The narrow barrier islands stretching along New Jersey’s southern shore between the famous resorts of Atlantic City to the north and Cape May to the south are dotted with a handful of seaside towns, each with a unique history and flavor. The old-fashioned charm of family-friendly Ocean City and Sea Isle City, the upscale beach towns of Avalon and Stone Harbor, and the carnival-like atmosphere on the Wildwood boardwalk—each appeals to a particular type of visitor and offers a one-of-a-kind Jersey Shore experience.
Ocean City is a quaint boardwalk resort just 20 minutes south of the glitz and glitter of Atlantic City, on a 7-mile-long barrier island that protects the islets and bays of Great Egg Harbor from the Atlantic Ocean. It bills itself as America’s Greatest Family Resort, a slogan that seems to be everywhere in town, proudly splashed across banners, posters, and tourism brochures. It’s one of the few remaining dry towns in New Jersey—dating to one of the blue laws created by its Methodist founding fathers—which means no alcohol is sold or consumed anywhere, not even a glass of wine at dinner. Instead, there’s lots of wholesome, clean fun, which seems to suit those who visit and live here just fine.
Ocean City sponsors hundreds of special events that keep the hordes of vacationing families with young children in tow busy all summer long. In June, lovelies from around the Garden State compete here in the Miss New Jersey Pageant. In July, Night in Venice is a boat festival on the back bays that just about every resident and visitor attends. Some 100,000 lavishly decorated pleasure boats parade past the shoreline, where spectators watch from bleachers or one of the many waterfront homes that throw festive celebrations. Baby parades are a popular tradition on boardwalks up and down the shore, and Ocean City’s version is New Jersey’s first—and one of the oldest in the world—dating back more than a century. A crowd of thousands watches as floats and bands accompany kids on bikes and toddlers in wagons, strollers, and carriages, all decorated to the nines. Other events include a parade of floppy basset hounds, a hermit crab beauty pageant, and Weird Week, which can feature just about anything.
Ocean City is an old-time boardwalk town, where the amusements lining the boards are tame rather than tawdry. The Gillian family owns and operates Ocean City’s three amusement piers, whose rides and games are geared mostly toward youngsters and preteens. Those expecting an adrenaline rush whenever they step onto a carnival ride should most definitely head south to Wildwood. The Ocean City Pops orchestra plays summertime concerts at the historic Music Pier, and 8 miles of sandy beaches are wide and clean—even the waves here are gentle, thanks to the offshore sandbars that temper the mighty force of the Atlantic Ocean. There are a few beachfront mansions, but Ocean City is decidedly understated, unpretentious, and middle class.
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Brothers and Methodist ministers James, Ezra, and Samuel Lake were seeking a location to start a bucolic seaside resort and summertime religious retreat when they settled Ocean City in 1879. Later on, grand hotels and Victorian mansions were built for wealthy Philadelphians who summered on the Jersey Shore. Among them was Grace Kelly, who vacationed here with her family. Most of the historic homes have been replaced by tightly packed two-family vacation duplexes, but many modern houses are being built in the Victorian style as a nod to the town’s heritage. Many vintage buildings are preserved in the historic district, which can be seen in guided walking tours sponsored by the Ocean City Historical Museum or by hopping on one of the many trolleys that pass through town. Downtown offers an interesting mix of specialty shops and eateries, mostly on Asbury Avenue between 6th and 14th streets.
Sea Isle City used to be a favorite haunt among retirees; today there’s still an older crowd, but it’s also become a popular family resort. In many ways it’s a scaled-down version of Ocean City, with white-sand beaches frequented by young families and children during the day. After dark is a different matter—the resort isn’t a dry town, so it morphs into a party town at night, with bars and nightclubs hopping until the wee hours. There are few motels and hotels in town, so most visitors rent a cottage for a week or longer. Lots of activities keep vacationers busy, from surf contests and crafts shows to concerts and dance parties.
Sea Isle City’s 5-mile stretch of beach is lovely and clean, and a 1.5-mile paved promenade is the town’s version of a boardwalk. It may lack the charm of traditional weathered boards, but cyclists, joggers, and in-line skaters appreciate the smooth surface. Party boats and charter fishing boats, as well as commercial fishing and lobstering vessels, are lined cheek by jowl in the bayside marinas. Fun City’s amusement rides may not be quite spine-tingling, but they’re ideal for young thrill seekers. Sara the Turtle is Sea Isle City’s beloved mascot, created to raise public awareness about the local population of diamondback terrapins, the only species of turtle to inhabit the coastal salt marshes. In June and July, female terrapins travel from the quiet bayside marshland to lay their eggs in the sand along the coast, navigating their way across a busy street to reach their nesting grounds. One of the resort’s most popular summertime activities is the series of “beachcombing” environmental programs in which young and old explore the shoreline with a naturalist and learn about the fragile coastal environment.
Avalon and Stone Harbor are Sea Isle City’s upscale neighbors on Seven Mile Beach Island, a three- to four-block-wide barrier island about 40 miles south of Atlantic City. These are the priciest towns on the southern shore, with upper-middle-class families living in grand million-dollar-plus homes dotting the beaches and back bays. The two communities have remained deliberately low-key by gladly forgoing the amusements of Ocean City and Wildwood—and are definitely not for shore visitors seeking bright lights and around-the-clock excitement. There is no boardwalk in Stone Harbor, and Avalon’s is a modest half-mile plankway along the sand—no thrill rides and arcades here. But the beaches are clean and relatively uncrowded, the surfing is decent, and there are plenty of places for better-than-average eating and shopping. Tourists who come here looking for a quiet, family atmosphere and beautiful surroundings return for their summer vacations year after year.
Avalon’s slogan “Cooler by a Mile” is a reference to geography rather than attitude—the northern tip of the barrier island juts a mile farther out to sea than the southern end. In the 18th century, it was a pristine 2,725-acre swath of untouched woodlands and dunes known as Leaming’s Island. Charles Bond bought it all for 70 pounds, 10 shillings—about $380—in 1722. Avalon—named for King Arthur’s fabled island paradise—and Stone Harbor were both incorporated around the turn of the 20th century. They’re often thought of as a single community, since they blend into each other with no obvious boundary and share a main drag. Avalon stretches from Townsend’s Inlet to 80th Street; from there, Stone Harbor continues to the island’s southern tip at Hereford Inlet. Avalon has more restaurants and bars, while Stone Harbor has better shopping, with more than 100 specialty shops and eateries in the heart of town. Women’s clothing boutiques, jewelry stores, cafés, and the requisite shops selling T-shirts, souvenirs, and beach towels stretch along busy 96th Street.
Naturally, people come here for the beaches, and the fees in Avalon and Stone Harbor are reasonable, given the upscale surroundings. The island is deeply committed to protecting its natural beauty. The World Wildlife Fund owns and preserves more than 1,000 acres of marshland and wetlands in Avalon, which is also famous for its pristine sand dunes. From 49th to 72nd streets a dramatic series of dunes is covered in bayberry bushes, dune grass, and cedar trees. Stone Harbor has a national reputation as a leading birding center. Sandwiched between the barrier island and the mainland, the Wetlands Institute encompasses 6,000 acres of islands, tidal marshes, lagoons, and bays—a rich habitat for thousands of butterflies, migrating and nesting birds, and other wildlife. The Stone Harbor Bird Sanctuary is America’s only municipal heronry, one of only two such facilities in the world (the other one is in Japan).
Across Hereford Inlet is Five Mile Beach Island, a barrier island that’s better known as the Wildwoods—Wildwood and its sister communities of North Wildwood and Wildwood Crest. In the 1963 pop smash “Wildwood Days”—Bobby Rydell’s ode to the Jersey Shore—he proclaims “every day’s a holiday and every night is a Saturday night.” The mishmash of arcades, thrill rides, souvenir shops, and food stands that inspired Rydell still line Wildwood’s famous 2-mile boardwalk, one of the oldest and most popular boardwalks in the country.
Before the era of high-tech theme parks and mega-mall food courts, there were amusement-packed boardwalks lined with boardwalk food—a sweet, salty, spicy, hot, and frosty smorgasbord of delights that people steadfastly avoid, except while vacationing on the shore. And though they have adapted to the changing times, boardwalks remain decidedly low-tech and maintain an allure that’s steeped in nostalgia for a bygone era of innocence. People-watching is an American pastime unto itself, and there’s perhaps no better place to observe the spectacle than at Wildwood, whose retro, sentimental charm appeals to older generations as well as children. Summertime in Wildwood—like Ocean City—is boardwalk season, but on a bigger, louder, more garish scale. The 38-block boardwalk buzzes with energy all day and well into the night, when the amusement piers thump with music and blaze in electric neon. It’s lined with a funky jumble of old-fashioned pastimes—carnival rides, games of chance, tacky souvenir shops, humming arcades, and old-time treats—funnel cakes, cotton candy, saltwater taffy, fudge, crisp curly fries, and frozen custard, to name just a few. It also boasts one-of-a-kind attractions, like the only boardwalk chapel in America and what has been called the tallest Ferris wheel in the Northeast. The Morey family runs Wildwood’s three action-packed amusement areas, which attract millions of visitors every summer to 150 rides—no other boardwalk in the country has as many. The oceanfront piers are crammed with midway-style games, kiddie rides, looping roller coasters, familiar Tilt-A-Whirls, the newest thrill rides, and a pair of water parks. The boardwalk has many different things to offer many different people—perhaps the only thing it lacks is peace and quiet. Unless, of course, you wake up while the rest of the island is sleeping off the good times of the day before. In the early hours you can pedal a bike along the boards or wander the tranquil coastline, and enjoy the peaceful side of Wildwood that few visitors experience.
Long before the amusement piers were built, New Jersey’s southern coastline was a desolate outpost. Lenni-Lenape tribes lived and fished on the barrier islands, establishing a network of trails that would later be used by offshore livestock farmers and, eventually, European settlers. The explorer Robert Juet, who sailed with English navigator Henry Hudson on a 17th-century expedition for the Dutch East India Company, described the barrier island in his journal as “a very good land to fall in with, and a pleasant land to see” when he first spotted it in 1609. He wasn’t supposed to see it, originally: Hudson’s Half Moon sailed up the Atlantic Coast from Cape May only after aborting a plan to explore the Delaware River’s potential as a passage to China. Juet’s observations of the white-sand beach and dense pine forest are the first known recorded references to the barrier island. In the 1870s fishermen began settling at the northern tip of the island; the small community of shacks called itself Angle-sea and was a major East Coast fishing center in the 19th century. In 1874 a lighthouse was built to warn local mariners of the treacherous shifting shoals in Hereford Inlet. A rail line connected the island to Cape May Court House, and by the late 1800s, word was spreading about its lovely beaches and refreshing salt air. Soon after, the first bridges were built, including one to carry automobiles. Wildwood was incorporated in 1895, and the original boardwalk was built on the sand (by carpenters earning 25 cents an hour) for the tidy sum of $2,400.
Tourists came along with the railroad, but it wasn’t until the 1950s that Wildwood experienced its heyday as a seaside resort. It was the era of the American Dream, when for many the ritual of driving to the beach for summer vacation began. Wildwood’s 200-plus motels symbolize America’s postwar automobile culture, when a growing middle class was enjoying a new phenomenon—leisure time and money to spend on it. Some are nautically themed (the Buccaneer, the Quarter Deck, the Mariner), while others (Acropolis, Bird of Paradise, Isle of Capri, Montego Bay, Aztec, Riviera) celebrate far-flung locales with décor to match. Kitschy though it may seem, they appealed to vacationers who wanted an ersatz version of an exotic vacation, one that they could drive to and park in front of.
The biggest change in Wildwood in recent years is a stylized new look that’s actually a nostalgic step back to that mid-20th-century era. It’s called a doo-wop revival, an effort to preserve the bold, outlandish architecture and pastel-and-neon flamboyance that defined Wildwood in the 1950s and ’60s. The island was filled with sleek and showy motels inspired by the space age and exotic travels, painted in gaudy teals and pinks, and decorated with wildly colored neon signs, plastic palm trees, shag carpets, and other campy touches. The past decade has seen a tireless movement to restore and preserve these relics, many of which were tired and faded by the late 20th century. Wildwood’s collection of “doo-wop architecture”—named for the popular a cappella group singing style of the ’50s—is the largest in the country. The revival has caught on all over town, giving the streets and boardwalk a stylishly retro appeal.
Between Wildwood and its sister cities of Wildwood Crest and North Wildwood, there are close to two hundred 1950s-era motels still in business. Along with guesthouses, inns, and resorts—even some bed & breakfasts—the island has about 14,000 rooms that offer a variety of price ranges and degrees of quality. Finding a place to stay is usually easy; nevertheless, it’s a good idea to book a room ahead during the summer. Most visitors come to Wildwood for a week or two, whereas in beach towns like Avalon and Stone Harbor, it’s not unusual for vacationers to spend the entire summer.
Wildwood isn’t all about thrill rides. The island offers local-history museums and a 19th-century lighthouse, sportfishing, surfing, parasailing, and, of course, the beach. Its 5-mile stretch of sugar-fine sand is clean, wide, and best of all, free. Wildwood and Atlantic City are the only towns on the Jersey Shore than don’t require beach badges. Off the boardwalk there’s a variety of eateries, from martini bars and weathered seafood houses to gourmet cuisine and all-you-can-eat family-style joints. Like the motels, they’re all locally owned, and many have been in the same family for generations.
While families love the beach, young partiers love Wildwood’s nightclubs and bars that bustle till 3 AM. This is where everyone heads for nightlife, especially if they don’t want to venture north to Atlantic City. The music ranges from live Jimmy Buffett–esque acoustic beach bands to DJs spinning house music. Nightclubs run the gamut from trendy to tacky.
For all that Wildwood has to offer, there are some things that simply don’t exist here. You won’t find the amenities of a luxury inn, or a centuries-old bed & breakfast on the national register. But motel rooms are generally clean and moderately priced, and families adore Wildwood because the kids won’t get bored. In fact, between the rides, the beach, and the boardwalk, it couldn’t get easier to keep children entertained. During the summer, Thursday in Wildwood brings Family Fun Night, with parades, music, and clowns; fireworks light up the sky above the beach every Friday night.
