The Wildwoods, NJ – Thinking of planning a well-deserved vacation to the ultimate New Jersey shore destination? The Wildwoods are the perfect spot for any family vacation, romantic getaway, friend-cation, and more! Before you go, it’s important to know the must-sees, must-dos, and must-haves that the Wildwoods offer.
The Wildwoods offer days full of fun and enjoyment for people of every age and interest. With 38 blocks of exciting boardwalk attractions, including three incredible amusement piers with over 100 rides and attractions, three wet ‘n wild beachfront waterparks, shops, arcades, carnival-style games and eateries along with FREE beaches and more than 160 spectacular events and festivals held annually, the Wildwoods offer everything you could ever want in an affordable family vacation destination:
Award-Winning Beaches
The Wildwoods’ white-sandy beaches stretch for five miles across the shores of North Wildwood, Wildwood and Wildwood Crest, and the Wildwoods’ sparkling, clean beaches are unlike most seashore resorts in that they are spaciously wide and completely FREE! No beach tags required! They are the perfect spot for swimming, soaking up the sun, and relaxing on a hot summer day. For those looking for some adventure, the Wildwoods’ beaches also serve as an ideal location for surfing, boogie boarding, power boating, jet skiing, sailing, kayaking and paddle-boarding. Plus, there’s a dog-friendly beach and a large dog park right on the beach at the Glenwood Avenue Beach, ensuring that visitors can bring along their four-legged friends while vacationing in the Wildwoods. There are also a number of accommodations in the Wildwoods that are pet-friendly.
For more information on our beaches visit: www.WildwoodsNJ.com/Wildwood-NJ-Beaches.cfm.
Iconic Wildwoods Sign
The nine brushed aluminum letters set on blue backgrounds that make up the 80-foot-long, 19-foot-high iconic Wildwoods Sign – coined ‘the Hollywood sign of the East Coast’ – is a must-see New Jersey icon and a landmark for the Wildwoods. The Wildwoods Sign along with its brightly colored giant beach ball bollards was unveiled in 2008, and since then, has welcomed millions of visitors to touch, lean on and pose with the sign for once-in-a-lifetime photographs and memories. The impressive entryway and sign, that reads ‘WILDWOODS,’ was designed by Philadelphia architect Richard Stokes. Its prime location has not only made it a major tourist attraction for photo opportunities, but has also become the ideal backdrop for major outdoor events, weddings, class pictures, TV broadcasts, press conferences, and much more. The sign can also be viewed on the Earth-Cam worldwide live video cam any time by visiting www.WildwoodsNJ.com/view-webcam/.
World-Famous Boardwalk
A neon-lit slice of Americana, the world-famous Wildwoods Boardwalk offers a unique experience for anyone vacationing at the New Jersey Shore. Famous for being one of the liveliest 38-blocks of fun and excitement on the East Coast, the Wildwoods Boardwalk offers a pure sensory overload of sights, sounds and smells, with spectacular amusement piers featuring world-class roller coasters, wet and wild waterparks, carnival-style midway games, flashing arcades and a myriad of retail shops and over 200 eateries offering everything from traditional Boardwalk fair to fresh seafood caught daily.
For more information visit: www.WildwoodsNJ.com/Wildwood-NJ-Boardwalk.cfm.
The Wildwoods’ Tram Cars
The iconic Wildwoods Sightseer Tram Cars, known for the famous warning, “Watch the Tram Car, Please,” have been transporting visitors from one end of the famous Boardwalk to the other since 1949. Today, eight Tram Cars traverse the great wooden way carrying approximately 500,000 visitors annually along the Wildwoods Boardwalk. A single fare is $4.00 to ride the Tram Car and transport to your desired destinations along the two-and-a-half mile-walk.
Year-Round Events
The Wildwoods host over 160 major events every season. Events include The Barefoot Country Music Fest (BCMF), The Race of Gentlemen Vintage Antique Car and Motorcycle Beach Drag Races, Mummer’s String Band Weekends and Parades, Ultimate Frisbee Championships, Irish Fall Festival, Italian festivals, The Seafarers Festival, Fabulous ‘50s and Beyond Weekend and Concert, beach sporting tournaments, beach concerts, collectibles shows of all kinds, block parties, music festivals, craft shows, classic car shows, FREE fireworks every Friday night in the summer, and FREE outdoor concerts four nights each week throughout the summer season.
