Worst Tantrum EVER!!

OMG!!!! Max has spent the afternoon throwing the biggest, worst tatrum EVER!! I'm at my wits end. I know that he isn't feeling well, but geez, it was SO bad!
I had to go to Curt's grandparents to do some laundry because our dryer has decided it doesn't want to work anymore. He didn't want to be there as soon as we got there and wouldn't let me set him down or anything. Finally we leave to go eat lunch and he throws a huge fit in the restaurant, so bad that I had to get up and leave with him because everyone was staring and he was SO loud. I didn't want Curt's grandparents to be embarrassed either. Finally Max went to sleep in my arms and slept all the way back to their house and about an hour on their couch. He woke up and the tantrum began AGAIN! He was screaming and wouldn't take anything I gave him. I took him outside of their house so I could just ignore them and not look like I wasn't doing anything about it and because I didn't want them to have to listen to him. He stood at the fench and screamed for a good hour. He kept throwing himself on the sidewalk and rolling around kicking his legs. It was horrible. I was trying to completely ignore him. But how long is too long, ya know? His lasted for a good hour, just crying and screaming. Then he walked up to me and starting hitting me! I was beyond frustrated. I didn't know what to do. Finally I just picked him up and told them that I was sorry and that I would come back for my laundry after Curt got home from work. I was sick with frustration. What do you do? I felt so helpless. Curt's grandma said that he was spoiled. Is he? We aren't aggressive discipliners. I don't want to spank him, but I don't want a bad child either. Does anyone have any ideas? It was not a good afternoon....