Inlet parking lot

What is the Inlet parking lot?

The Inlet parking lot is the large paid municipal lot at the southern tip of Ocean City, next to the Boardwalk's amusement blocks, the jetty, and the Life-Saving Station Museum. It is the most convenient parking for a Boardwalk evening and the most contested, filling early on summer weekends and during events. Payment is by the hour through pay stations, and the same lot hosts Springfest, Sunfest, and other major events, which closes it to parking on those dates.

Also called: Inlet lot.

Timing decides everything

Arriving before the dinner hour on a summer Saturday usually works. Arriving at eight does not. Because the lot is the terminus of the island's only through road, a full lot also means a slow crawl back north through downtown traffic. If the plan starts after dark in peak season, the Park and Ride or the bus is the lower-stress choice.

What being here gets you

The whole south end on foot. Rides, arcades, fried food, the museum, the jetty walk, and beach access, all within a few minutes. For a group that wants one parking transaction and no further driving, this is the lot that makes it possible.

Event closures

Twice a year the lot becomes the venue. Springfest and Sunfest both set up here, and certain other events do too. Check the events calendar before planning a Boardwalk night around it, because the fallback is street parking downtown, which is metered, limited, and considerably farther away than it looks on a map.

Getting to the south end

Current source: Town of Ocean City parking. Fees, hours, posted rules: all of it moves without much notice, so confirm anything time-sensitive on the day you go.

Related terms in this glossary

Inlet parking lot rarely settles a plan on its own. These come up in the same decision, and each one has its own page, so open whichever part you're still unsure about.