At the southern end of Five Mile Beach, Wildwood Crest is the quieter, family-oriented part of the Wildwoods. It’s a community with a laid-back beach-town feel, and more seasonal cottage renters than visitors spending a week in a motel. You can catch beautiful sunsets from the bayside in Wildwood Crest, especially from aptly named Sunset Lake and its lovely park.
Entries in this section are arranged in roughly geographic order, from north to south.
AREA CODE 609.
GUIDANCE The Ocean View Travel Plaza (609-624-0918) is a state welcome center located between Exits 17 and 20 on the Garden State Parkway in Ocean View, west of Sea Isle City. Open daily year-round, 9–5.
The Ocean City Regional Chamber of Commerce (609-399-1412; 800-232-2465; www.oceancityvacation.com) staffs an information center on the Ninth St. causeway just before you enter town. It is well stocked with tourism literature, and the knowledgeable and courteous staff will offer advice on Ocean City’s attractions, events, restaurants, and activities. The center also has a computerized system providing information on lodging vacancies. Other information centers are located on the boardwalk at the Music Pier (summer only) and at the old municipal building at West Ave. and 46th St. The chamber will send tourism literature on request, including their annual vacation guide.
Sea Isle City Tourism Development Commission (609-263-8687; www.seaislecity.org), P.O. Box 622, Sea Isle City 08243, publishes an annual visitor’s guide and events schedule, and will send them on request. A tourist information center (609-263-8900), on the promenade at 40th St., is open May–Sept. from 10–6.
The chambers of commerce in Avalon (609-967-3936; www.avalonbeach.com), 30th St. and Ocean Dr. and Stone Harbor (609-368-6101; www.stoneharborbeach.com), 212 96th St., maintain online community directories with information for visitors. The Stone Harbor chamber publishes a free vacation guide that they will send on request.
North Wildwood has several seasonal information centers: a Boardwalk Information Center (609-729-8686) at 22nd Ave. and Boardwalk; a Tourism Information Center at Fourth and New Jersey Aves.; and the Hereford Inlet Lighthouse (609-522-4520) on First and Central Aves. is stocked with tourism brochures.
In Wildwood, the Greater Wildwood Chamber of Commerce operates two visitor information centers. The Downtown Visitor Information Center (609-729-4000; 888-729-0033; www.gwcoc.com), 3306 Pacific Ave., Wildwood (mailing address: P.O. Box 823, Wildwood 08260), is open year-round Mon.–Fri. 9–4:30; and a seasonal Boardwalk Information Center (609-522-1507), 3601 Boardwalk at Schellenger Ave., from May–Sept., open weekends in spring and Sept., and daily in summer, 10–4. The friendly staff provides information and tourism literature on dining, lodging, activities, attractions, and events.
The Greater Wildwood Hotel and Motel Association (609-522-4546; 800-786-4546; www.wildwoods.org), 1 S. State Hwy. 47, Wildwood 08260 staffs an information center on Rt. 47, just before the bridge to the Wildwoods. Ask them to send you a copy of their visitor’s guide, which includes information on Wildwood’s huge array of accommodations.
The Wildwood Crest Information Center (609-522-0221) is on Rambler Rd. at the beach in Wildwood Crest. Open seasonally.
GETTING THERE By air: Atlantic City International Airport (609-645-7895; www.acairport.com), Exit 9 off the Atlantic City Expressway, Egg Harbor Township. Spirit Airlines (800-772-7117; www.spiritair.com) has direct and connecting service from points around the country.
By bus: New Jersey Transit (973-275-5555; www.njtransit.com) buses connect the region to bus terminals in Philadelphia and New York City, and provide local service between Cape May and Atlantic City, with stops in Sea Isle City, Avalon, Stone Harbor, North Wildwood, and Wildwood.
By car: The Garden State Parkway runs north to south along the southern shoreline; the Atlantic City Expressway links Philadelphia to the Atlantic City region; from the Delaware Memorial Bridge, Rts. 40 and 49 head toward the shore. The four barrier islands from Ocean City to the Wildwoods are connected by a series of toll bridges.
By ferry: Cape May–Lewes Ferry (800-643-3779; www.capemaylewesferry.com) connects Lewes, Delaware, to North Cape May, New Jersey—close to the Garden State Parkway. The ferry accepts both car and foot passengers; the one-way trip takes about 70 minutes. Reservations are recommended when traveling during peak summertime periods, especially Friday afternoon and evening, Saturday morning, and Sunday afternoon and evening.
GETTING AROUND Taxis: In Wildwood, Yellow Cab (609-522-0555), Coastal Cab Company (609-523-8300), Wildwood Cab (609-729-1911), and Checker Cab Company (609-522-1431) serve the Wildwoods. Atlantic City Airport Taxi (609-383-1457) operates between the airport and the southern shore. Aart’s Cape May Taxi (609-898-7433) serves Cape May County.
The Great American Trolley Company (609-884-5230; 800-487-6559; www.gatrolley.com) operates a summertime trolley in Ocean City daily from mid-June to Labor Day. The driver will stop on any corner along the route, which runs along the beach from 59th St. to Battersea Rd. Year-round trolleys run on several routes linking North Wildwood, Wildwood, and Wildwood Crest.
Sightseer Boardwalk Tram (609-523-8726), on the boardwalk, Wildwood. A seasonal battery-operated tram shuttles visitors from one end of the 2.5-mile-long boardwalk to the other. You can get on and off anywhere along the boards. In Wildwood, the tram runs from 9 AM–1 AM, and in North Wildwood from 10 AM–5 PM.
Doo Wop ’50s Trolley Tours (609-884-5404; 800-275-4278), Wildwood. Tours leave from the Greater Wildwood Chamber of Commerce; call for a schedule and prices. A 45-minute narrated tour of more than 60 buildings sporting Wildwood’s famously flamboyant 1950s doo-wop architecture, from bold boomerang rooflines and Jetson fins to plastic palm trees and thatched roofs. The Mid-Atlantic Center for the Arts (609-884-5404; 800-275-4278; www.capemaymac.org) and the Doo Wop Preservation League (609-729-4000; www.doowopusa.org) run the tours, which are accompanied by 1950s- and ’60s-era music. A Doo Wop Museum, long in planning, opened in 2008.
MEDICAL EMERGENCY Atlantic City Medical Center (609-345-4000; www.atlanticare.org), 1925 Pacific Ave., Atlantic City. The emergency number is 609-441-8050.
Health Med (609-345-6000; www.healthmedassociates.com), 24 South Carolina Ave., Atlantic City. An urgent-care facility and family medical center.
Shore Memorial Hospital (609-653-3500; www.shorememorial.org), 1 E. New York Ave., Somers Point. The emergency number is 609-653-3515.
Cape Regional Medical Center (609-463-2000; www.caperegional.com), 2 Stone Harbor Blvd., Cape May Court House. The emergency number is 609-463-2130.
Convenient Medical Care of Ocean City (609-525-0008), on the 900 block of Haven Ave., Ocean City. A walk-in medical clinic open daily 8–8.
For marine emergencies, contact the U.S. Coast Guard—Cape May at 609-884-3491.
To SeeHISTORIC HOMES AND SITES Ocean City Tabernacle (609-399-1915; www.octabernacle.org), 500 Wesley Ave., Ocean City. Aside from the beach and boardwalk, the Ocean City Tabernacle is among the top tourist attractions. It replaced the original 1881 church built by the Methodist clergymen who founded Ocean City as a seaside religious retreat. Today it’s a nondenominational summer-community church (vacationers are welcome) with world-renowned preachers and a full schedule of concerts and lectures, all open to the public. Guest musicians, community choirs, classical soloists, and others perform in the tabernacle’s 1,000-seat state-of-the-art auditorium. Visitors are also welcome to walk the lovely grounds, which feature a fountain and historic bell tower, whose set of 13 bells was created in 1893 to symbolize America’s 13 original colonies. Some programs offer admission by donation; others require tickets. Call or see Web site for a schedule.
J. Thompson Baker House (609-522-8914), 3008 Atlantic Ave., Wildwood. Guided tours June–Aug.; group tours May–Dec. by appointment. The only house in the Wildwoods on the National Register of Historic Places has been home to the Wildwood Civic Club since 1936. The grand 1904 Classical Revival–style home, with elegant white columns, was built by J. Thompson Baker, one of the organizers of the Wildwood Beach Improvement Company that developed Five Mile Beach Island into a seaside resort. Baker served as Wildwood’s first mayor in 1911 and 1912 before serving a term in Congress. Visitors can see two refurbished bedrooms decorated with period antiques and furnishings, as well as original details like the foyer’s stained-glass windows and oak staircase.
Sunset Lake and Turtle Gut Park and Memorial (609-522-0221), New Jersey and Miami Aves., Wildwood Crest. Wildwood Crest is the only town in Cape May County to have seen action in the American Revolution. On June 29, 1776, the battle of Turtle Gut Inlet, a little-known naval encounter, was fought between British warships and the brigantine Nancy. As British ships pursued and attacked the American boat—loaded with a Philadelphia-bound cargo of gunpowder for the Continental army—Captain John Barry of the frigate Lexington stepped in to assist the Nancy, which had run aground in the inlet and was under heavy enemy fire. Barry and his men boarded the Nancy, manned its guns to fend off the warships, and unloaded the cargo. They left some gunpowder behind, which was ignited as British troops boarded the ship. The massive blast, according to documented accounts, was “heard 40 miles above Philadelphia.” The cargo was shuttled safely up the Delaware River by the frigate Wasp, and Barry would later be known as Commander Barry, “the Father of the American Navy.” The inlet has since been filled in, but a marker across from the park at New Jersey and Miami avenues commemorates the battle site.
THE WILDWOOD BOARDWALK
Wildwood’s boardwalk is a virtual feast for the senses, an oceanfront amusement park with more rides than Disneyland, as well as T-shirt shops, souvenir stands, video arcades, and just about anything you could possibly want to eat. It begins in North Wildwood at 16th Ave. and heads south along the shore through Wildwood before ending at Cresse Ave. in Wildwood Crest, nearly 3 miles and 36 blocks later.
The Great White ranks among the fastest and tallest wooden roller coasters on the East Coast, and the 140-foot-high Ferris wheel is among the tallest on the East Coast. The Nor’Easter and the Sea Serpent are as spine-tingling as they sound. Battery-powered tram cars shuttle visitors up and down the boardwalk from early in the morning until late at night. The amusement rides are generally open on weekends from Easter to Memorial Day, daily Memorial Day through Labor Day, then weekends until Columbus Day. Wildwood’s specialty is family entertainment, and the boardwalk’s calendar of special events keeps visitors busy all summer long. Every Monday is Doo Wop ’50s Night, with vintage cars, parades, and 1950s-era live music. Family Fun Night happens every Thursday, with clowns, and more live music and parades. Friday night means movies on the beach at 9 PM and at midnight, with a break in between for fireworks at 11 PM.
Wildwood is a different world in the morning, before the amusements and food stands open. If you didn’t stay up too late the night before, get up early and go for a bike ride on the boards. Cycling is allowed until 10:30 AM on weekends and until 11 AM on weekdays, and affords a rare glimpse at the quiet and peaceful side of Wildwood that few visitors ever see.
MUSEUMS 
Discovery Sea Shell Museum and Shell Yard (609-398-2316), 2721 Asbury Ave., Ocean City. Open Apr.–Nov. Free admission. Shell collectors and beachcombers love this unique family-run seashore museum, which features more than 10,000 varieties of seashells from oceans around the world. Among the exotic varieties on exhibit are rare golden cowries and a record-sized Siamese helmet shell. Other displays feature coral, shark teeth and shark jaws, and an extensive variety of specimen shells. An interesting selection of shells and nautical gifts for sale, from puzzles and books to fossils, hermit crabs, shell lamps, and jewelry.
Ocean City Historical Museum (609-399-1801; www.ocnjmuseum.org), in the Ocean City Cultural Arts Center, 1735 Simpson Ave., Ocean City. Summer hours: Mon.–Fri. 10–4; Sat. 2–4; closed Sun. Winter hours: Tues.–Fri. 10–4; Sat. 11–2; closed Sun.–Mon. Admission is pay what you will. The story of Ocean City is told through an extensive collection of artifacts and treasures in this well-stocked local-history museum. The Sindia Room contains cargo, photos, and artifacts salvaged from the famous shipwreck of the Sindia, a 392-foot four-masted ship that sank off the coast of Ocean City during a fierce storm in 1901. Visitors can see a scale model of the ship and a dramatic stained-glass window depicting the Sindia as she looked under sail. Period rooms display Victorian furniture and clothing, a collection of exquisite vintage dolls, memorabilia from the families of Ocean City’s founding fathers, and a collection of vintage photos and postcards. Gift shop.
The Bayside Center (609-525-9244), 520 Bay Ave., Ocean City. Open daily in summer. A vintage 1910 home is an environmental education and historical center with a popular series of nature programs throughout the summer. Among the displays are museum-quality classic model ships, hand-carved decoys, and photographs and memorabilia that chronicle the 100-year-old history of Ocean City’s beach patrol. Many visitors come here simply to picnic on the grounds and see the butterfly garden and lovely views of Great Egg Harbor Bay from the third-floor observation area. This is one of the best places in town from which to view the annual Night in Venice summertime boat parade (see Special Events).
Sea Isle City Historical Museum (609-263-1772; www.seaislecityhistoricalsociety.org), 4208 Landis Ave., Sea Isle City. Open July–Aug., Mon.–Sat. 10–1; closed Sun.; open Sat. 10–1 in spring and fall; other times by appointment. Admission by donation. A small museum featuring memorabilia, artifacts, furniture, clothing, and photographs that chronicle Sea Isle City’s history as a seaside resort. The Military Room has a collection of artifacts from both world wars, and the gift shop sells prints, photographs, souvenirs, and books. Call about guided walking tours of Sea Isle City’s historic downtown area, Townsend Inlet, and the old boardwalk.
