What is wildwood New Jersey like?

[Anonymous]

We went to Wildwood Crest for a few days last summer and thought it was perfectly fine. I did not like the boardwalk in Wildwood and it was a little trashy with a lot of cheap motels, but the hotel we stayed at was nice, quiet, full of families with little kids and had a great private beach area. There were nice condo buildings on each side. I don't think we will be going again since it was nothing spectacular, but it was an easy trip for just a couple of nights to get some beach time.

[Anonymous]

I grew up in south jersey and we used to go to wildwood.

I like ocmd. Some people think these places are a little trashy but I don’t really care. I like the beach and I like traveling with friends if it works out.

[Anonymous]

I took my kids there last summer for a long weekend. We stayed at a hotel right on boardwalk. It was a lot of fun. We ate lots of junk food, went to the amusement parks, and went to the beach. At night there were fireworks.

The beach is a long walk from the boardwalk but there was a tractor with a wagon that you could pay $1 to ride to the ocean. The hotel was very family friendly. Given the reputation, I was very pleasantly surprised. It was definitely the people that were there that made it family friendly. Little things like we all ended up having a bbq by the pool, people would share their food and their floaties in the pool. The hotel also offered free bike rentals which was nice in the morning on the boardwalk.

I timed out trip with the monsters on the beach show. Yep, a monster truck show is about as “trashy” as you can get. We loved watching the show and the kids got to ride in the trucks. Lots of fun.

[Anonymous]

Wildwood is similar to an OCMD for Philly, but more Victorian houses and 50s style motels instead of tower condos. So the island is much more walkable than Ocean City is.

North Wildwood and Wildwood Crest are nicer, more family-friendly, and more expensive than Wildwood proper. Wildwood Crest is dry and quiet, while North Wildwood has some nice bars and restaurants, and draws large crowds on certain weekends.

The beaches are very nice and clean, but due to currents, are thin at the north and south ends and extremely wide at the center. Most of the island is safe, except for off beach in the center of Wildwood has some weird abandoned areas that you wouldn't likely go to.

Overall, it is a very fun place to stay in the summer (or in the fall for fishing and birdwatching) for a good price. Would recommend North Wildwood if you want some nightlife nearby or Wildwood Crest for quiet.

[Anonymous]

Definitely agree on OC NJ.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:The name escapes me, but there is a really nice resort in Wildwood with its own beach, pools, etcetera.

Seapointe village perhaps?

[Anonymous]

Definitely pick Ocean City, NJ for a family friendly vacation with a boardwalk over Wildwood. It has a smoke free boardwalk and beach and it's a dry town so no drunks. Lots of good, clean fun. We go to Cape May every summer which I love but is a different experience than a boardwalk beach. Each summer, we go out one night for rides and boardwalk fun and we always skip over Wildwood (which is much closer to Cape May) and go straight to Ocean City because it's so much classier.

[Anonymous]

Wildwood crest is great. Very family friendly. I've been going there for 40 years. People who say otherwise are snobs.

[Anonymous]

Why not stay in one of the classier towns and visit the Wildwood amusements during the day. Get out before the belligerent youths get to drinking. Probably around the time your kiddos are starting to fade anyway.

[Anonymous]

Wildwood tugs at my heartstrings because I went there as a child in the 70s and early 80s. But it’s lots of smoking and tattoos. It is not like ocean city Maryland. OC is like Monaco by comparison. That said I still take my kids to wild wood every few years to keep it real. And it truly is great fun still. Renting bikes. Eating Mack’s pizza. Getting a gyro. There used to be Moreys pier and hunts pier. Beach is so far from the ocean! Love it.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Basically I agree with the above but your friends may stay in Wildwood Crest which is more family friendly.

The Crest is actually pretty adorable. I far prefer it to Cape May. But it's tiny. And I believe it's a dry town, I can't remember. But you can literally walk over the WW/ WW creat line to a liquor store.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Wildwood tugs at my heartstrings because I went there as a child in the 70s and early 80s. But it’s lots of smoking and tattoos. It is not like ocean city Maryland. OC is like Monaco by comparison. That said I still take my kids to wild wood every few years to keep it real. And it truly is great fun still. Renting bikes. Eating Mack’s pizza. Getting a gyro. There used to be Moreys pier and hunts pier. Beach is so far from the ocean! Love it.

Hi are you me?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I grew up in south jersey and we used to go to wildwood.

I like ocmd. Some people think these places are a little trashy but I don’t really care. I like the beach and I like traveling with friends if it works out.

My family "switched" from Wildwood to OCMD in the early 90s. OCMD is trashtastic but holds such a special place in my heart. I also have found people are super friendly there. Which, to judge a book by its cover, I'm sure plenty of people onDCUM would be afraid to even chat with most of them. We met a family there last year like us. Grew up going there and keep going occasionally with young kids. The husband was ridiculously loaded, he didn't tell us that outright, but we found out his job. He said he refused to take his kids to the Hamptons (they came from closer to NYC area), kind of refreshing

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Oh, you do not want any part of wildwood NJ. It is bad. Way worse than OC MD. Nothing quaint about it. Agree with pp, look at OC NJ or Avalon. Much nicer.

Completely agree. I’ll take Ocean City, Md over Wildwood any day!

[Anonymous]

Wildwood crest is nice. Wildwood is not.