The title is from Bruce Springsteen's song Jersey Girl which is one of my favorites where he sings about taking his girl down to the Jersey shore. For those of you not familiar with the Jersey shore other than Snookie, Pauley D and The Situation, New Jersey has 130 miles of beaches of which Wildwood is the best. It bills itself as the widest, safest, cleanest beach on the east coast and one of the top ten beaches in the world. All of which is true.
I've been going to Wildwood on and off for most of my young adult and adult life. First with my parents, then with girls I was dating and now with my wife over the past 20 years. It is truly the widest beach anywhere being the length of two football fields laying end to end. Crossing there to get to the ocean is like crossing the Sahara Desert. The town is constantly upgrading and changing and they have since added walkways down the beach to make it easier lugging your carts and walking to the ocean part. If you are elderly or disabled or just don't care to walk the distance, they have recently instituted a passsenger service where if you call ahead they will send a Rover over to your hotel and drive you to where you want to go and pick you up when you are ready to leave. They also have lifeguards spaced evenly apart constantly on patrol from early morning to about 6 p.m. at night.
Wildwood is also known for it's two mile long boardwalk featuring shops selling t-shirts with practically anything you can imagine on them, beach wear, pizza parlors and ice cream stands and games of chance and three piers featuring more rides than Disneyworld and giant waterparks. A staple on the boardwalk is the infamous tramcars carrying you from one end of the boardwalk to the other. Everyone knows the famous horn that says "Watch the tramcar please." :D
A new additon on the boardwalk is a replica of a giant ghost ship. You walk thru it and various actors dressed as zombies try to scare you along the way. A sign outside says the actors will not touch you and don't you touch them. I didn't go in it because I don't like things that jump out at you in the dark, so I am including a link below about it you can check out for yourself. :)
Wildwood used to be known as a doo-wop town (doo-wop being a group of guys and gals on street corners harmonizing without instruments that started in nearby Philadelphia in the 50's and worked it's way to Wildwood) and featured many hotels done in tacky decore using plastic palm trees, dolphins and pastel colors that gave Wildwood it's charm and uniqueness, but alas time has a way of changing things and many of the old motels have been replaced by new ones and many new condos. There are literally hundreds upon hundreds of motels along Atlantic and Ocean avenues, some practically on top of others. Many of the old ones such as The Jolly Roger where my wife and I stay are still there and kept up extremely well and comfortable and there is a doo-wop ice cream parlor with many 50's memorabila and posters and The Pink Cadillac Diner( formerly Big Ernie's ) is still there also done up in neon lights and old 45 rpm records adorning the walls. There is also many minature golf courses that everyone plays and Hereford Lighthouse with its' beautiful well maintained gardens with gorgeous butterflies flying around adorning them.
Another nice addition recently instituted is in a park directly behind our motel with lovely flower decorations, benches and walkways. They've erected an open, attractive stage where they hold musical performances for a few hours on certain nights. You can lie on blankets underneath the stars or walk around and sit on benches as you listen to music by performers doing Frank Sinatra, The Eagles, Bruce Springsteen and others on a warm summer night with the ocean breeze flowing thru you.
Yes as Bruce sings,"Down at the shore everything's alright."
Please enjoy these links on Wildwood:
YouTube - TRAM CAR RIDE WILDWOOD BOARDWALK 2010
YouTube - Wildwood NJ 2008
YouTube - Wildwood Boardwalk talk - the log flume edition This is a really great one. The kid and his sister on the log flume ride I've been on many times.He does an excellent job describing it and is funny too.
YouTube - Jersey Girl Bruce singing featuring pics of him and his wife Patty who is a Jersey girl
?THE NEW GHOST SHIP at Morey's Piers & Beachfront Waterparks?? - YouTube
I've been going to Wildwood on and off for most of my young adult and adult life. First with my parents, then with girls I was dating and now with my wife over the past 20 years. It is truly the widest beach anywhere being the length of two football fields laying end to end. Crossing there to get to the ocean is like crossing the Sahara Desert. The town is constantly upgrading and changing and they have since added walkways down the beach to make it easier lugging your carts and walking to the ocean part. If you are elderly or disabled or just don't care to walk the distance, they have recently instituted a passsenger service where if you call ahead they will send a Rover over to your hotel and drive you to where you want to go and pick you up when you are ready to leave. They also have lifeguards spaced evenly apart constantly on patrol from early morning to about 6 p.m. at night.
Wildwood is also known for it's two mile long boardwalk featuring shops selling t-shirts with practically anything you can imagine on them, beach wear, pizza parlors and ice cream stands and games of chance and three piers featuring more rides than Disneyworld and giant waterparks. A staple on the boardwalk is the infamous tramcars carrying you from one end of the boardwalk to the other. Everyone knows the famous horn that says "Watch the tramcar please." :D
A new additon on the boardwalk is a replica of a giant ghost ship. You walk thru it and various actors dressed as zombies try to scare you along the way. A sign outside says the actors will not touch you and don't you touch them. I didn't go in it because I don't like things that jump out at you in the dark, so I am including a link below about it you can check out for yourself. :)
Wildwood used to be known as a doo-wop town (doo-wop being a group of guys and gals on street corners harmonizing without instruments that started in nearby Philadelphia in the 50's and worked it's way to Wildwood) and featured many hotels done in tacky decore using plastic palm trees, dolphins and pastel colors that gave Wildwood it's charm and uniqueness, but alas time has a way of changing things and many of the old motels have been replaced by new ones and many new condos. There are literally hundreds upon hundreds of motels along Atlantic and Ocean avenues, some practically on top of others. Many of the old ones such as The Jolly Roger where my wife and I stay are still there and kept up extremely well and comfortable and there is a doo-wop ice cream parlor with many 50's memorabila and posters and The Pink Cadillac Diner( formerly Big Ernie's ) is still there also done up in neon lights and old 45 rpm records adorning the walls. There is also many minature golf courses that everyone plays and Hereford Lighthouse with its' beautiful well maintained gardens with gorgeous butterflies flying around adorning them.
Another nice addition recently instituted is in a park directly behind our motel with lovely flower decorations, benches and walkways. They've erected an open, attractive stage where they hold musical performances for a few hours on certain nights. You can lie on blankets underneath the stars or walk around and sit on benches as you listen to music by performers doing Frank Sinatra, The Eagles, Bruce Springsteen and others on a warm summer night with the ocean breeze flowing thru you.
Yes as Bruce sings,"Down at the shore everything's alright."
Please enjoy these links on Wildwood:
YouTube - TRAM CAR RIDE WILDWOOD BOARDWALK 2010
YouTube - Wildwood NJ 2008
YouTube - Wildwood Boardwalk talk - the log flume edition This is a really great one. The kid and his sister on the log flume ride I've been on many times.He does an excellent job describing it and is funny too.
YouTube - Jersey Girl Bruce singing featuring pics of him and his wife Patty who is a Jersey girl
?THE NEW GHOST SHIP at Morey's Piers & Beachfront Waterparks?? - YouTube
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