HEREFORD INLET LIGHTHOUSE
(609-522-4520; www.herefordlighthouse.org), 111 North Central Ave. (at First Ave.), North Wildwood. Open mid-May–mid-Oct., daily 9–5; open mid-Oct.–mid-May, Wed.–Sun. 10–4. Adults $4; children 11 and under, $1. This Victorian-style lighthouse was built at the northern tip of Five Mile Beach in 1874 to safely guide local fishermen and mariners through the inlet’s dangerous shoals and strong currents on their trips from the back bays to the fishing grounds in the Atlantic Ocean. The lighthouse’s ornate turret and Swiss Gothic–style architecture—the only lighthouse design of its kind on the East Coast—was the vision of architect Paul Pelz, who also designed the Library of Congress in Washington, DC. The lighthouse was decommissioned in 1964, when an iron light tower with a modernized automated beacon was built on the property. The keeper’s house and tower deteriorated for two decades before restoration efforts began in 1983. The modern beacon was returned to the historic tower, where it once again guides boats through the inlet. Today the stately lighthouse is surrounded by old-fashioned English-style cottage gardens with more than 170 varieties of perennials and herbs that bloom from spring to late fall. The antiques-filled keeper’s quarters contains a small nautical museum and gift shop. A full schedule of crafts shows and other special events are held on the grounds every summer. The lighthouse interior is undergoing restoration, and plans are under way to turn the historic Coast Guard station next to the lighthouse into a living-history museum.
Wetlands Institute and Museum (609-368-1211; www.wetlandsinstitute.org), 1075 Stone Harbor Blvd., Stone Harbor. Open mid-May–mid-Oct., Mon.–Sat. 9:30–4:30, Tues.–Thurs. until 8; mid-June–Labor Day, also Sun. 10–4. From mid-Oct.–mid-May, open Tues.–Sat. 9:30–4:30; closed Sun.–Mon. Adults $7; children 2–11, $5; children under 2, free. This nationally known nonprofit research center is an environmental classroom devoted to raising public concern and knowledge about the region’s fragile ecosystem. A boardwalk trail and 40-foot observation tower provide close-ups and panoramas of the 6,000-acre salt marsh. Inside are interactive touch tanks, a saltwater aquarium filled with marine animals, and exhibits on native diamondback terrapins, bird life, and the institute’s natural surroundings. A lecture series is held in the auditorium, and research is conducted in the institute’s laboratories. The Tidepool Museum Shop has quality nature books and unique gifts, clothing, and prints. Special events for children and families include guided bird walks, kayaking trips, back-bay boat tours, and the annual Wings ’n Water Festival (see sidebar, page 490; also To Do—Canoeing and Kayaking and Special Events).
The Boyer Museum (609-523-0277; www.the-wildwoods.com), 3907 Pacific Ave., at the Holly Beach Station Mall, Wildwood. Open May–Sept., Mon.–Fri. 9:30–2:30 (until 8:30 on Fri.), Sat.–Sun. 10:30–2:30; Oct.–Apr., daily 10:30–2:30. Admission by donation. The Wildwood Historical Society runs this museum, which tells the story of Wildwood through an eclectic collection of artifacts, memorabilia, and vintage photographs and films. Here you can learn about Wildwood’s evolution as a seaside resort town, from the early days of the boardwalk and beach patrol to the famous entertainers who performed in Wildwood’s clubs. It has had a colorful history, as when Tuffy the Lion escaped from his cage and wreaked havoc upon the boardwalk in 1938, killing a bystander; and when local leaders destroyed Wildwood’s original promenade in a midnight raid so a new boardwalk would be built closer to the water. The National Marbles Hall of Fame is devoted to the historic sport of shooting marbles, and contains trophies, photos, memorabilia, and exhibits on the game’s top players, and, of course, an interesting variety of marbles. Wildwood has hosted the National Marbles Tournament every summer since 1922 (see Special Events).
THE WETLANDS INSTITUTE IN STONE HARBOR IS A MUSEUM AND EDUCATIONAL AND RESEARCH FACILITY SURROUNDED BY 6,000 ACRES OF COASTAL WETLANDS TEEMING WITH BIRDS AND OTHER WILDLIFE.
Photo courtesy of the Wetlands Institute
Wildwood Crest Historical Society and Museum (609-729-4515; www.cresthistory.org), in the Crest Pier Building, 5800 Ocean Ave., Wildwood Crest. Admission by donation; phone ahead for hours. A unique collection of historic artifacts, photographs, memorabilia, and antiques tells the history of Wildwood Crest. The museum was founded when the historical society acquired historic documents belonging to Philip Baker, one of the 19th-century founders of the Wildwoods. The collection has grown over the years through donations of artifacts and special objects from local families.
To DoAMUSEMENTS Gillian’s Wonderland Pier (609-399-7082; www.gillians.com), Sixth St. and the Boardwalk, Ocean City. Open daily, mid-June through summer; phone ahead or see Web site for spring and fall hours. The Gillian family has been offering family-style amusements in Ocean City for more than 70 years. Wonderland Pier is the boardwalk’s landmark amusement complex, with close to 40 classic rides that cater to families with young children. It’s a pay-as-you-go park—rides are $1–3 a pop—with everything from a Tilt-A-Whirl and a Ferris wheel to bumper cars. Some of the rides are historic—the ornately carved carousel was built in 1926, the train ride dates to the 1940s, and the monorail has circled the park since 1965.
Gillian’s Island Water Theme Park (609-399-0483; www.gillians.com), Plymouth Pl. and the Boardwalk. Open daily mid-June–Labor Day 9:30–6; admission $16 and up. A family water park with 35 rides, slides, and activities, including an 18,800-square-foot water playground. Older kids will love the 6-foot drop on the Shotgun Falls slide; younger ones enjoy the tame Gangslide that they can ride with their parents. The jungle-themed mini-golf course features a unique landscape of rock ledges and waterfalls with challenging holes.
Playland’s Castaway Cove (609-399-4751; www.boardwalkfun.com), 1020 Boardwalk (at 10th St.), Ocean City. In May, open Fri. evenings and weekends from 1 PM; in June, Mon.–Fri. from 6 PM, Sat.–Sun. from 1 PM; late June–Labor Day, open daily at 1 PM. A pirate-themed amusement park that has catered to families since 1959. More than 30 rides range from mellow to bone-tingling, including an old-time train, bumper cars, a log flume, a Tilt-A-Whirl, and the adrenaline-charged Double Shot. There are go-carts, mini golf, and four roller coasters, including the Python, Ocean City’s only looping coaster.
Morey’s Amusement Piers and Raging Waters (609-522-3900; www.moreyspiers.com), on the boardwalk at 25th Ave., Schellenger Ave., and Spencer Ave., Wildwood. Open from Memorial Day–Labor Day, daily noon–midnight; call or see Web site about reduced hours in spring and fall. Morey’s offers a variety of admission options, including day passes and season passes, amusement pier–water park combination pricing, family packages, and tickets for individual rides. This family-owned amusement and water park complex has been a Wildwood institution for more than 35 years. It’s also considered one of the best amusement parks on the Jersey Shore. It boasts three ride-packed piers and two beachfront water parks with kiddie rides, waterslides, win-a-prize midway-style games, go-carts, boardwalk food, a colossal Ferris wheel, and seven roller coasters, including the Great White—one of the largest wooden coasters on the East Coast. All told, there are 150 rides, described as “Mild Thrill” (the familiar carousel), “Moderate Thrill” (the classic Tilt-A-Whirl), and “High Thrill” (the Sea Serpent’s 12-story free fall). Generally speaking, Mariner’s Landing Pier is the most family-friendly; Adventure Pier is for thrill seekers; and Surfside Pier has a nostalgic ’50s theme, including a doo-wop-style roller coaster.
Splash Zone Water Park (609-729-5600; www.splashzonewaterpark.com), 3500 Boardwalk at Schellenger Ave., Wildwood. Open daily, Memorial Day–Labor Day, with limited hours in late spring and early fall. Call or see Web site for ticket prices. With 16 water rides and attractions, you can laze slowly down Adventure River or stand under the Giant Bucket as it lets loose 1,000 gallons of water. The Beast of the East features family-sized whitewater rafts, and the Speed Dominator is as fast as it sounds.
BICYCLING Ocean Drive (Rt. 619), is a 40-mile-long scenic route between Cape May and Atlantic City that makes for a spectacular and challenging bike tour. It passes over a string of barrier islands connected by a series of toll bridges (no charge for cyclists) and through a natural landscape of ocean, back bays, marshland, and seaside resort towns. This route is heavily trafficked in summer, and is recommended for experienced cyclists only.
You can ride a bike on the Ocean City boardwalk every day from 6 AM–noon. In Sea Isle City, bicycling is allowed on the promenade Mon.–Fri. from 5 AM–3 PM, and Sat.–Sun., 5 AM–noon. In Avalon, bikes are permitted on the boardwalk from 5–10 AM. In Wildwood, you can pedal the boards Mon.–Fri. from 5–11 AM, and weekends and holidays from 5–10:30 AM. In North Wildwood, a bike path follows Surf Ave., and a second path follows the beach from Fifth Ave. to the boardwalk at 16th Ave. In Wildwood Crest, a bike path starts at the boardwalk at Cresse Ave. and goes south to Rambler Rd. Another bike path in North Wildwood follows Surf Ave.
Numerous shops rent a variety of bikes, from tandems to surreys, including: Annarelli’s Bicycles (609-399-2238), 1014 Asbury Ave., Ocean City; 12th Street Bike Rentals (609-399-2814), 12th St. and the Boardwalk, Ocean City; Surf Buggy Center (800-976-5679), JFK and Pleasure Blvds., Sea Isle City; Hollywood Bicycle Center (609-967-5846; www.hollywoodbikeshop.com), 2544 Dune Dr., Avalon; Harbor Bike and Beach Shop (609-368-3691; www.harborbike.com), 9828 Third Ave., Stone Harbor; Casino Pier Bike Rentals (609-522-0070), 340 East Oak Ave., Wildwood; Crest Bike Rental (609-522-5763), 500 E. Heather Rd., Wildwood Crest.
BIRDING In Ocean City, Cowpens Island Bird Sanctuary is on Rt. 52, near the information center. Birds flock to this string of tiny marsh-covered islands, especially at dawn and dusk. Herons, ibis, and egrets are among the commonly spotted species.
Corson’s Inlet State Park (609-861-2404), Rt. 619 (Ocean Dr.), Ocean City. This small 341-acre state park (see Green Space—State Park) is a pristine swath of marshland on Corson’s Inlet that protects one of the few remaining undeveloped tracts of land along New Jersey’s shoreline. Least terns, black skimmers, and endangered piping plovers nest on the beach and undisturbed sand dunes in the Strathmere Natural Area. The estuaries and uplands are prime nesting and feeding grounds for sandpipers, gulls, ducks, and herons. This is a good spot to observe the annual migration of monarch butterflies, shorebirds, and waterfowl.
Stone Harbor Bird Sanctuary (609-368-5102), 114th St. and Third Ave., Stone Harbor. Open year-round. This spectacular 21-acre sanctuary, founded in 1947, is the only municipally funded heronry in America and a federally designated national landmark (see Green Space—Natural Areas). During the nesting season, birders gather at dawn to watch for stick-legged wading birds like ibis, herons, egrets, and other avian species. You can rent binoculars and find information on the birds at the observation area adjacent to the parking lot. July and August are the peak viewing times, when some 10,000 birds are busy nesting in the sanctuary and traveling (often in large groups) to the marshes to feed.
BOAT EXCURSIONS Silver Bullet Speedboat and Dolphin Watch (609-522-6060; www.silverbullettours.com), Wildwood Marina, Rio Grande Ave. and the bay, Wildwood. Trips daily, May–Oct. Reservations are recommended. Dolphin-and whale-watch excursions aboard a superfast 70-foot speedboat. Adults $28; children $15.
(609-368-1211; www.wetlandsinstitute.org), 1075 Stone Harbor Blvd., Stone Harbor. Open mid-May–mid-Oct., Mon.–Sat. 9:30–4:30; Tues.–Thurs. until 8, mid-June–Labor Day; Sun. 10–4. From mid-Oct.–mid-May, open Tues.–Sat. 9:30–4:30; closed Sun.–Mon. Adults $7; children 2–11, $5. Some 6,000 acres of coastal wetlands and upland marsh form a natural barrier between the mainland and the narrow barrier islands along the Atlantic Ocean (see To See—Museums). Pick up a map at the front desk and set out on the self-guided nature trail through the salt marsh, where you’ll see a variety of birds flitting about. At the trail’s end, a 125-foot pier juts out over the tidal creek, which is home to one of the world’s largest colonies of laughing gulls. Don’t leave without climbing the spiral staircase to the observation tower for an expansive panorama. The bird and butterfly gardens are other good spots for bird-watching. During the summer, guided walks begin at 10 AM, noon, and 2 PM, Mon.–Sat., and at 11 AM and 1 PM on Sun. Ask about a schedule of bird-watching events, including the popular Wings ’n Water Festival every September, which features exhibits of wildlife paintings and bird-carving demonstrations.
Captain Sinn’s Sightseeing Center (609-522-3934), 6006 Park Blvd., Wildwood Crest. Dinner and sightseeing cruises, and whale- and dolphin-watching excursions, aboard the Dixie Queen.
Starlight Fleet (609-729-3400; www.jjcboats.com), 6200 Park Blvd., Wildwood Crest. Several trips daily, May–Oct. Dolphin- and whale-watching excursions aboard the Atlantic Star, a 100-foot whale-watcher. Several trips a day leave during the summer: dolphin cruises in the morning, which include continental breakfast; afternoon whale- and dolphin-watch trips; dolphin-watch trips at sunset with a dinner buffet.
BOATING (See also Boat Excursions.)
In Ocean City, a public boat ramp on Tennessee Ave. provides access to Great Egg Harbor Bay; Corson’s Inlet State Park (609-861-2404), Rt. 619 (Ocean Dr.), has a public boat launch that provides access to Corson’s Inlet. The ramp is open daily year-round, and a launch fee is charged from Memorial Day weekend to Labor Day.
In Sea Isle City, you’ll find the following: Sea Isle Municipal Ramp (609-263-0009), 42nd St. and the bay; Larsen’s Marina (609-263-1554), Old Sea Isle Blvd.; Pier 88 Marina (609-263-5260), 88th St. and the bay; and Sunset Pier (609-263-8174), 86th St. and the bay.
