Wildwood is a city in Cape May County, New Jersey, United States. Wildwood is one of the most popular vacation spots during the summer, especially down the Jersey Shore. They average 250,000 visitors during the summer.
Wildwood is broken up into four different parts which are North Wildwood, City of Wildwood, Wildwood Crest and West Wildwood. North Wildwood and the city of Wildwood are the most popular parts of Wildwood.
By being one of the most popular vacation spots, there are a ton of places, activities and events to do to enjoy your stay in Wildwood.
Here are seven things to do in Wildwood during the summer.
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Go to the beach
The most popular place for vacationers to go when they are in Wildwood is the beach. Wildwood beaches cover a five-mile stretch of coast. The five miles make Wildwood the widest and largest beaches in not only New Jersey but on the East Coast as well.
While on the beach you can enjoy everything that the beach has to offer. Whether it’s surfing, building sandcastles, riding the waves or sun tanning there are countless ways to enjoy the Wildwood beaches.
Photo by Gretchen Finley.
Lifeguards are on duty from 10 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. during the summer. Access to Wildwood beaches is free all year long.
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Walk the boardwalk
One of the most popular places to go in Wildwood is the boardwalk. The Wildwood boardwalk is about two miles long and covers 38 blocks. The boardwalk starts at 15th Avenue in the North and ends at Cresse Avenue in Wildwood.
Photo by Gretchen Finley
The boardwalk’s shops, arcades, amusement parks, shops and food outlets can easily keep you entertained all day and night. There are so many different types of shops and food outlets where everyone can find something to enjoy themselves.
If you do not want to walk on the two miles, Wildwood offers a Sightseer tram car that will take you up and down the boardwalk. The sightseer tram car cost $3.50 per ride and rides start at 11 a.m. The sightseer tram car is bright yellow and is repeatedly saying “watch the tram car, please,” so you can’t miss it.
- Ride bikes in the morning
With Wildwood’s dedication to biking, there are many miles of dedicated bike paths. Wildwood has many different bike trails to enjoy. The main bike path that vacationers like to ride their bikes on is the boardwalk. With no tram car until 11:00 a.m., the two-mile boardwalk you can ride the boardwalk until 11:00 am during the week and 10:30 am on weekends.
You can bring your own bikes or rent from places on the boardwalk, like Crest Bike Rental, Zippy’s Bikes or Wildwood Bike Rentals.
Another bike path that is very popular is the 12 mile round trip path. The path goes from Wildwood Crest Dunes Bike Path, up onto the boardwalk, then along the Mulberry Bike Path and seawall in North Wildwood.
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Morey’s Piers
Morey’s Pier is the biggest pier on the Wildwood boardwalk. Morey’s Piers includes two water parks and three piers, which have almost all of the rides. Some of these rides are featuring roller coasters, slingshots and other rides of all sizes. Some of the most popular rides on Morey’s Pier are 156-foot tall Ferris Wheel, Spring Shot Ride and Great Nor’easter roller coaster.
Morey’s Pier has two waterparks; The Raging Waters and Ocean Oasis water park. Both parks have many different rides and children’s activities. One of the most popular rides is the Cliff Drive which is a body slide that will drop you five stories in less than five seconds. Also, both have 1,000-foot-long lazy rivers. The water park is located behind the Surfside Pier on 26th street.
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Mini-Golf
An event that the whole family can enjoy and participate in is mini-golf. Mini golf is an activity that is kid-friendly but adults can still enjoy it. You can either be laid back or super competitive while mini-golfing. You can enjoy golfing without the expensive cost and time like regular golf.
Some of the most popular mini golfs are Dragon’s Lair Mini Golf, Starlux Mini Golf and The Island Miniature Golf Course. Dragon’s Lair is glow and dark and is on the boardwalk. If you want some ice cream while playing some mini-golf Hassles Ice Cream is the place for you.
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Grab a slice
Eating pizza is one of the most popular food to eat while down in Wildwood. There are tons of different pizza places on the boardwalk to grab a slice or entire pie. The prices of a slice vary from a dollar all up to five. Some of the popular places on the boardwalk are Sam’s, Mack’s, Hot Spot and Joe’s Pizzeria.
Photo by Gretchen Finley
The Sam’s vs Mack’s is like the Pat’s vs Geno’s of Wildwood pizza. They are the two most popular places and both great reviews. Depending on who you ask you will get a different answer on which one is better.
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Festival’s
During the summertime and some through the beginning of fall, Wildwood has different types of festivals for people to enjoy. Wildwood has over 160 festivals and events each year. The festivals vary from Italian and Irish ethnic festivals, classic car shows, music and food festivals. Each week there’s a different festival happening in Wildwood. Most of the festivals are free of charge.
One of the most popular festivals in Wildwood is the Irish Festival. Thousands of people come down to Wildwood to enjoy the weekend festivities of the Irish culture. The Irish festival is always the third weekend in September.
Since Wildwood is one of the most popular vacation spots many Cabrini’s students have enjoyed Wildwood.
“Wildwood has been the source of many happy summers for me both as a child and as an adult,” Alyssa DiPaolo, freshman education major, said. “Being down in Wildwood gives my family and I a source of comfort and homeliness that I don’t think I’ve gotten at any other shore town,” DiPaolo said.
“I love that there are so many things to do while in Wildwood,” Michael Taylor, freshman accounting major, said. “I love going up to the boardwalk to enjoy the environment,” Taylor said.
