Yucky fleabag hotels, glass in the sand, trashy boardwalk. Not for me!

When you say Wildwood, there are actually 3:
Wildwood,
Wildwood Crest,
North Wildwood
The first is the trashy one.
The second is a dry town.
The third is weird.

Anonymous wrote:I'll start off by saying that I've never been to OCMD, but from what I've heard there are definitely some similarities between the two places. Some people consider Wildwood trashy. It's a fun place. Very popular with people from suburban Philadelphia (including South Jersey). There is a boardwalk with a great number of amusement rides. I remember reading that at one point it had more rides/attractions than Disney.

That being said, there will be TONS of belligerently drunk teenagers and people in their early 20s everywhere you go. It is not uncommon to walk down the street and see trash, including crushed up beer cans/broken beer bottles. It's a FUN place, not quaint or family-oriented, really. There's an area with several kitschy motels, but I'm not sure how well kept they are. If you have young children and intend on bringing them up to the boardwalk (which you definitely would seeing as how that's probably the only draw of going to Wildwood as opposed to other Jersey Shore towns) prepare yourself to be immersed in a very Snookie-like atmosphere. There are t-shirts and booty shorts being sold in the fronts of shops with foul language and sexual innuendo written all over them. Your kids may ask questions. Hell, I think I even remember seeing bongs and pipes clearly on display in some of the window shops. A lot of the people who frequent the boardwalk are dressed in barely-there clothing, even at night.

The beach is free, unlike other Jersey Shore towns were a $5 beach tag is required for entry. That being said, once you're on the beach it is a good 5-10 minute walk to the water and is usually filled with 18 year old kids who are in Wildwood for their "senior summer" which is a tradition in the area. The kids choose Wildwood because it is cheap and caters to their age group.

There are only a few parts of Wildwood that I've ever felt "unsafe" in. I've only seen dive bars, not really many clubs or lively, popular bars. They can feel pretty dodgy at night.

If you're looking for a more family-oriented Jersey Shore town, I would suggest Ocean City, NJ. It is nothing like OCMD, despite sharing a name. In fact, it's a dry town and definitely caters to families. OCNJ has a boardwalk with great roller coasters and attractions as well, granted it's not as big as Wildwood's boardwalk. Avalon and Stone Harbor, NJ are great places as well. They're much more ritzy and upscale. Instead of of boardwalks, these two towns have "main streets" that are filled with boutiques, cafes, restaurants and art galleries.

+1 on Ocean City, NJ over Wildwood, NJ, especially with kids.

I'll start off by saying that I've never been to OCMD, but from what I've heard there are definitely some similarities between the two places. Some people consider Wildwood trashy. It's a fun place. Very popular with people from suburban Philadelphia (including South Jersey). There is a boardwalk with a great number of amusement rides. I remember reading that at one point it had more rides/attractions than Disney.

That being said, there will be TONS of belligerently drunk teenagers and people in their early 20s everywhere you go. It is not uncommon to walk down the street and see trash, including crushed up beer cans/broken beer bottles. It's a FUN place, not quaint or family-oriented, really. There's an area with several kitschy motels, but I'm not sure how well kept they are. If you have young children and intend on bringing them up to the boardwalk (which you definitely would seeing as how that's probably the only draw of going to Wildwood as opposed to other Jersey Shore towns) prepare yourself to be immersed in a very Snookie-like atmosphere. There are t-shirts and booty shorts being sold in the fronts of shops with foul language and sexual innuendo written all over them. Your kids may ask questions. Hell, I think I even remember seeing bongs and pipes clearly on display in some of the window shops. A lot of the people who frequent the boardwalk are dressed in barely-there clothing, even at night.

The beach is free, unlike other Jersey Shore towns were a $5 beach tag is required for entry. That being said, once you're on the beach it is a good 5-10 minute walk to the water and is usually filled with 18 year old kids who are in Wildwood for their "senior summer" which is a tradition in the area. The kids choose Wildwood because it is cheap and caters to their age group.

There are only a few parts of Wildwood that I've ever felt "unsafe" in. I've only seen dive bars, not really many clubs or lively, popular bars. They can feel pretty dodgy at night.

If you're looking for a more family-oriented Jersey Shore town, I would suggest Ocean City, NJ. It is nothing like OCMD, despite sharing a name. In fact, it's a dry town and definitely caters to families. OCNJ has a boardwalk with great roller coasters and attractions as well, granted it's not as big as Wildwood's boardwalk. Avalon and Stone Harbor, NJ are great places as well. They're much more ritzy and upscale. Instead of of boardwalks, these two towns have "main streets" that are filled with boutiques, cafes, restaurants and art galleries.

Trashy.

We used to call it Childwood. Heh.

Anonymous wrote:Wildwood is trashy, just like OC MD. There are much nicer beaches. Agree with PP to check out other NJ beaches.

+1

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

trashy

Wildwood is trashy, just like OC MD. There are much nicer beaches. Agree with PP to check out other NJ beaches.

Quaint? No. But, how fun is "quaint" anyway? Cape May is close to Wildwood for a nice dinner out or a change of scenery, cute shops and fun stuff to do. However, if you have kids, and those kids like to have fun, then go to Wildwood! The boardwalk is like no other. Rides, water parks, pizza, water ice, you name it.

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

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.

I equate Wildwood, NJ to Ocean City, MD. If you are looking for something more like Rehoboth, but along the Jersey Shore, check out Avalon, Stone Harbor or Ocean City (NJ).

Is it the New Jersey equivalent of Ocean City Maryland?

We typically stay in Rehoboth for a week in the summer which we love because it is family friendly, walkable and has good restaurants. Friends are suggesting that we go with them to Wildwood this summer and I have no idea what it is like. Does it have a similar character as Rehoboth?

Thanks!