In Avalon, you can launch a boat at Avalon Anchorage Marina (609-967-3592; www.avalonanchorage.com), 885 21st St. and the bay, and at Avalon Bay Park (609-967-8200), Ocean Dr. and 54th St.
In Stone Harbor, the Stone Harbor Municipal Marina (609-368-5102) on 81st St. has a boat ramp.
In the Wildwoods, there are public boat ramps at Leaming Ave. and the Boardwalk in North Wildwood; on Fifth St. in Wildwood; and in Wildwood Crest at Park Blvd. and Sweet Briar Rd., and at New Jersey Ave. and Orchid Rd. Visitors can launch boats from most marinas.
CANOEING AND KAYAKING Bay Cats (609-391-7960; www.baycats.com), 316 Bay Ave., Ocean City. Two-hour, morning, guided tours by kayak of Ocean City’s tranquil back-bay channels and pristine Cowpen and Bird islands—the busy feeding and nesting grounds of egrets, ibis, and herons. Bay Cats also rents single-, double-, and three-person kayaks that you can launch on the bay or take to the ocean. Rentals include life jacket and paddle.
Harbor Outfitters (www.harboroutfitters.com) rents single and double kayaks and leads guided tours from two locations. In Sea Isle City (609-263-0805) from Pier 88, 88th Street and the bay; in Stone Harbor (609-368-5501) from 354 96th St.; and in North Wildwood at 501 Ocean Dr. (609-522-6568).
T I Kayaks (609-391-8700; www.tikayaks.com), 190 34th St., Ocean City rents kayaks by the hour, day, or week; they can be used either in the bay or in the waves.
FISHING There is no shortage of opportunities to fish along New Jersey’s southern shore. Many shops rent equipment and sell bait and tackle, and a number of fishing tournaments are held up and down the coast from spring to fall. And best of all, no fishing license is required. You can rent a skiff and fish the back bays on the inland side of the barrier islands. These quiet waters are home to striped bass, flounder, bluefish, and weakfish, not to mention local blue claw crabs. For shore fishermen, a large number of piers, marinas, jetties, bridges, and beaches are open to anglers. The ocean holds sea bass and bluefish inshore, marlin, mahimahi, bluefish, tuna, shark, and a variety of other big species offshore. Charter boats and party boats can take you to them.
In Ocean City, fishing is permitted at Longport Beach, at the northern tip of the island and on the fishing jetty at Fifth St. and the Boardwalk. In Sea Isle City, there’s a fishing pier on the bay at 59th St. and Sounds Ave. Corson Inlet State Park (609-861-2404) on Rt. 619 in Strathmere is known for its striped bass, weak-fish, kingfish, and bluefish. A public fishing pier in North Wildwood is at the municipal parking lot at Inlet and Spruce Aves. There is excellent surf fishing in Wildwood from several town jetties.
From Ocean City to Wildwood Crest, numerous charter boats (smaller boats that take individual groups on private fishing trips) and party boats (larger vessels that take passengers on regularly scheduled offshore trips) are available on a first-come, first-served basis.
In Ocean City, Rainbow III (609-391-6446; www.rainbowdeepseafishing.com), 228 Bay Ave., offers both party and charter half-day fishing trips. The Laura Marie III (609-653-9164), Second St. and Bay Ave., offers half- and full-day charter trips.
In Sea Isle City, party boats include Captain Robbins (609-263-2020; www.captainrobbins.com), Old Sea Isle Blvd.; Starfish (609-263-3800; www.starfishboats.com), 42nd Pl. and the bay; and Ursula (609-263-9326), 42nd Pl. and the bay. In Avalon, Miss Avalon II (609-967-7455; www.missavalon.com) is a 60-foot party boat offering half-day fishing trips out of the Avalon Sport Fishing Center at 14th St. and Ocean Dr. from Apr.–Dec. In Wildwood, Adventurer II (609-729-7777) leaves from Wildwood Marina Fishing Center on daytime and evening cruises for bluefish. The Capt. Carlson (609-522-0177; www.captcarlson.com), Rio Grande Ave., offers charter trips from June–Sept. In Wildwood Crest, party fishing boats include Royal Flush Sport Fishing (609-522-1395), 6100 Park Blvd., which leads three trips daily; and the Starlight Fleet (609-729-7776 www.jjcboats.com), 6200 Park Blvd., which offers half- and full-day fishing, depending on the season.
GOLF If you’re planning to take a golf vacation along the southern shore, the Greater Atlantic City Golf Association (800-465-3222; www.acgolfvacations.com) can help arrange hotel and golf packages, and can book tee times. For other golf courses in the region, see “The Atlantic City Region” and “The Cape May Peninsula” in this region, and “The Pinelands Region” in “Central New Jersey.”
Ocean City Golf Course (609-399-1315), 2600 Bay Ave. at 26th St., Ocean City. This bayside 12-hole course may not challenge the pros, but it’s ideal for novice and intermediate players. A series of golf tournaments is held here during the summer.
Shore Gate Golf Course (609-624-8337; www.shoregategolfclub.com), 35 Schoolhouse Lane, Ocean View. Golf Magazine rated Shore Gate one of the top 10 new daily-fee golf courses in the country.
NATURE WALKS Corson’s Inlet State Park (609-861-2404), Ocean Dr. (Rt. 619), Ocean City. Guided nature walks July–Aug. Call for schedule. Adults $1; children 50 cents. Volunteers with the park’s Beachwalk program lead fact-filled hour-long tours along the paths that cut through the dunes to the beach. Guides specialize in various areas, from marine life to beach ecology.
PARASAILING Atlantic Parasail (609-522-1869; www.atlanticparasail.com), 1025 Ocean Dr., Wildwood Crest. Reservations are required. No experience is needed to soar 500 feet above the ocean, just a healthy dose of courage. They also operate trips in Sea Isle City at Sea Isle Parasail (609-263-5555; www.seaisleparasail.com) at Sunset Pier on 86th St. and the bay.
BEACHCOMBER WALKS
(609-263-9643), on the 29th St. and 94th St. beaches in Sea Isle City. Guided walks are held from mid-June–Aug., Tues. and Thurs. at 10 AM. The hour-long Treasure Hunt walks, sponsored by the Sea Isle City Environmental Commission, cover a variety of marine environmental issues, including the plight of local endangered diamondback terrapins. As you look for beach treasure, learn interesting facts about seashells, dunes, plants, birds, and the ocean. A fun and educational family activity.
SCENIC DRIVE Ocean Drive This famous 40-mile-long scenic seashore route, which follows Rt. 619 and stretches from Atlantic City at the northern tip of Absecon Island all the way to Cape May Point, is the Jersey Shore at its finest. Along the way you’ll cross six toll bridges, maintained by the Cape May Bridge Commission, that link a string of barrier islands and more than a dozen seaside communities. This is a pristine region of marshy lowland, back bays, and tidal inlets—and seaside amusement resorts—with the Atlantic Ocean providing a spectacular backdrop. The route, marked with Follow the Gull signs, enters this region from Absecon Island on the Ocean City–Longport Bridge that crosses Great Egg Harbor Inlet, passes through Ocean City and Corson’s Inlet State Park, crosses another bridge over Corson’s Inlet and passes through Strathmere and Sea Isle City before taking the Townsend’s Inlet Bridge to pass through Avalon and Stone Harbor on Seven Mile Beach. From there you’ll cross Hereford Inlet on the Grassy Sound Bridge to Five Mile Beach, where the Wildwoods are located. South of Wildwood Crest, the Middle Thorofare Bridge crosses Cape May Inlet into the Victorian seaside resort at the tip of the Cape May peninsula.
SURFING In Ocean City, surfing is permitted at Seventh St. and the boardwalk. Surfing beaches in Sea Isle City are at 33rd, 42nd, 48th, 52nd, 63rd, and 74th Sts. In Avalon, surfing is allowed on 30th St. between 10th and 11th Sts. Nun’s Beach at 114th St. in Stone Harbor is a popular spot that offers some of the best surfing conditions on the southern shore. Surfing is allowed in North Wildwood between 8th and 10th Aves.; in Wildwood on Diamond Beach; and in Wildwood Crest at Rambler Rd.
It’s always a good idea to call a local surf shop for a wave report before you head to the water. Shops along the southern shore include 7th Street Surf Shop at 654 Boardwalk (609-391-1700; www.7thstreetsurfshop.com) and at 654 Asbury Ave. (609-398-7070), Ocean City; Surfers Supplies (609-399-8399; www.surferssupplies.com), 3101 Asbury Ave., Ocean City; Heritage Surf and Sport (609-263-3033; www.heritagesurf.com), 3700 Landis Ave., Sea Isle City or 744 West Ave., Ocean City (609-398-6390; Wetsuit World (609-368-1500; www.wetsuitworld.com), 9716 Third Ave., Stone Harbor; Suncatcher (609-368-3488; www.suncatchersurf.com), 9425 Second Ave., Stone Harbor; Sand Jamm Beach and Surf Company (609-522-4650; www.sandjamm.com), 2701 Boardwalk, Wildwood; Wild Ocean Surf Shop (609-729-0004), 5011 Ocean Ave., Wildwood; and Ocean Outfitters (609-729-7400; www.newjerseysurfcamps.com), 6101 New Jersey Ave., Wildwood Crest.
SWIMMING (See Green Space—Beaches for a list of public beaches along the Atlantic Ocean that allow swimming.)
Green SpaceBEACHES With the exception of the Wildwoods—where beaches are free—a beach badge, or tag, is required. Prices vary from town to town, but in Ocean City (609-399-1412; 800-232-2465; www.oceancityvacation.com), Strathmere (609-263-1151), Sea Isle City (609-263-1771; 1-866-546-4466), Avalon (609-967-3936), and Stone Harbor (609-368-5102), expect to pay around $5 for a day badge, $8–10 for a weekly pass, and between $15 and $20 for a season badge. In Sea Isle City, beach tags are not required on Wednesday. The tags can be purchased at various locations around town, including information centers, municipal halls, and locations right on the beach (and many lodging establishments offer complimentary beach tags to their guests). Most of the beaches allow fishing, rafting, and surfing; some have tennis courts, beach volleyball, and picnic areas, and allow beach buggies on the sand, with a permit.
In North Wildwood (609-729-8686), Wildwood (609-729-4000; 888-729-0033; www.gwcoc.com), and Wildwood Crest (609-522-0221) lifeguards are on duty from Memorial Day to Labor Day from 10–5. At the beach’s widest point, it’s a half-mile trek from the boardwalk to the water. It’s wise to bring sandals—the sand can get sizzling-hot. Alcohol, glass containers, and barbecues are not permitted; leashed pets are allowed on Wildwood’s beaches from October to May.
In Ocean City and Sea Isle City, the beach gets packed, especially on summer weekends and holidays. Families with young children appreciate the gentle waves and gradual slope into the water. Ocean City’s best family beach is at 34th St. The least-crowded beaches are in Avalon and Stone Harbor. Wildwood’s beaches are the widest, with unbelievably fine soft white sand. North Wildwood’s beaches are especially family-friendly—all of them have playgrounds. Beachcombers know that Wildwood Crest’s southernmost beach is a great spot to find shells.
NATURAL AREAS The Wetlands Institute and Museum (609-368-1211; www.wetlandsinstitute.org), 1075 Stone Harbor Blvd., Stone Harbor. Open mid-May–mid-Oct., Mon.–Sat. 9:30–4:30; Tues.–Thurs. until 8, mid-June–Labor Day; Sun. 10–4. From mid-Oct.–mid-May, open Tues.–Sat. 9:30–4:30; closed Sun.–Mon. Adults $7; children 2–11, $5; children under 2, free. An education and research center surrounded by a spectacular living laboratory—a pristine 6,000-acre tract of coastal marshland that forms a natural buffer between the mainland and the narrow barrier islands along the Atlantic Ocean. The salt marshes and tidal creeks that spread out beneath the causeway coming into Stone Harbor are prime spots for birding—there’s a boardwalk trail and an observation pier in the salt marsh—and the nonprofit facility has educational exhibits and special programs (see sidebar, page 490; also To See—Museums).
Stone Harbor Bird Sanctuary (609-368-5102; www.stone-harbor.nj.us), 114th St. and Third Ave., Stone Harbor. Ornithologists and animal lovers flock to this scenic 21-acre wildlife refuge at the southern end of town that is home to hundreds of species of shorebirds (see To Do—Birding). It’s the only municipal heronry in the country, one of only two such facilities in the world (the other is in a small Japanese town on the outskirts of Tokyo), and a federally designated national landmark. Thousands of nesting herons have been recorded here since the sanctuary was established in 1947. From the observatory at 114th St. and Third Ave., you’re likely to catch a glimpse of glossy ibis, green herons, Louisiana herons, cattle egrets, snowy egrets, and many other species.
STATE PARK Corson’s Inlet State Park (609-861-2404), Rt. 619 (Ocean Dr.), Ocean City. Open daily, dawn to dusk. This virtually undeveloped 341-acre state park has no visitors center or campground, just spectacular coastal wetlands and a pristine stretch of beach and sand dunes, one of the few such landscapes remaining along the coast between Atlantic City and Cape May. The Strathmere Natural Area occupies a thin strip of barrier island and protects close to 100 acres of beach and sand dunes, an important nesting site for endangered piping plovers (see To Do—Birding). The park is home to hundreds of wildlife species, and a haven for resident and migrating birds. The public boat launch is used by paddlers, anglers, crabbers, and boaters on Jet Skis, sailboards, and motorboats. Scenic nature trails lead through the sand dunes to the beach, and a popular series of beach walks takes place during the summer (see To Do—Nature Walks).
