I can still remember the first time I saw photos of Justin’s summer trips to Wildwood. His dad has been vacationing here since he was a kid and Justin’s been coming every summer since before he can remember! Now, this was a totally new thing for me. My family went on different trips over the years but never came back to the same place the same week every summer for years on end. We were missing out!! There’s something really magical about returning to a place year after year. You change, but it never does. Well, some places might… but I think Wildwood has looked and felt the same since 1962. It’s actually the coolest thing. You can drive down Atlantic and pass dozens of motels with light-up neon signs and names like “The Ala Kai Motel” and “Starlust,” the latter of which has a futuristic theme. It’s like stepping back in time visiting Wildwood. It’s a typical American beach town and has become one of my favorite places in the world.
Before this month, we hadn’t visited Wildwood since before we got engaged!! I’m not sure how two summers (2015 + 2016) went by without a visit, but I’m SO glad we made this weekend happen despite having just gotten back from our anniversary trip to Portugal. This year we actually surprised my dad with his birthday and Father’s Day gift being his first trip to Wildwood! We got our own motel room for the first time ever (we’ve always camped out on the sofa couch of Justin’s parents’ room!) and had a nice little weekend stay at the beach!! Because it was a short trip, we tried to pack as many of our favorite things as possible into the 80 hours we were there. If you’re ever heading to Wildwood or just passing through, here are a few things you simply can’t miss… and that really capture the magic of Wildwood!
A Weekend In Wildwood
If you’re traveling from the south, consider taking the Lewes – Cape May ferry across the Delaware Bay. It’s a fun experience to embark on the 80-minute journey, and you drive your car right onto the ferry! Then you can walk up to the upper decks, grab a drink or a bite to eat, and look for dolphins. They put on quite a show this time for us!
Like any vacation spot, mini golf is a must. Our favorite is the one attached to Duffer’s ice cream shop. Look for the electric trees, the exploding volcano, and the aroma of waffle cones wafting out of the ice cream shop’s doors. So. Good.
We love staying in Wildwood Crest because the beach is a little less crowded than down by the pier and boardwalk in Wildwood, and it’s a little wider, too! There are sand dunes and plenty of waves to catch for boogie boarding! You will likely see dolphins here, especially when the boat tours go by!
Go for a dolphin and/or whale watching tour! We had actually never done this before because we’d always enjoy just watching the dolphins go by from the beach, but it was SO much fun being on a speed boat out on the ocean, getting soaked by the waves, and seeing so many dolphins (even baby ones attached at the hip to their moms)! We chose the Silver Bullet and it was only $19 a person before 9:30am for a TWO hour ride!! They made sure we didn’t go back in until we saw plenty of dolphins!
Morey’s Piers at the boardwalk are an out-of-this-world experience! There are FOUR piers that jet out over the beach filled with roller coasters, topsy-turvy rides, and carnival games. The Nor’ Easter is one of our favorite rides, and the haunted ghost ship is pretty fun too! ;)
When you’re walking the boardwalk, you 1) Have to experience it at night! 2) Need to try some Kohr’s Bros ice cream (my favorite is the mint cone with chocolate dip)! 3) Sample the polish ice!! The cotton candy flavor is amazing and you’ll pass a stand every 100 feet or so! Haha! 4) Grab some fried ore’s or fried cookie dough! 5) Enjoy a slice of pizza! Look for the weird toppings like cheese fries and mozzarella sticks!!
The last thing you absolutely can’t miss when visiting Wildwood is a trip to Cape May! This little town is full of historic Victorian-style homes (can you say gorgeous?!) and it’s home of the Cape May Diamond, a sea glass gem that is so much fun to hunt for on the beach, especially near the lighthouse! There are plenty of shops to browse downtown with all kinds of treasures. It’s charming and sophisticated in its own way! This is actually where we had our engagement session almost two years ago… such special memories!
I found these necklaces based on the 16 personality types! Can you guess which one is me and which one is Justin?! Haha!!
In Wildwood Crest there is a spot called Sunset Lake, which is a gorgeous place to watch the sun go down… maybe with a glass of wine in hand?! We haven’t watched the sunset here yet, but it’s a really special spot to Justin’s dad. I’m glad he took us here this past trip!
We had another lovely weekend in Wildwood this year and I already can’t wait for next June… it’s always such a fantastic time with good friends. Some of my favorite memories took place here and it will always be special to me. Until next time, Wildwood!!
[…] also spent a few days in Wildwood, New Jersey with our families and you can see that blog post here! It’s always so special going back to this beach every year and seeing the same things that […]
So fun!!!!!!