OCEAN CITY, Md. — What was supposed to be a season-ending party at the Riptide Pool Bar may have turned out to be the bar’s final goodbye.
Longtime patrons are mourning the possibility that the popular Ocean City hotspot may never reopen. Scott Hall, who has been visiting the bar for nearly 40 years, described it as a local favorite.
“It’s always been a local hangout, and it’s always been a lot of fun with the ocean view and all the people,” Hall said.
The uncertainty comes after plans were approved on March 19, 2024, to replace the Flagship Hotel — the home of the Riptide — with a new property called SpringHill Suites. Hall said he expected the bar to remain open for at least one more summer, but a recent post on the Riptide’s Facebook page suggested otherwise. The post said the bar was “blindsided and found out that there is a possibility this will be our actual last day ever.”
Hall believes the end may be near. “We’re all going to miss it,” he said.
Attempts to reach Riptide staff by phone and in person were unsuccessful. Representatives from the Harrison Group, which owns the Flagship Hotel and is behind the new SpringHill Suites project, declined to comment on the topic.
As speculation continues, Hall and others say they fear the bar may not return. For now, both the Flagship Hotel and the Riptide Pool Bar are closed for the season.