LodgingIt’s strongly advised to have lodging reservations before visiting this area, especially in the summer. But if you happen to be in Ocean City without a place to stay, stop at the information center on the Ninth Street causeway just before entering town. It’s staffed by the Ocean City Regional Chamber of Commerce (609-399-1412; 800-232-2465; www.oceancityvacation.com) and has an automated phone line that enables you to check for last-minute availability in hotels, motels, apartments, guesthouses, and bed & breakfasts. The Greater Wildwood Hotel and Motel Association (609-522-4546; 800-786-4546; www.wildwoods.org), 1 S. State Hwy. 47, Wildwood 08260, will send, on request, a copy of its visitor’s guide, which includes a listing of accommodations. The Greater Wildwood Chamber of Commerce (609-729-4000; 888-729-0033; www.gwcoc.com), 3306 Pacific Ave., Wildwood (mailing address: P.O. Box 823, Wildwood 08260), publishes an accommodations directory. The options below are only some of the multitude of places to stay, especially in Ocean City and the Wildwoods. Wildwood Reservations (800-729-7778; www.stayinwildwood.com) is a free reservation service for hotels, motels, bed & breakfasts, and guesthouses in the Wildwoods. In Wildwood, Ocean and Atlantic Aves are packed with motels.
Contact local chambers of commerce for information on renting a house, cottage, or condo. Internet sites have information on long-term lodging options, with links to local chambers of commerce and rental agencies. Make your plans as early as possible; the best places get booked quickly. Sometimes discounts are offered on properties if a particular week remains vacant.
Golden Inn Hotel and Resort (609-368-5155; www.goldeninn.com), oceanfront at 78th St. Open year-round. An elegant oceanfront resort with 154 tastefully decorated guest rooms, efficiencies, studios, and one-bedroom suites. Wi-Fi available in the conference center. Guests can relax by the beautifully landscaped outdoor pool or on the beach (beach tags are complimentary). Daily planned activities, airport transportation, and babysitting and laundry services are available. The Dining Room features an upscale seasonally changing menu of seafood and American cuisine; Luigi’s Pasta and Vino serves Italian regional specialties in a casual setting overlooking Avalon’s spectacular sand dunes, and light meals and cocktails are served poolside in-season. A variety of live entertainment is scheduled from spring to fall. Rooms and efficiencies $99–395; studios and suites $325–495.
Bolero Resort and Conference Center (609-522-6929; www.boleroresort.com), 3320 Atlantic Ave., Wildwood 08260. Open year-round.
A resort with motel-style rooms and spacious suites and efficiencies, and a state-of-the-art fitness center in an airy atrium with a pool, whirlpool tubs, and a panoramic view of the ocean. An attractive restaurant serves three meals, while the martini lounge has live music on Fri. and Sat. nights and a light menu served until midnight. Rooms and suites are clean, comfortable, and equipped with standard amenities; luxury suites are upgraded with a Jacuzzi and steam bath. Rooms $77–175; suites $98–188.
Aqua Beach Resort and Beachcrest Condominiums (609-522-6507; 800-247-4776; www.aquabeach.com), 5501 Ocean Ave. Open April–mid-Oct. An oceanfront resort with 132 guest rooms and suites spread across two buildings, on the beach and a block from the boardwalk. Aqua Beach Resort’s rooms are simple and comfortably furnished. The Beachcrest Condominiums feature bright, spacious, fully equipped condos and suites with attractive furnishings, and up to four bedrooms. Largo Suites are new for 2009 and done in a Caribbean theme. The sixth-floor penthouse suites boast upscale décor, four bedrooms and bathrooms, lofty 9-foot ceilings, a spa tub, a large-screen TV, and a fully equipped and stocked kitchen. All guests have access to two outdoor heated pools, a poolside Jacuzzi, gas grills, and a rooftop sundeck. For kids, there’s a game room, planned summertime activities, and a heated baby pool. The beachfront café serves breakfast and lunch. Rooms $48–252; suites $146–770; inquire about rates for the penthouse suites.
El Coronado (609-729-1000; 800-227-5302; www.elcoronado.com), 8501 Atlantic Ave. (at E. Preston Ave.). Open May–mid-Oct. A beachfront resort with large, nicely furnished rooms, a friendly staff, and spectacular views of the Atlantic Ocean. Rooms and efficiencies were all updated in 2008, and have refrigerators, microwaves, TVs, and ocean views from the private balconies; two- and three-bedroom suites also have a full kitchen. Wi-Fi access in the lobby. The brick sundeck has heated pools and a poolside Jacuzzi tub. Other amenities include a gift shop, a beach volleyball area, barbecue grills, free in-room movies, and a casual café with an outdoor patio. During the summer, there is plenty for kids to do, from daily planned activities to a kiddie pool and game room. Rooms $58–225; efficiencies $88–220; suites $98–450.
Flanders Hotel (609-399-1000; 800-866-624-6835; www.theflandershotel.com), 719 E. 11th St. This Spanish mission–style hotel was one of the top luxury spots on the southern shore when it opened in 1923, hosting the likes of Grace Kelly, Jimmy Stewart, and other luminaries. Today the hotel, with its distinctive red-tile roof, is a beloved Ocean City gem on the boardwalk. The lovely antiques-filled lobby is reminiscent of 1930s and ’40s Jersey shore grand hotels. Renovations transformed the rooms into spacious two- to five-room suites with kitchens, dining areas, Wi-Fi, and elegant décor; some have views of the bay or the ocean. There’s an outdoor heated pool and sundeck, and complimentary beach tags. The hotel is named for Belgium’s Flanders Field, where American soldiers were buried in World War I. Ask about Emily, “the Lady in White”—a ghost who is rumored to wander the halls. An image of Emily in a portrait on the second floor is based on descriptions by hotel workers and guests. $149–960.
Beach Club Hotel (609-399-8555; www.ocbeachclub.com), 1280 Boardwalk, P.O. Box 929. Open May–mid-Oct. An oceanfront hotel on the boardwalk, ideal for families and anyone looking for a convenient location. The heated oceanfront pool is surrounded by a sundeck filled with lounge chairs. Rooms are clean and nicely decorated, with amenities like refrigerators, Wi-Fi, cable TV, and private balconies. The Café Beach Club serves breakfast, lunch, and dinner in an oceanfront dining room and outside on the patio. Complimentary morning coffee. $91–346.
Watson’s Regency Suites (609-398-4300; 888-397-4673; www.watsonsregency.com), 901 Ocean Ave. Open year-round. The 79 spacious and tastefully decorated one-bedroom suites have full kitchens, living and dining areas, Wi-Fi, cable TV with VCR, wireless Internet access, and private balconies. An indoor pool and hot tub reside in a bright and airy glass-enclosed atrium. The beach is close by, and beach tags are complimentary. $109–309.
Windrift Hotel (609-368-5175; 800-453-7438; www.windrifthotel.com), 80th St. and the beach. Open mid-March–Nov. A variety of accommodations, from motel-style rooms and efficiencies with kitchenettes to condominiums with kitchens, dining areas, and up to four bedrooms. Outside, there’s a heated pool, a kiddie pool, and a sundeck overlooking the ocean. A casual restaurant serves three meals daily, brunch on Sun., and has a raw bar. There’s nightly live music and DJs all summer, as well as a piano bar and a lounge. Rooms and efficiencies from $94; condominiums from $245; some accommodations available only weekly during high season.
Desert Sand Resort (609-368-5133; reservations: 800-458-6008; www.desertsand.com), 7888 Dune Dr. A 91-room hotel a block from the beach. Accommodations are clean and comfortably furnished, ranging from small motel-style rooms with one bed to spacious three-bedroom suites with fully equipped kitchens, all with Internet access. The Mirage restaurant serves contemporary cuisine at breakfast and dinner. The health club has sun beds and an indoor pool; outside there’s a heated pool, kiddie pool, patio, and sundeck. Bike rentals and complimentary beach tags. Rooms $77–234; efficiencies and suites $118–429.
Concord Suites (609-368-7800; reservations: 800-443-8202; www.concordsuites.com), 7800 Dune Dr. Open May–mid-Oct. The Concord is Avalon’s only all-suite hotel; each unit has a bedroom, living room, kitchenette, and free wireless Internet. Outside, sundecks surround two pools. The hotel’s casual and friendly restaurant serves pizza and pub fare. The beach is one block away; guests receive complimentary beach tags. $89–216.
Pan American Hotel (609-522-6936; www.panamericanhotel.com), 5901 Ocean Ave. Open May–mid-Oct. A family-friendly hotel on the beach offering rooms and one-bedroom efficiencies with private balconies, air-conditioning, and TV. A uniquely designed circular pool and adjacent kiddie pool, and an elevated sundeck overlook the ocean. There’s a full schedule of supervised children’s activities during the summer. Alosi’s Bistro is a casual BYOB eatery that serves three meals daily. Rooms $93–247; efficiencies $124–319.
Bal Harbour Hotel (609-522-3343; www.balharbourhotels.com), 508 E. Stanton Rd. Open Apr.–Oct.
(609-522-7412; www.thestarlux.com), 305 East Rio Grande Ave., Wildwood 08260. Open year-round. This stylish boutique hotel is a neon-and-glass homage to Wildwood’s glory days of doo-wop, complete with plastic palm trees, 1950s décor, and a kidney-shaped pool. The 20 guest rooms, 16 suites, and cottage—some with kitchenettes and private balconies—are individually furnished in bold geometric prints, pastels, and other retro touches. For the ultimate ’50s flashback, stay in one of the authentic silver Airstream trailers, each fully restored with a living area, wet bar, double bed, and sofa bed. The all-glass and convex-shaped lobby and Astro Lounge feature a coffee bar, games, and a fireplace. Exercise room, guest laundry facilities, heated outdoor pool, and whirlpool tub. A block from the beach and boardwalk. $69–325.
WILDWOOD’S STARLUX BOUTIQUE HOTEL IS PART OF THE REVIVAL OF THE RESORT’S RETRO DOO-WOP ARCHITECTURE, COMPLETE WITH COLORFUL NEON, ALL-GLASS LOUNGE, AND PLASTIC PALM TREES.
Photo courtesy of the Mid-Atlantic Center for the Arts
A sprawling family resort that occupies a full block along the beach. A wide range of rooms, suites, and efficiencies—accommodating up to six people—spread across six floors; some with kitchenettes, private balconies, and lovely views of the pool or the ocean. Guests have use of four pools and an expansive sundeck. Restaurant, gift shop, and video arcade. $86–398.
Port Royal Hotel (609-729-2000; www.portroyalhotel.com), 6801 Ocean Ave. Open May–mid-Oct. A beach-front hotel on a beautiful stretch of sand in Wildwood Crest that gets many repeat customers, especially families. Rooms are simple and clean, and have ocean views, refrigerators, air-conditioning, and TV with VCR. Efficiencies and suites are spacious, face the ocean, and boast upgraded amenities like kitchenettes and private balconies. The heated hourglass-shaped pool and snack bar are surrounded by a sundeck with enough lounge chairs to handle a crowd. There is a pool, a game room, and supervised planned activities just for the kids. The Royal Grille Café (609-729-2211) has a 1950s doo-wop theme and serves breakfast, lunch, and dinner. Rooms $102–247; efficiencies and suites $142–325.
Colonnade Inn (609-263-8868; www.thecolonnadeinn.com), 4600 Landis Ave., Sea Isle City 08243. Open year-round. This 19th-century seaside property, formerly a B&B, is now a full-amenity modern hotel with one- to three-bedroom units and efficiencies. The suites boast fireplaces, kitchens, cable TV, Wi-Fi, and Jacuzzi tubs. Guests like to congregate on the wraparound porch, in the garden, and in the Victorian parlor. Continental breakfast. $109–290.
Atlantis Inn Seaside Bed & Breakfast (609-399-9871; www.atlantisinn.com), 601 Atlantic Ave. Open year-round. A luxurious B&B in the former Croft Hall Hotel, a grand Victorian built in 1905 by the Reverend James Lake, one of Ocean City’s founding fathers. Today, under innkeepers Bob and Kristina Doliszny, it’s a high-style B&B a block from the beach and boardwalk. The common areas are bright and elegant; guests can relax in front of the fireplace in the cozy sitting room, in a wicker rocking chair on the veranda, or on the magnificent mahogany roof deck with lovely views of the ocean. Ten guest suites and two villa-style apartments are tastefully decorated with ornately carved 18th- and 19th-century reproduction furnishings and rich imported fabrics. All have a private bath and amenities that might include a working fireplace, whirlpool tub, spa shower, sitting room, or private entrance to the roof deck. The Bordeaux Suite has a whirlpool tub, spa shower, and a king sleigh bed; the Fiorenza Suite has a lovely marble working fireplace; the Biarritz Suite occupies one of the bay-facing tower turrets; and the Barcelona is the only two-room suite. Two beautifully furnished apartments have full kitchens, sitting areas, screened-in porches, and private entrances. They’re available by the week during the summer and on a daily basis in the off-season. A full gourmet breakfast and afternoon tea are served in the dining room or on the veranda. Suites $175–475; apartments $265–575.
Ocean City Mansion Bed & Breakfast (609-399-8383; www.ocmansion.com), 416 Central Ave. Open year-round. Innkeeper Nancy Aiken’s extensively renovated 1896 mansion combines elegant historic touches with modern comforts. The seven guest suites, two apartments, and a three-bedroom condo are individually decorated with lavish touches, which might mean a crystal chandelier in one room, a canopy bed in another. All suites have TVs, Wi-Fi, private baths, Internet access, and air-conditioning; some have upgraded amenities like towel warmers, fireplaces, Jacuzzi tubs, balconies, and private entrances. Two rooms and the apartments are dog-friendly. Complimentary beach tags. Full gourmet breakfast. $251–521.
Plymouth Inn (609-398-8615; www.plymouthinn.com), 710 Atlantic Ave. An authentically restored 1898 Victorian, a block from the boardwalk and beach. Common areas and guest rooms present gracious details, from hand-carved fireplaces to vintage furnishings. Guest rooms and family suites have private bath, air-conditioning, wireless Internet and cable TV, and include complimentary beach tags. A continental breakfast of freshly baked muffins, cobbler, and fruit might also feature belgian waffles, French toast, or blueberry pancakes. $119–159.
Scarborough Inn (609-399-1558; 800-258-1558; www.scarboroughinn.com), 720 Ocean Ave. Open May–Oct. A 19th-century European-style inn tucked behind a charming white picket fence and flower garden. It’s in the center of town and just a short walk from the beach and boardwalk. Innkeepers Gus and Carol Bruno offer 24 guest rooms and suites, all with private bath, air-conditioning, TV, and other amenities. The standard suites have DVD/VCR players; the king suites have plush robes. Some of the rooms can be connected, an arrangement that suits families and couples traveling together. There’s also a one-bedroom apartment that rents by the week. Guests can relax on the wraparound porch, or inside in the living room, the library, or the card room, made cozy with family photos, mementos, and homey furnishings. Complimentary extras include beach tags, afternoon refreshments, and a full gourmet breakfast. $110–255.
