off the boardwalk and in the flight zone. Otherwise, plan to stay close to your hotels or head to one of the restaurants with outdoor seating.
4. Watch from the only brewery on the Boardwalk
Backshore Brewing has a big outdoor eating area on the boardwalk at 10th Street. Order a cold beer and look up as the teams fly by. There is a limited menu at the brewery but the food is coming from Hammerheads.
5. Watch the Ocean City Air Show from the water
Not a fan of crowds and annoyed by parking logistics? Skip the land route and just go straight to the ocean. Instead of rubbing elbows with complete strangers, you can be a little choosier with your guests and maybe squeeze in a little fishing in between. Hopefully they won’t get scared by the Bombers! Bring a boat or take a trip to one of Ocean City’s several marinas to get a more secluded air show experience. Check out the regulations on where you can drop anchor before you set sail this weekend. You could also schedule a trip with the OC Bay Hopper and see the planes from the bayside.
6. Private party in a condo
For a different angle and for a full weekend trip, consider getting the gang together and renting a room someplace. There’s dozens of hotels on the boards or facing the beach – all you really need in this case is good friends and balcony.
7. West Ocean City
Practice on Friday delivers a great show, but the schedule is more haphazard. If you’re lucky, you’ll be able to catch the Thunderbirds on Friday during their practice flights. You’ll see all the other performers too – Our favorite places are the Shrimp Boat , the Harborside or the rooftop deck at Sunset Grille. You can also go to Hoopers and have a local craft beer by Fin City, much of it brewed on site.
8. The Drop Zone
My favorite place to be for OC Air Show weekend! On the beach around 16th Street and 17th Street, jump teams parachute in this area. You can purchase passes which allow visitors to get a less crowded experience, professional narration and enhanced sound in this area. Also included are portable bathrooms and food vendors. But most importantly, you’re right in the center of the action. To buy tickets, visit the OC Air Show site here.
Role: Executive Director, 
Role: Executive Director, 
As tourists make their way down to Ocean City this summer, safety is key for the family-friendly resort. Each year, the town hosts about eight million people and becomes the second-largest city in Maryland, second only to Baltimore. With a massive influx of people comes many challenges, though Ocean City is well-equipped and prepared to serve tourists in a destination that has been bustling each summer for more than a century.
True to their word, the Town of Ocean City, in coordination with the Ocean City Police Department (OCPD), took a more active approach on the Boardwalk throughout the rest of the summer, and many of the problems receded. Still, June is an unpredictable time, with challenges that can arise in the blink of an eye.
Visitors should notice an increase in police presence on the Boardwalk throughout the summer, as the OCPD has worked diligently to recruit and hire new officers throughout the offseason. A handful of new officers joined the force in December and will be an integral part of the response this summer. Officers from allied agencies such as the Worcester County Sherriff’s Office and the Maryland State Police will be on deck along with plainclothes officers. The town adds that it will reallocate police forces and modify patrol times to increase the presence of law enforcement.
Ocean City and its surrounding area is home to some of the top restaurant establishments in the country, especially when it comes to seafood. Maryland, known as the blue crab capital of the world and the birthplace of Old Bay Seasoning, crushes the competition. Maryland’s Chesapeake Bay leads the United States in blue crabs, responsible for 50% of the nationwide harvest. Residents undoubtedly take their seafood seriously, as the industry makes up a massive $600 million in the State’s economy each year. During your next trip to Ocean City, visit the place that offers delicious seafood galore in a fresh way – the 
The Shrimp Boat never actually cooked food for its customers until recently but always instructed people on exactly what to do. However, as demand and popularity continued to build, the team realized that it was time to start getting in the kitchen themselves. In 2009, the business opened a small kitchen aimed at serving customers who were on vacation and without a place to boil shrimp or steam crabs. That miniature kitchen did not last long and was replaced with a larger space the following year. The original transformed into a crab room, which remains in use today.
Captain Joe remains active, but after the restaurant opened its doors, he sold the business to his nephew, another Joe. Now-owner Joe White began his career at the Shrimp Boat as a young kid back in 1993 and has witnessed every incarnation.
If anyone knows how to cook shrimp, it’s the team at the Shrimp Boat. Although it may sound simple, their rule of thumb when cooking shrimp is to leave the head on because it preserves the flavor. Boil the shrimp all at once, allow them to boil in water twice, and then the job is done. Along with this technique, the secret seasoning contains much less salt than others on the market.
Cooking shows are all over television, but now the restaurant is launching a series of videos showing customers how to cook their favorite meals from their own kitchens. On Facebook, White recently demonstrated the process of making crab cakes while telling fascinating stories with Captain Joe.