For more information visit: www.WildwoodsNJ.com/events-calendar/.
The Wildwoods’ Historical Museums
The Wildwoods have several historical museums and attractions, with FREE admission or a small optional donation. Brimming with cool artifacts, fun memories, fascinating history and bright neon lights, the Doo Wop Museum is a celebration of architecture, design, music, pop culture and everything else that made the Wildwoods famous in its early heyday of the 1950’s and 1960’s. The Wildwood Historical Society’s Boyer Museum also chronicles the great history of the Wildwoods during those glory years as well. The Wildwoods are also home to the National Marbles Hall of Fame, which highlights the rich history of the National Marbles Tournament. Located on the corner of Ocean and Burk Avenues, the Vietnam Veterans Memorial Wall is the only permanent Vietnam Memorial replica in the northeast, and is the exact half-size granite replica of the Washington, D.C. Memorial.
For more information visit: www.WildwoodsNJ.com/Wildwood-Attractions.cfm
The Hereford Inlet Lighthouse
The historic and picturesque Hereford Inlet Lighthouse, a beacon of safety and assurance to the 19th century mariners, has become a cherished landmark for residents and visitors of the Wildwoods resort community. It is a working lighthouse as well as a museum, and has a Victorian style park and English Gardens surrounding the lighthouse. It has won several awards, including the Pennsylvania Horticultural Society Suburban Greening Award. The lighthouse is open to the public for guided and self-guided tours.
For more information, visit www.HerefordLighthouse.org/
The Wildwoods’ Icon Wall Murals
Representations of iconic people, who have positively represented the destination’s rich musical history, are displayed throughout the Wildwoods in a series of ‘Icon Wall Murals.’ The Greater Wildwoods Tourism Improvement and Development Authority (GWTIDA) conceived of and developed the Icon Wall Murals project to beautify selected public spaces while heightening appreciation of how the Wildwoods have evolved over the decades into a living, breathing slice of Americana. Subjects of the first three Icon Wall Murals included key individuals whose mark on the world-wide music scene was first indelibly made in the Wildwoods: Bobby Rydell, Bill Haley & The Comets, and Chubby Checker. Each of these musical icons has significantly contributed to Wildwoods’ colorful history and unique culture that has drawn people of all ages to this shore resort destination for generations.
The Wildwoods’ Bike Path
Don’t forget while you are vacationing in the Wildwoods to take advantage of the Wildwoods’ ‘Bikeability.’ Bike along the scenic 12-mile round-trip bike path – stretching from the Wildwood Crest Dunes Bike Path, up onto the Wildwoods Boardwalk to North Wildwood’s Mulberry Bike Path to the North Wildwood Sea Wall, allowing Wildwood vacationers the option of a leisurely, or athletic, morning bike ride throughout the Wildwoods.
For more information visit: www.traillink.com/trail/wildwood-crest-bike-path.aspx
The Wildwoods’ Doo-Wop Landmarks
The Wildwoods offer the largest collection of mid-20th century architecture in the country, known as Doo-Wop Architecture. Visitors are encouraged to stop in at the Doo-Wop Preservation League’s Doo-Wop Experience Museum on Ocean and Montgomery Avenues to learn more about Doo-Wop and what first made the Wildwoods famous in the ‘50s and ‘60s. Afterwards, take a stroll or drive around the island to see the bright neon signs, vibrant architecture and colorful motel names, up close and personal, which make up the Doo-Wop ambiance for which the Wildwoods are famous. During the summer, the Doo Wop Preservation League also runs the Doo Wop Back to the ‘50s Neon Night Bus Tour every Tuesday and Thursday at 8 p.m. The tour leaves from the Doo Wop Experience Museum at 8 p.m. To reserve your tickets call 609-551-2289, or visit DooWopUsa.org.
Convenient to millions, the Wildwoods are an easy drive from Philadelphia, Washington, Baltimore and New York, making it the ideal location for a family vacation at the beach.
For additional information about the Wildwoods, visit www.WildwoodsNJ.com or call 800-992-9732.