Brown’s Nostalgia (609-398-6364; 866-223-0400; www.brownsnostalgia.com), 1001 Wesley Ave. The charming 1900 B&B sits in the center of town, close to the boardwalk and beach, where you can use your complimentary beach tag and bikes. The eight guest rooms and one apartment are quaint and cozy; all have a private bath and air-conditioning; some have a private deck, fireplace, or Jacuzzi tub. The two-bedroom apartment sleeps six and is available by the week. Guests are welcome to the roomy hot tub, table games, and exercise equipment in the game room, and the rockers on the wraparound porch. Full breakfast. Rooms $117–185; apartment $900–1,400 weekly.
Northwood Inn Bed & Breakfast (609-399-6071; www.northwoodinn.com), 401 Wesley Ave. Open year-round. A lovely many-gabled Victorian that has won numerous awards for historic preservation and community beautification. The 1894 Queen Anne–style mansion resides in Ocean City’s historic district, and was one of the first homes to be built in this 19th-century resort town. Innkeepers Marj and John Loeper completed a total restoration in 1990. Their painstaking efforts are evident in the well-preserved details throughout their elegant inn, from the gleaming hardwood floors to the grand sweeping staircase. The five rooms have air-conditioning and TVs with VCRs and wireless Internet access; in addition, the two suites are outfitted with Jacuzzis. Rockers line the circular wraparound porch, and the rooftop whirlpool spa is a lovely spot at sunset and later on under the stars. Inside, guests have full use of the library, video collection, and pool table. The boardwalk and beach are within walking distance (three blocks), but you can also borrow a bike to get there faster. The Loepers provide their guests with beach tags, and will make dinner reservations if you need them. Continental breakfast is served during the week; on weekends, a full breakfast. $130–305.
Candlelight Inn (609-522-6200; 800-992-2632; www.candlelight-inn.com), 2310 Central Ave. Open year-round. Innkeepers Bill and Nancy Moncrief’s beautifully restored red-roofed 1905 Queen Anne Victorian offers seven lovely guest rooms and three suites (two suites are in an adjacent carriage house) filled with period antiques and unique décor. All have private bath, TV, Wi-Fi, and air-conditioning; some suites boast fireplaces and whirlpool tubs for two. The fresh flowers, chocolates, and sherry in each room are nice touches. Guests can laze in a hammock or claim a rocker or swing on the wraparound front porch, or relax in the antiques-filled parlor; the hot tub on the backyard sundeck is another option. Close to beaches, shops, and restaurants. Afternoon refreshments and a full breakfast are included. Rooms $115–185; suites $115–265.
Summer Nites (609-846-1955; 866-762-1950; www.summernites.com), 2110 Atlantic Ave. Open year-round. Rick and Sheila Brown’s cheerful B&B—a few blocks from the beach and boardwalk—sports a nostalgic and fun 1950s atmosphere. Each of the five guest rooms and two suites is decorated with a unique theme—Elvis, Marilyn Monroe, the beach, and movies, television, and music from the early rock ’n’ roll era—and vintage furnishings. All rooms have newly tiled private baths, TV with DVD/VCR, Wi-Fi, and air-conditioning; some also have a Jacuzzi tub. There’s wireless Internet access, a hot tub, a billiards room, and bikes for guests to use. A full breakfast is served in a ’50s diner, complete with vintage jukebox and vinyl booths. $105–275.
The Sea Gypsy Bed & Breakfast (609-522-0690; www.theseagypsy.com), 209 E. Magnolia Ave. Open year-round. A handsomely restored 1900 Queen Anne Victorian, complete with gables, fanciful architecture, and wraparound porch a few blocks from beach and boardwalk. The four individually decorated guest rooms, one suite, and a cottage have private baths and well-chosen antiques; some have original artwork and handmade quilts. The charming two-bedroom cottage is ideal for families and others wishing for privacy. Guests can help themselves to the candy, cookies, popcorn, and other treats in the old-fashioned candy cupboard. A full breakfast with homemade baked goods is served in the dining room or on the veranda. $100–185; cottage $1,000 weekly.
Sea Lark Bed & Breakfast (609-967-5647; www.sealark.com), 3018 First Ave., Avalon 08202. Open year-round. Innkeepers Patricia Ellis and John Oldham run this B&B. A block from the beach and boardwalk, it feels like a family beach house. The lovely Victorian was built in 1891 and was a guesthouse in the 1940s. Light and airy rooms are furnished with antiques and family heirlooms; hardwood floors are covered in Oriental rugs. Guests have full use of the living room with TV and video library, and the screened-in wraparound veranda. Six guest rooms—four with private bath—and two lofts are cozy and simply furnished. Some of the guest rooms have separate sitting areas and ocean views. The two lofts have kitchenettes and share a private deck; the third-floor Artist’s Loft is decorated with the work of local artists; and the Lighthouse Loft faces the ocean and has a separate bedroom. A full breakfast buffet with homemade hot entrées is served on the veranda in summer, and by the parlor fireplace in cooler weather. $50–260.
Risley House Bed & Breakfast (609-368-1133; www.risleyhouse.net), 8421 First Ave., Stone Harbor 08247. Open mid-May–late Sept. Reese Risley, who founded Stone Harbor along with his two brothers, built this historic Victorian in the early 1900s. Today it’s a cozy bed & breakfast offering 11 guest rooms. Afternoon refreshments and continental breakfast featuring home-baked goods are included. $85–245.
The Lark Motel (609-368-2500; www.larkmotel.com), 9800 Second Ave. Open Apr.–Oct. A family-owned and family-operated motel close to beaches and Stone Harbor’s shop-filled downtown. Two-room units and efficiencies have private bath, air-conditioning, cable TV, Internet access, microwaves, and refrigerators. The heated pool is surrounded by a sundeck with a gas grill. Complimentary beach tags. $45–170.
Eden Roc Motel (609-770-1484; 888-373-1930; www.edenrocmotel.com), 5201 Atlantic Ave. Open Apr.–Sept. This renovated vintage motel built in 1958 is a family-friendly establishment across from the boardwalk, amusement piers, and water parks. Standard rooms and efficiency units are clean and simply furnished; all have air-conditioning, cable TV, refrigerators, and microwaves. There’s a heated pool, a gas grill, and shuffleboard. $65–114.
Coliseum Ocean Resort Motel (609-729-4444; 866-752-3224; www.coliseumoceanresort.com), 416 East Miami Ave. Open May–Sept. A new beachfront family resort with cozy and nicely furnished efficiency rooms and suites. Amenities include an oceanfront pool and sundeck, a patio with barbecue grills, and outdoor showers and changing rooms. $59–179; three-night minimum stays on holidays.
Lotus Inn (609-522-6300; reservations: 800-822-6306; www.lotusinn.com), 6900 Ocean Ave. Open May–mid-Oct. A family-style motel next to the beach, boardwalk, and bike path. Accommodations range from simple motel-style rooms to two-level town houses with three bedrooms and private oceanfront balconies; all have a refrigerator, microwave, free in-room movies, and a complimentary daily newspaper. Outside there’s a heated pool, kiddie pool, oceanfront sun-deck, and patio, where there are complimentary hot dog barbecue parties during the summer. Free Wi-Fi in the activities room and pool area. Discounted passes to Wildwood’s amusement piers and water parks are available. Rates include continental breakfast. Rooms $59–175; efficiencies $64–232; town houses $110–455.
Bel-Air Motel (609-522-4235; reservations: 800-528-7991; www.belairmotel.net), 5510 Ocean Ave. Open May–mid-Oct. A family-owned and family-operated motel whose thatched-roofed gazebos, palm trees, and wooden shutters give the surroundings a tropical feel. Outside is a heated pool with poolside picnic tables and grills. All first-floor rooms are poolside, and each second-floor room has a view of the pool from above. Rooms, suites, and efficiencies all have a refrigerator, cable TV, air-conditioning, and a microwave; some rooms boast a view of the ocean. Within walking distance to amusement piers, restaurants, and shops—the boardwalk and beach are a short block away. $59–190.
CAMPGROUNDS The campgrounds closest to the shoreline resort towns are a few miles inland; many are along Rt. 9. All the facilities listed below provide sewer, water, and electric hookups as well as the usual campground amenities. Look under Lodging—Campgrounds in “The Cape May Peninsula” in this region, and in “The Pinelands Region” in “Central New Jersey,” for other nearby camping options.
Whippoorwill Campground (609-390-3458; 800-424-8275; www.campwhippoorwill.com), 810 S. Shore Rd. (Rt. 9). Open Apr.–Oct. Whippoorwill offers 288 wooded sites for tents and RVs on 28 acres, three miles from the Ocean City beaches. Rental cabins with screened porches, TV, microwave, refrigerator are available, limited Wi-Fi access, plus fully equipped trailers. An Olympic-sized pool, a kiddie pool, a playground and volleyball and tennis courts. Activities and games for kids, tennis tournaments, bingo, festivals, and other activities. Sites $52; cabins $92; trailers $145.
Avalon Campground (609-624-0075; reservations 800-814-2267; www.avaloncampground.com), 1917 Rt. 9 N. Open mid-Apr.–Sept. Avalon has 360 sites on 85 wooded acres. One- and two-bedroom log cabin and three-bedroom trailer rentals; planned activities as well as special weekend events. Two outdoor pools, mini golf, a playground, volleyball, game courts, Wi-Fi access, and a game room. Sites $36–54; cabins $55–90; trailers $1,025 weekly.
Hidden Acres Campground (609-624-9015; 800-874-7576), 1142 Rt. 83. Open mid-Apr.–mid-Oct. A family campground with 200 sites on 50 acres. The spring-fed freshwater swimming lake has a pleasant sandy beach. Mini golf, playgrounds, shuffleboards, and a game room. Sites $31–35; cabins $50–65.
Frontier Campground (609-390-3649; reservations: 800-277-4109; www.frontiercampground.com), 84 Tyler Rd. (Rt. 50). Open mid-Apr.–early Oct. Tent and RV sites in a quiet, wooded setting about 10 minutes from the Ocean City and Sea Isle City beaches. For a unique experience, stay in one of their secluded tree houses. Game room, camp store, playground, fishing and crabbing. Pets not permitted. Sites $35–45; tree houses $100.
Ocean View Resort Campground (609-624-1675; www.ovresort.com), 2555 Rt. 9. (mailing address: P.O. Box 607). Open mid-Apr.–late Sept. This is billed as the state’s largest campground, and with 1,173 sites on more than 180 wooded acres, it’s so big that it features a tram car to shuttle people around. A freshwater spring-fed lake boasts a white-sand beach and paddleboats for rent; another pond is stocked for fishing. There’s an Olympic-sized pool, a kiddie pool, game courts, mini golf, two arcades, and four playgrounds. Limited Wi-Fi access. A full schedule of family activities includes crafts shows, teen dances, and games for kids. Five minutes from the beach in Sea Isle City. An 18-hole golf course is next door (see To Do—Golf). Sites $39–77; cabins $69–125.
Where to EatDINING OUT As a rule, the dining scene along this part of the southern shore isn’t fancy. This is the land of the seafood house, the beach bar, and casual family-friendly joints whose patrons are looking for a no-frills satisfying meal after a day at the beach. Remember that Ocean City is a dry town, which means not only do restaurants not serve alcohol, but they also don’t allow you to bring your own.
The Culinary Garden (609-399-3713), 841 Central Ave. Open daily for breakfast, lunch, and dinner. The exterior of this eatery, painted a bold purple and blue, is a hint at the creative goings-on in the kitchen. It may be a little pricier than the usual Ocean City eatery, but it’s among the few places in town to offer the kind of fine dining you usually have to go to Cape May for. It’s a perennial favorite with friendly service and an inviting atmosphere; some regulars are known to eat here several times a week. People flock here in the morning for the gourmet breakfasts and the inventive seafood, chicken, and pasta dishes later on. $14–26.
Tuckahoe Inn (609-390-3322; www.tuckahoeinn.com), One Harbor Rd. (Rt. 9). Open daily for lunch and dinner in summer; Wed.–Sun., Jan.–Mar. This bayside tavern on Beesley’s Point is a casual family-friendly eatery offering lovely views of the bay, a convivial bar, and well-prepared American standards with an emphasis on seafood (crabcakes are the house specialty). Diners love the outside tables for light meals and live music, in-season. $19–27.
Deauville Inn (609-263-2080; www.deauvilleinn.com), 201 Willard Rd. Open daily May–Sept. for lunch, dinner, and late-night snacks. Closed Tues.–Wed., Oct.–Apr. Reservations are recommended. This restored shoreline inn is a local landmark at the foot of the Corson’s Inlet Bridge, between Ocean City and Sea Isle City. The building’s colorful history includes stints as a Prohibition-era speakeasy, a gambling casino, and a rum-running station; it even hosted former president Teddy Roosevelt when it was a hotel. Today locals and tourists come for the fresh seafood and lovely views of the back bays and Corson’s Inlet, especially at sunset. Slips are available for diners who arrive by boat. An extensive menu of shore seafood standards is served in a casual and friendly setting, but there’s also a list of pastas, steaks, and poultry. You can eat in the dining room, in the casual sports bar, or on the long outdoor deck. Live entertainment in the evening. $11–40.
Busch’s Sea Food (609-263-8626; www.buschsseafood.com), 8700 Anna Phillips Lane. Open May–Oct.; dinner Tues.–Sun.; closed Mon. A classic shore seafood restaurant that has resided at the southern tip of Sea Isle City since 1882, serving generous portions of classic down-home shore fare with an emphasis on local seafood. Five generations have run the kitchen. Just about everything is homemade, from the salad dressing to the soup. Don’t miss their signature homemade onion rings, deviled crabs, crabcakes, and she-crab soup, of which more than 40 gallons a day are sold on Tuesday and Sunday only. The list of entrées is long and consists primarily of fish and shellfish. The sprawling restaurant seats more than 400 in a series of dining rooms; order takeout or come early for a quieter and quicker meal. $20–40.
