Guide to Sports Events and Venues in Ocean City

Why Ocean City for Your Next Meeting or Event?

With its prime location near many of the most important business hubs in the northeast, Ocean City, Maryland, is a supremely accessible and scenic destination for groups. Planners can choose from a diverse array of group-friendly venues and treat their attendees to activities that include relaxing along 10 miles of white-sand beach, strolling a three-mile Boardwalk, trying their swing at any of 17 championship golf courses and savoring the cuisine at more than 200 restaurants. With some 10,000 group-friendly hotel rooms, and a decidedly well-equipped convention center, Ocean City is ready to welcome groups of all sizes.

Travel Essentials

Taxes: Room tax, 5%; sales tax, 6%; total tax on hotel rooms 11%.

Convention Center: Roland E. Powell Convention Center; exhibit space: 95,000 square feet; number of meeting rooms: 21

Contact: Ocean City CVB

Transportation: Ocean City is served by Salisbury Regional Airport, 27 miles from downtown. Ground transportation costs from the airport to the convention center are about $69 via taxi and $49 via Uber and Lyft.

Only in Ocean City

Ocean City’s 10-mile sandy white beach; famed three-mile Boardwalk; fishing and sailing experiences, and delicious, fresh seafood give the destination a unique appeal to meetings, convention and sports groups. Its location is another reason it’s so popular with groups: it’s within driving distance from major Northeast and mid-Atlantic cities.

Meeting & Event Venues

New and Coming Soon to Ocean City

• • • Next month, the Roland E. Powell Convention Center will unveil a stunning 15,000-square-foot gallery that is the centerpiece of the venue’s expansion. The center complex is also home to Ocean City’s newest entertainment and event venue, the Performing Arts Center. The 1,200-seat facility, which hosts concerts, dance performances and theater performances, provides an impressive setting for private group events.
    • Developers have proposed to build a Margaritaville Hotel and Resort on Ocean City’s Boardwalk. Plans call for a 265-room property that will include three restaurants, three outdoor pools, a fitness center and 14,000 square feet of meeting and event space.

More Meeting & Event Venues in Ocean City

• • • The Art League of Ocean City Center for the Arts features a two-story gallery, a pottery studio, art library and five working artist studios. The work of regional and local artists is the focus of the exhibits here; private events are accommodated.
    • The Restaurant at Lighthouse Sound offers breathtaking views of the Assawoman Bay as well as the Ocean City Skyline. Groups of up to 200 guests are accommodated.
    • Among Ocean City’s meetings hotels is the Princess Royale Oceanfront Resort, a property with a spa and an Olympic-sized indoor swimming pool set in a four-story tropical atrium. The property has 10 meeting rooms as well as two outdoor venues

Sports Venues in Ocean City

• • • The Roland E. Powell Convention Center can accommodate a full range of indoor sporting events, while the Performing Arts Center can host a variety of events including cheer and dance competitions, and award ceremonies.
    • The Ocean City Tennis Center can host a number of tennis activities, including tournaments.
    • With 17 championship courses surrounded by beautiful landscapes and water views, Ocean City is well-equipped to hold golf tournaments of any size.
    • Northside Park, Ocean City’s largest and most popular park facility, is located just 11 miles from the Roland E. Powell Convention Center. The 58-acre complex is well-suited for sporting activities, thanks to its impressive array of facilities, which include walking and jogging paths, three lighted softball/baseball fields, a lighted soccer field, a multipurpose sports field and even a fishing lagoon. Concession stands, two piers and a gazebo add to the venue’s appeal. Groups can also make use of a 14,200-square-foot gymnasium, complete with kitchen, community room, conference room and a sports annex with a 21,000-square-foot arena.

Things to Do in Ocean City

• • • Ocean City offers a year-round calendar of festivals and events, including Springfest, Sunfest, and the White Marlin Open fishing tournament.
    • The Harriet Tubman Underground Railroad Visitor Center, is an enriching experience for visitors and groups. The 17-acre park is dedicated to the life of abolitionist and activist Harriet Tubman, a leader of the Underground Railroad. In 2022, the center is celebrating the bicentennial of Tubman’s birth on Maryland’s Eastern Shore. The venue gives visitors a truly a moving experience toward cohesiveness and inclusiveness and a deeper understanding of history of Tubman’s role in the Underground Railroad. In addition to the visitors center, the venue has a walking path designed for contemplation and a 2,600-square-foot picnic pavilion with stone fireplace.
    • Step back in time with a visit to the Ocean City Life-Saving Service Museum. The venue features permanent exhibits on the history of the United States Life-Saving Service on the Eastern Shore of Maryland, Delaware and Virginia from 1878 to 1914; the Boardwalk of Yesteryear and the new showcase of the role of women in shaping Ocean City.
    • It’s easy to connect attendees with Maryland’s abundant natural beauty at Assateague Island National Seashore, set on a picturesque, 37-mile-long barrier island managed by the National Park Service. Resident wildlife includes a plethora of bird species and the region’s famed wild horses. Among the outdoor activities groups can enjoy here are kayaking, paddle boarding and riding in over-sand vehicles in a dedicated zone known for its pristine beaches
    • Head to Seacrets Distilling Company to sample the venue’s eponymous small-batch spirits. Guided group tours that trace the history of the prohibition era, followed by a tasting in the appropriately named Speakeasy Tasting Room, can be arranged. The distillery accommodates 40 for seated private events.

Getting Outdoors and Active in Ocean City

• • Golf enthusiasts won’t want to miss taking a swing at Eagle’s Landing, a renowned Ocean City golf course. The only Maryland course that’s certified as an Audubon Sanctuary, Eagle’s Landing offers a noteworthy mix of sporting activities and natural beauty, with views of both Sinepuxent Bay and Assateague National Seashore. The course is appropriate for players from beginner to pro, and groups can make use of the Caddy Shack Café, which seats up to 130 people inside and 40 on the outside deck.
  • Golf fans can also test their skills at River Run Golf Club & Community, which is home to an 18-hole Gary Player signature course and a pro shop. The Hideaway Restaurant at River Run, located in the clubhouse, features crowd-pleasers including fish tacos, wings and shrimp. Up to 200 guests are accommodated for private events.
  • Ocean City’s prime oceanfront location makes fishing charters a natural choice for many groups, especially during the peak fishing months from May to September. Among the many options for private charters is Tortuga Fishing, which operates a 54-foot, 42-passenger boat. Even those not interested in fishing can enjoy the views during private party and sightseeing cruises.
  • Talbot Street Watersports offers an 80-minute cruise along the region’s coastal bays. Guests can view wild ponies and bird species, visit a marine animal “touch park” and enjoy the scenery of Assateague Island, a 37-mile-long barrier island. Private sailings for up to 80 guests are accommodated.
  • Nature lovers will enjoy exploring Blackwater National Wildlife Refuge, which is home to a rich array of flora and fauna, including bald eagles, fox squirrels and more than 20 species of ducks, depending on the season. Cycling, photography, fishing and educational programs are a few of the activities available at the refuge, which was founded in 1933.
  • Fishing and sightseeing charters are among the most popular outdoor activities for groups visiting Ocean City. Attendees can find excitement on the water with the Islander, a six-passenger, 26-foot Mako Center Console boat available for fishing and scenic cruises. Planners can arrange two- to four-hour excursions that depart from the Fisherman’s Marina in West Ocean City. Between the months of May and September, anglers can catch white and blue marlin, mako, tiger and thresher sharks.