Braca Café (609-263-4271; www.bracacafe.com), 18 41st St. (at Kennedy Blvd.). Open daily for lunch and dinner. The Braca family has been a prominent fixture in town since Lou and Madelena Braca opened a barbershop here in 1901. Since then, the family has run a café, a grocery store, and many other pursuits. Their friendly café is a beloved local landmark known for its generous portions of authentic Italian cuisine. The long list of pastas is complemented by dishes like veal parmigiana and broiled flounder. $17–30.
Basilico’s Ristorante (609-263-1010), 27 43rd St. Open daily for lunch Mon.–Thurs.; lunch and dinner Fri.–Sun. A charming and casual Italian eatery that is very popular with vacationing families, who come for the delicious pizza and authentic Italian dishes after a day at the beach. Pasta, seafood, chicken, and steak dishes are well prepared and nicely presented. $16–25.
The Sea Grill (609-967-5511; www.seagrillrestaurant.com), 225 21st St. Open daily year-round for lunch and dinner. One of Avalon’s top restaurants in a turn-of-the-20th-century building (formerly a garage) that has been beautifully converted into an open-air dining room. From a window at the kitchen, customers order their meals directly from the chef. A loyal following of regulars come for the friendly atmosphere and extensive menu of seafood, steaks (ordered by the ounce), grilled meats, and chops, not to mention the tempting list of homemade cakes and pies for dessert. Award-winning wine list. $19–50.
Kuishimbo (609-967-7007), 330 96th St. In summer, open for dinner Wed.–Mon.; closed Tues. In spring and fall, open for dinner Sat.–Sun. Reservations are recommended. Traditional Japanese cuisine served in a peaceful, relaxed setting that’s frequented by couples, families, and tourists. The sushi and sashimi are fresh and expertly prepared, but most patrons come for authentic Japanese dishes like tempura, grilled fish, and shellfish. Credit cards are not accepted. $14–30.
Claude’s Restaurant (609-522-0400; www.claudesrestaurant.com), in Anglesea Village, 100 Olde New Jersey Ave. Open daily for dinner in summer; closed Tues.–Wed. in the off-season. Reservations are recommended. Classic French restaurants are a dime a dozen in northern New Jersey—not so on the southern shore. Claude’s is an intimate bistro in a quaint yellow-clapboard building, where you can dine on bouillabaisse, coq au vin, and other French specialties. You’ll forget you’re in the Wildwoods. $23–35.
Beach Creek Oyster Bar and Grille (609-522-1062; www.beachcreek.net), 500 West Hand Ave. Open daily for dinner. Fine dining in lovely surroundings of stained-glass windows and gleaming hardwood floors. The menu changes regularly, but often includes signature dishes like strawberry barbecue salmon and grilled trout. Oysters make frequent appearances throughout the menu and at the raw bar, especially in appetizers like the classic oysters Rockefeller, or baked with andouille sausage and Brie. There’s also a martini bar with an extensive wine list and live jazz on Fridays. $19–40.
Café jonpaul (609-729-4600; www.cafejonpaul.com), 2501 New Jersey Ave. Open daily in spring through early autumn for lunch and dinner. A 43-seat café where the emphasis is on healthy, meal-sized salads, soups, paninis, wraps and sandwiches, as well as sushi. Or, if you like, a PB&J from the kids’ menu. $6–12.
Two Mile Landing (609-522-1341; www.twomilelanding.com), Ocean Dr., at the Cape May drawbridge. Open daily for lunch and dinner. Classic shore dishes served in a lovely waterfront setting next to Two Mile Marina. Starters are a traditional lineup of clams casino, steamed mussels, oysters Rockefeller, and fried calamari. Entrées include regional specialties, for example, a variety of seafood combinations and the Seafood Feast, a huge bouillabaisse. There’s a short menu of steaks, chicken, and veal for landlubbers. The Tiki Bar offers a raw bar menu; the upstairs lounge is an ideal spot for watching sunsets over the back bays. $17–24.
Marie Nicole’s (609-522-5425), 9510 Pacific Ave. Open daily in summer for lunch and dinner. In the off-season, dinner is served Wed.–Sun. Reservations are recommended. This intimate and romantic spot offers the caliber of elegant gourmet dining for which patrons usually must travel to Cape May. The inventive menu of fresh seafood and top-notch meats with Asian and Caribbean influences is enthusiastically hailed by restaurant critics and gourmands, including starters like duck spring rolls with Asian plum dipping sauce and organic greens, or quesadilla with freshly roasted lobster, spinach, caramelized onions, and mango guacamole. Move on to the lemongrass encrusted Ahi tuna or Chilean sea bass. Desserts are well worth saving room for. A menu of light meals, desserts, and coffee is available until midnight. Outdoor patio dining in-season. Extensive wine list. $21–35.
Brown’s (609-391-0677), St. Charles Pl. and the Boardwalk. Open daily in-season for breakfast and lunch. Everyone comes to Brown’s for the homemade donuts, which are rated by locals and various New Jersey readers’ polls among the best on the shore.
Watch as donuts roll hot off the press, then try to resist ordering a dozen. Harmon and Marjorie Brown also run a charming bed & breakfast in the center of town (see Lodging—Bed & Breakfasts).
The Chatterbox (609-399-0113), 500 Ninth St. (at Central Ave.). Open daily year-round for breakfast, lunch, and dinner. A local gathering spot since 1937 that vacationers love, too, especially if they have children in tow. The atmosphere is family-style and casual; the extensive menu of steaks, seafood, pasta, soups, sandwiches, and burgers has something to please everyone; and the prices will please those who are feeding a brood. During the summer, The Chatterbox stays open ’round the clock and offers a late-night menu of light meals. Some people come just for the old-fashioned ice cream sundaes and thick, frosty milkshakes. Portions are large and reasonably priced. $5–15.
Dock Mike’s Pancake House (609-263-3625; www.dockmikes.com), 4615 Landis Ave. Also in Cape May at 1231 Rt. 109. Open daily for breakfast and lunch. Mike’s menu says “We have over 30 years experience in making pancakes and still love it!” It’s a locals’ favorite and great for kids. Pancakes, of course, and most other breakfast favorites, and burgers, etc., for lunch. $5–10. Cash Only.
Mike’s Seafood Restaurant and Takeout (609-263-3458), 43rd St. and Park Rd. Open May–Oct., daily 10–10. Mike Monichetti’s friendly and casual spot on the docks is very popular with locals. Pick from the delicious and fresh seafood on the menu or the blackboards (if it’s not on the menu, just ask—they might be able to make it), order it yourself right from the kitchen, then bring it outside to a picnic table on the deck and watch the sunset over the bay. The raw bar has won local dining awards. BYOB. $9–25.
Vince’s Restaurant (609-263-4567; www.vincesrestaurant.net), 25 JFK Blvd. Open daily for breakfast, lunch, and dinner. Dependable breakfast fare in the morning, with a few nice surprises thrown in—like an excellent omelet stuffed with asparagus and crabmeat—pasta, steak, and seafood later on. $19–41.
Cool Scoops Ice Cream Parlor (609-729-2665; www.coolscoops.com), 1111 New Jersey Ave. Open mid-June–Labor Day, daily 2 PM–midnight; Sept.–mid-June, Fri.–Sun. 7–10 PM. A fun-filled chrome-and-neon 1950s-style diner serving up nostalgia along with old-fashioned sundaes, creamy malts, and soft-serve and hand-dipped cones. Grab a ’57 Ford Fairlane or ’59 Caddy car booth, watch oldies on the vintage television, put a quarter in the jukebox, and play a game of pinball. There’s also a light café menu of curly fries, pizza, hot dogs, burgers, and appetizers. $5–10.
Key West Café (609-522-3433), 4701 Pacific Ave. Open daily for lunch and dinner. A casual and friendly café serving tropical specialties with an emphasis on fresh seafood. Among the standouts: homemade crawfish bisque, conch fritters and entrées like Greek-style shrimp scampi with feta cheese and kalamata olives, and a hearty fisherman’s stew. House-made island desserts prepared daily. BYOB. $11–16.
Tucker’s Pub (609-846-1110; www.tuckers-pub.com), 3301 Atlantic Ave. Serving lunch, dinner, and a late-night menu year-round. A lively Irish pub housed in a restored 1913 bank building. Homemade specialties include fish-and-chips, crabcakes with roasted red pepper cream, and hearty sandwiches. There’s a raw bar during the summer, and dining on the enclosed outdoor deck year-round. The bar features a dozen beers on tap and big-screen TVs for watching the game. $7–15.
Urie’s Waterfront Restaurant (609-522-4189), 588 West Rio Grande Ave., at the foot of the Rio Grande Bridge. Open daily for lunch and dinner. This bustling seafood house has been serving steamed mussels, broiled crabcakes, fried scallops, and other seafood for more than 50 years. Other entrées include chicken, steak, and veal. The waterfront deck is a convivial spot for dinner or drinks. Kids love the video arcade and Treasure Cove gift shop, which sells an interesting selection of knickknacks, clothing, and nautically themed crafts. $13–30.
Groff’s Restaurant (609-522-5474; www.groffsrestaurant.com), Magnolia Ave. and the Boardwalk. Open daily for dinner June–late Sept. Groff’s is a Wildwood landmark, serving reasonably priced homey comfort food to vacationing families since 1925. They don’t accept reservations, so be prepared to wait in line along with many others. Pies—including coconut cream, lemon meringue, and blueberry—are among the signature homemade desserts. BYOB. $14–32.
Sylvester’s Fish Market and Restaurant (609-967-7553; www.sylvesters-avalon.com), 21st St. and Fifth Ave. Open May–Oct.; lunch Fri.–Sun. until July 1, daily after that; and dinner daily. Sylvester’s has been a local institution for more than 30 years, the kind of laid-back place people stumble upon while on vacation and end up eating at every night. Regulars rave about the crabcakes, she-crab soup, clams, and the extensive selection of well-prepared seafood dinners. You can eat inside or on the covered patio, or take some fresh or prepared seafood home. BYOB. $11–27.
Green Cuisine (609-368-1616), 302 96th St. Open May–Sept., daily for breakfast, lunch, and dinner. A vegetarian eatery with an emphasis on fresh, natural ingredients. A healthy menu of gourmet sandwiches and creative soups and salads. $6–13.
Uncle Bill’s Pancake House (609-368-8129), 304 96th St. Open daily for breakfast and lunch spring–late Nov. An institution along the southern shore—there’s an Uncle Bill’s in just about every town from Ocean City to Cape May. Although they serve a decent lunch, each is known for its belgian waffles, French toast, bacon and eggs, and, of course, light and fluffy pancakes in every variation imaginable. $5–10.
BOARDWALK FOOD Mack and Manco Pizza (609-399-2548; www.mackandmancos.com), three locations along the Ocean City boardwalk: 758 Boardwalk (seasonal), 920 Boardwalk (year-round), and Boardwalk at 12th St. (seasonal). A boardwalk institution since 1956. The Ocean City locations—as well as others in Wildwood and Atlantic City—are all run by family members. Their trademark thin and crispy crust comes with sauce and mozzarella, or a variety of other toppings, from traditional pepperoni and mushrooms to fresh Jersey tomatoes. Legions of loyal fans come to watch pizza makers stretch dough the old-fashioned way—twirling and spinning it in the air until it’s impossibly uniform and thin.
TLC’s Polish Water Ice (609-399-2662), 1068 Boardwalk and three other Boardwalk locations, Ocean City. Tourists line up on the boardwalk for this tasty treat, a creamy version of traditional Italian ice that comes in a rainbow of flavors, from mango and lemon to cherry and watermelon. Try some of their specialties, like the Polish Ice Cap (mixed with soda) or the Polish Freeze (mixed with soft-serve ice cream).
Shriver’s (609-399-0100; 877-668-2339; www.shrivers.com), Ninth St. and Boardwalk, Ocean City. This candy store is the oldest continuously operating business on the Ocean City boardwalk, and a crowd favorite since 1898. They sell old-fashioned confections like fudge, saltwater taffy, and mint rolls, all made fresh on the premises every day.
Johnson’s Popcorn (609-398-5404; 800-842-2676; www.johnsonspopcorn.com), three locations along the boardwalk, Ocean City. Johnson’s has been selling “world-famous” caramel corn since 1940. It’s still made the old-fashioned way—hot kernels of corn are tossed with sweet melted caramel in a huge copper kettle. Buy it by the cup, bag, or in one of their trademark plastic tubs or collector’s tins.
James’ Candy Company (609-368-0505; www.jamescandy.com), 255 96th St., Stone Harbor and on the Wildwood boardwalk at Oak Ave. This is where it all began: Enoch James, the famous 19th-century Atlantic City confectioner, developed a recipe for saltwater taffy, and a boardwalk phenomenon was born. In addition to the signature taffy, crowd favorites include macaroons, chocolate-covered taffy pops, butter toffee, creamy fudge, and cream mints. Boardwalk strollers can still be seen munching on James’ chewy taffy, just as they did in the 1880s. Today taffy comes in more than a dozen flavors—some are sugar-free, others have marzipan, fudge, or nut centers.
Curley’s Fries (609-729-3131), Morey’s Piers, boardwalk at 25th St., North Wildwood. Open daily in-season. A fixture on Morey’s Piers since 1978. Curley’s sells all the boardwalk standards, but a bucket of crispy fresh-cut fries and a fresh-squeezed lemonade top them all.
Maui’s Dog House (609-846-0444; www.mauisdoghouse.com), 2116–2118 Boardwalk, North Wildwood. Open daily from 11 AM. An old-fashioned mustard-colored hot dog joint known for its 25 varieties of creative toppings, many of which are not for the faint of heart. Finish off one or two with fresh-cut cheese fries and an old-fashioned vanilla crème. $4–9.
Douglass Fudge (609-522-3875; www.douglasscandies.com), 3300 Boardwalk at Wildwood Ave., Wild-wood. Open mid-May–mid-Oct. Of course you can get all varieties of creamy homemade fudge, but don’t overlook the chocolate-covered saltwater taffy, cream mint sticks, butter toffee, chocolate-covered strawberries, and molasses paddles. In business on the boardwalk for more than 85 years.
The Original Fudge Kitchen (609-522-4396; 800-233-8343), Boardwalk at Roberts Ave., Wildwood, and also in Ocean City, Stone Harbor, and Cape May. Watch as fudge, saltwater taffy, chocolates, and other confections are made before your eyes. There are 18 flavors of hand-whipped fudge, and old-time candy like marzipan and molasses paddles.
Kohr Brothers Frozen Custard (609-522-1029; www.kohrbros.com), 2518 Boardwalk in North Wildwood, 3500 Boardwalk in Wildwood, and on the boardwalk in Ocean City and in Cape May. Their frozen custard is a light and silky concoction of cream, eggs, milk, and sugar that’s based on the recipe Archie Kohr developed in 1919. Kohr started delivering his homemade ice cream to his milk customers via horse-drawn wagon. Its rousing success inspired the Kohr brothers to open an ice cream shop on the Coney Island boardwalk. Today more than a dozen shops throughout New Jersey sell Archie’s custard, along with smoothies, malts, shakes, and sundaes.
EntertainmentARTS CENTER Ocean City Arts Center (609-399-7628; www.oceancityartscenter.org), in the Ocean City Cultural Arts Center, 1735 Simpson Ave. (between 17th and 18th Sts.), Ocean City. Free admission. A nonprofit arts organization hosts a busy year-round schedule of concerts, art exhibits, lectures, workshops, and fine-arts classes, including pottery, sculpture, dance, and music. The work of local and regional artists is exhibited monthly (see Selective Shopping—Art Galleries). The arts center mounts juried art and photography shows, and an annual art show on the boardwalk.
CONVENTION CENTER Wildwoods Convention Center (609-729-9000; www.wildwoodsnj.com/cc), 4500 Boardwalk, Wildwood. Wildwood’s convention center hosts a year-round schedule of concerts, crafts shows, sports competitions, and other special events in a 7,000-seat arena.
MUSIC In July and August, summertime concert series—most of them outdoors and free—are as much a shore tradition in New Jersey as boardwalks and amusement rides.
The Ocean City Pops Orchestra (609-398-9585; www.oceancitypops.org) presents a diverse music series at Ocean City’s historic boardwalk Music Pier (609-525-9291). In Sea Isle City, Concerts Under the Stars (609-263-8687) are held on Mon. and Wed. nights on the promenade, beginning at 7:30. In Avalon (609-967-3936), noontime concerts take place on the 30th St. beach. At the Lou Boothe Amphitheater (800-882-7787) in North Wildwood, live concerts and musical revues—from doo-wop and swing to big band and vaudeville—are held on Thurs. and Sat. at 8 PM. Summertime means music and dancing on the Wildwood Crest Pier (609-522-5176), 5800 Ocean Ave., on Mon. at 7:30 PM; on Wed., Wildwood Crest’s gazebo at Miami Ave. and Sunset Lake features jazz, reggae, country-and-western, and other music starting at 7 PM.
Selective ShoppingART GALLERIES The Gallery at the Ocean City Arts Center (609-399-7628; www.oceancityartscenter.org), 1735 Simpson Ave. (between 17th and 18th Sts.), Ocean City. A variety of individual and group exhibitions showcase the work of local and regional artists. The Boardwalk Art Show and Fine Craft Show (both in August), a juried art show in the fall, and a springtime juried photography show are among the gallery’s many annual events. Lectures and “meet the artist” receptions are open to the public (see Entertainment—Arts Center).
Ocean Galleries (609-368-7777; www.oceangalleries.com), 9618 Third Ave., Stone Harbor; another location in Avalon (609-967-4462), 297 22nd St. Changing exhibits of works by local and national contemporary artists, including fine-art paintings, prints, nautically themed crafts, and furniture.
OCEAN CITY’S HISTORIC MUSIC PIER, A LANDMARK VENUE ON THE BOARDWALK THAT REACHES OUT OVER THE ATLANTIC OCEAN, FEATURES PERFORMANCES BY THE OCEAN CITY POPS ORCHESTRA AND A VARIETY OF SPECIAL EVENTS THROUGHOUT THE YEAR.
Photo by Donald B. Kravitzs/DBKphoto
Like many communities along the Jersey Shore, Wildwood slid into a decline during the 1970s and ’80s, when tourists vacationed elsewhere, and storefronts and motels were vacant and dilapidated. The once-vibrant boardwalk resort had become faded and seedy, and needed to reinvent itself. By the mid-1990s a local preservation league adopted the term doowop, a nod to the popular 1950s-era a cappella music, to describe Wild-wood’s flamboyant pastel-and-neon architecture, similar to that in Southern California, where it’s called populux, or coffee-shop modern; and in Miami, where it’s termed MiMo. Redevelopment efforts were under way to preserve the vintage architecture popular here during the resort’s giddy heyday as a seaside hot spot—the post–World War II 1950s and ’60s—when it boomed with upward of 200 motels. Wildwood boasts the largest collection of exuberantly kitschy doo-wop architecture (also known as midcentury architecture) in the country. It’s an architectural treasure trove of boomerang rooflines, sleek chrome and glass, kidney-shaped swimming pools, plastic palm trees, and other campy touches. These mementos of a bygone era line both sides of Ocean Avenue for a dozen or so blocks, taking visitors back in time to America’s golden era, when middle-class families had money to burn on the pursuit of leisure and took their automobiles on vacation. Bill Haley and his band the Comets performed their hit “Rock Around the Clock” for the first time live in Wildwood. Liberace and Sam Cooke were among the stars that played Little Las Vegas, as Wildwood was known. Narrated trolley tours feature Wildwood’s doo-wop motels and buildings (see Guidance), and a museum has opened that’s dedicated to the resort’s pop-culture history of the ’50s, from its signature architecture and retro heritage to its rock ’n’ roll legacy. The Doo Wop Preservation League (609-729-9000; www.doowopusa.org) publishes a self-guided walking-tour map; it’s best to take the tour at night, when the neon is dramatically aglow.
SPECIAL SHOPS In Ocean City, the Shops at Asbury Avenue (609-398-4662) is an interesting collection of 100 shops, restaurants, and galleries that stretches along Asbury Ave. between Sixth and 11th Sts. On the boardwalk at 11th St. is The Flanders, a retail area with specialty shops. In downtown Stone Harbor, there are more than 100 specialty shops—from women’s clothing boutiques to surf shops—mostly on Third Ave. and 96th and Feeder Sts.
FARMER’S MARKET OCEAN City Farmer’s and Crafters Market (609-399-1412) on the grounds of the Ocean City Tabernacle, Sixth St. and Asbury Ave., Ocean City. A seasonal outdoor market is held in July and Aug. every Wed. from 8 AM–1 PM. Locals and tourists come for the fresh fruits, vegetables, and herbs, fresh-cut flowers, and handmade crafts.
Special EventsThe resort towns along the southern shore—particularly Ocean City, Sea Isle City, and Wildwood—make sure that visitors and vacationers have plenty to do all summer long. In addition to the events listed below, there is a full schedule of family-friendly activities and events that take place along the boardwalks, from classic-car shows and fishing tournaments to professional wrestling, talent shows, family-fun nights, and free music concerts (see Entertainment—Music). In Wildwood, crafts shows are held on the boardwalk and at Hereford Inlet Lighthouse in July and August. Friday-night fireworks on the beach light up the sky in Wildwood all summer. Contact local tourism bureaus for their complete events listings.
New Year’s Day: First Day at the Beach (609-525-9300), Ocean City. Ocean City kicks off the new year with an icy plunge into the ocean at the Music Pier.
THE ANNUAL INTERNATIONAL KITE FESTIVAL ON THE WILDWOOD BEACH IN MAY IS AMERICA’S LARGEST KITE FESTIVAL, WITH WORLD RENOWNED KITE BUILDERS AND COMPETITORS, AND THE EAST COAST STUNT KITE CHAMPIONSHIPS.
Photo courtesy of Greater Wildwood Tourism
February: Polar Bear Plunge (609-263-8687), at the 41st St. beach, Sea Isle City.
March: Ocean Drive Marathon (609-523-0880; www.odmarathon.org), Sea Isle Promenade, Sea Isle City. The 26-mile race follows the scenic Ocean Dr. coastal route between Cape May and Sea Isle City and includes the entire Wildwoods boardwalk. St. Patrick’s Day Celebration and Parade (609-729-4000), North Wild-wood. The parade route follows Atlantic Ave., from Ninth to Second Aves.
April: Doo Dah Parade (609-525-9300), Ocean City. When basset hounds get together for a parade, it’s called a waddle, and this procession features hundreds of the comically droopy hounds.
May: Boardwalk Spring Family Fun Fest (609-525-9300), Ocean City. Features 350 crafters, food vendors, and entertainers. Wildwoods International Kite Festival (609-729-4000), on the beach, Wildwood. The Memorial Day weekend festival includes the East Coast Stunt Kite Championships (the world’s largest sport-kite competition and America’s largest kite festival), the World Indoor Kite Competition at the Wildwoods Convention Center, and an illuminated nighttime kite fly. Kite makers and flyers come from around the world for the weekend. Spring Thunder in the Sand Motocross Race (609-523-8051), on the beach, Wildwood.
June: Miss New Jersey Pageant (609-525-9294), on the boardwalk at Music Pier, Ocean City. Beauties compete for scholarships and the Miss New Jersey crown. Festivities include a boardwalk parade of pageant contestants, high school bands, dancers, and local youth groups. Ocean City Flower Show (609-525-9300), Ocean City. Skimmer Festival Weekend (609-263-8687), on the Promenade, Sea Isle City. Food court, live entertainment, dance contest, antique-auto show, and free trolley tours. Mummer’s Brigade Weekend (609-729-4000), North Wildwood. National Marbles Tournament (301-724-1297; 609-729-4000), Ringer Stadium, Wild-wood. The official national marbles competition for children ages 8–14; a Wildwood tradition for more than 80 years.
July: New Jersey Shuffleboard Championships (609-525-9300); different disciplines staged on various dates through the summer in Ocean City. Freckle Contest (609-525-9300), on the boardwalk, Ocean City. Night in Venice (609-525-9300), Ocean City. The city’s annual boat parade—one of the largest in the world—attracts 100,000 spectators to Great Egg Harbor Bay. Sand Sculpting Contest (609-525-9300), Sixth St. beach, Ocean City. Sara the Turtle Festival (609-263-8687), on the Promenade at JFK Blvd., Sea Isle City. Independence Day Fireworks and Parade (609-522-2955), parade along Surf Ave. in North Wildwood, fireworks display on the boardwalk in Wildwood. Anglesea Blues Festival (609-523-6565), Old New Jersey Ave., North Wildwood. Blues fans come to hear live music and eat authentic barbecue. Christmas in July Boat Parade (609-729-5501), Wildwood.
August: Baby parades in Ocean City (609-525-9300), Avalon (609-463-6415), Wildwood (609-729-4000) and Sea Isle City (609-263-8687). The Ocean City parade—nearly a century old—is one of the first in the world. Miss Crustacean Hermit Crab Beauty Pageant (609-525-9300), Sixth St. beach, Ocean City. A beauty contest for crustaceans. Weird Week (609-525-9300), Ocean City. A variety of wacky family events. Greater Wildwood Yacht Club Regatta (609-522-0969), Sunset Lake, Wildwood Crest. A boat race more than 70 years old. Stone Harbor Arts and Crafts Show (609-368-4112), 80th St. and First Ave., Stone Harbor. A popular show with more than 350 artists, craftspeople, and vendors. Wildwoods Classic Cup (609-729-4000), Wildwood. Ocean sailing competition. Greater Wildwood Yacht Club Regatta (609-729-4000), Wild-wood. Boardwalk Craft Show (609-729-4000), on the boardwalk, Wildwood.
FIREWORKS ABOVE THE ATLANTIC OCEAN ARE PART OF WILDWOOD’S ANNUAL WEEK-LONG 4TH OF JULY CELEBRATION.
Photo courtesy of Greater Wildwood Tourism
September: Wings ’n Water Festival (609-368-1211; www.wetlandsinstitute.org), Wetlands Institute, Stone Harbor. Ocean City Airport Festival & Boardwalk Aerobatic Airshow (609-525-9300) at the Municipal Airport and over the boardwalk, Ocean City. Street Rod Weekend (609-525-9300), Sports and Civic Center, Sixth St., Ocean City. Fall Family Festival Weekend (609-263-8687), on the promenade, Sea Isle City. Live entertainment, fireworks, a sand-sculpting contest, trolley tours, and an antique-car show. Irish Fall Festival (609-729-0075), North Wildwood. A piper competition and traditional Irish food, music, and dancing. Boardwalk Classic Car Show (609-523-8051), on the boardwalk and at the Wildwoods Convention Center, Wildwood.
October: Surf Fishing Tournament (609-522-2955), North Wild-wood. Divisions for kids and adults. Thunder on the Beach Truck Competition (609-523-8051), Wildwood. Indian Summer Weekend (609-525-9300), Ocean City. A seafood festival on the boardwalk with hundreds of vendors and events. Sunset Lake Hydrofest Powerboat Races (609-886-8156), Sunset Lake, Wildwood Crest. A powerboat racing series that features hydroplanes and flat-bottomed boats skimming the surface at speeds of up to 140 miles an hour. Halloween Parade and Fun Fair (609-729-1934), Wildwood. The parade goes along Atlantic Ave.; the fair is at the Wildwood Convention Center. Great Fall Classic Surf Fishing Tournament (609-729-4000), Wildwood.
November: Boardwalk Kennel Club Dog Show (609-729-4000), Wild-woods Convention Center, Wildwood.
December: Carol Fest (609-525-9300), at the Music Pier, Ocean City. First Night Celebration (609-525-9300), Ocean City. Family-oriented activities to celebrate New Year’s Eve, wrapping up with fireworks at midnight. Hereford Inlet Lighthouse Christmas Tree Lighting Ceremony (609-522-4520), North Wildwood. Christmas parades in Ocean City (609-525-9300) and Wildwood (609-729-4000).
THE STARLUX