The Wildwoods are easily accessable by car, just minutes off of the Garden State Parkway, the route the majority of vacationers from the tri-state area take. Many locals use Rt. 55 South to Route 47 to avoid the hours of summer traffic.
Many counties in New Jersey also offer Park-n-Ride, a ride sharing and van pooling system.
Nearby Atlantic City is home to an international airport, which has several car rental distributors on site, as well as limousine companies to take tourists from the airport to Wildwood. Atlantic City International Airport is located 45 minutes north of the Wildwoods. Philadelphia International Airport is located approximately kk 2 hours away, as well.
To get from place to place on the boardwalk, which spans numerous miles, many choose to hop aboard the tram car, which is a small, trolley-like vehicle that drives solely from one end of the boardwalk to the other, and is relatively inexpensive, one way only costing approximately $2.00.
Taxi cabs and NJ Transit buses also operate through Wildwood, both which are cost effective, and are available constantly.
There are three different taxi services located in the Wildwoods, Carribean, Checkers, and Pink. They can pick you up anwhere in Wildwood withing about 5 minutes. This is the safest way to get around at night, especially if you are drinking, for the cops in Wildwood are rough.
A new attraction, only about 2 years old, is the movies on the beach. Right in the middle of the second and third piers they set up a large screen on the beach, only at nights. This is a very unusual experience because it's like an old- fashioned drive in movie but only one the sand, and no cars. They have the latest movies showing every night at 8 PM, and the tickets aren't that expensive either.
If you aren't a resident of the tri-state area, it's more than likely that you haven't heard of Wildwood, New Jersey. However, it is a spot worth noting as both an eclectic town, and an enjoyable family vacation spot. Located in Cape May County, on the Southern tip of New Jersey, Wildwood has long been known as one of the hot spots along the Jersey coast. What has always made Wildwood stand out amongst a sea of shore towns is its attention to family-oriented fun and a giant mix of activities for people of all ages. No matter what your interests are, or your personal vacationing preferences, you are sure to find something to love in The Wildwoods.
During the summer months, The Wildwoods also host many '''festivals and special weekends'''. During Memorial Day weekend, there are parades and many street vendors and special activities to celebrate the beginning of the summer season. The same types of events are held at the end of the summer over Labor Day weekend. There is also Irish Weekend and Firefighters weekends in early September and fourth of July fireworks on the beach, along with countless food tasting festivals. From June until August, there are fireworks on the beach every Friday night.
Many cheerleading, dance, gymnastics, wrestling, and basketball tournaments are held in Wildwood.
There many places to rent boats and jetskis, or you can hop aboard the Thunder Cat, a huge speedboat, that takes you right along the coastline at top speed then out off the coast a couple miles to Whale watch.
Most mornings the boardwalk is full of people riding bikes, skating or walking. This has been a ritual in wildwood for many years, not only because of the view of the ocean, but because everyone needs the exercise after a good dinner the night before. There are bike rentals on almost every block in all three of the wildwoods, a regualar bike will cost around eight dollars for the hour.
The beaches for the most part are clean and inviting, but the only problem with the beaches are that the ocean begins about 3 blocks after you enter the sand. This makes it extremely tough for senior citizens to walk down to the beach in some places. The best bet if you don't want to walk too much throught the sand, then go to 1st street in North Wildwood. Not only does the water start about 100 feet from the street but it has a unique experience because there is not to many waves, it acts like a pool, with a depths of about 30 feet at some points.
You can take go-cart rides and helicopter rides too.
Even if you need some toiletries or groceries, you could find that in the super markets located on the island.
You can buy almost any sports team equipment from the teams from the tri-state area (i.e. the Eagles, Giants, Phillies, Mets and Yankees.) There are also places where you can get a custom made shirt by a gentleman who spraypaints images on regular articles of clothing giving it a really unique look, thats hard to find anywhere else.
If you are looking for more of a sit down meal, the island features numerous diners and family-style restaurants, such as '''The Star Diner''' and '''The Vegas Diner''', both in North Wildwood. The Wildwoods also feature world class seafood and Italian style cuisine in such fine establishments as '''Gia's''' and '''Alfie's''' (in Wildwood), '''Uries''' and '''The Boat House''' (on Rio Grande Boulevard), and '''Little Italy''' (where a crazy Slovakian lady with no teeth tries to pass herself off as a true Italian pasta maker).
Several world renowned restaurants are also located in Atlantic City, such as Morton's Steakhouse, which is located at Caesar's Pier, and Buddakan.
If steak is your specialty, then you might want to consider going to '''Neil's Steak and Chowder House''' or '''J.P. Primes''' to eat. Neil's is a reasonable place to go with a family or friends, while J.P. Prime's is very expensive, around 120 dollars per couple. It also has a nice bar/nightclub setting for a higher class price range.
In the most southern part of Wildwood Crest, located on Atlantic Ave., there is a small cafe located in the Pier 6600 hotel. The food is great and the price is very reasonable. And if you wanted to listen to live music during the day you can stay at the Pier 6600 hotel, at the Barefoot bar and grill where they have live music everyday except Sundays.
Added at the end of the 2008 summer season, a Sonic was built about 10 minutes from Wildwood on Rt. 74. This is a popular spot for younger crowds, who has never got to eat at a Sonic before, but heard of their huge burgers and thousand of combination of slushes.
Wildwood's nightlife is incredibly diverse. The main attraction for families is the boardwalk, which features miles of novelty shops, eateries, and the three famous amusement piers, '''Surfside Pier''', formerly Morey's Pier, '''Mariners Landing Pier''', and '''Adventure Pier''', formerly Wild Wheels Pier located a few blocks apart from each other. Both of these amusement parks can be enjoyed by either buying tickets or purchasing an all day pass for a discounted price. The rides range from kiddie go-carts and merry-go-rounds, to log flumes to sky-high roller coasters and bungee jumping. The boardwalk is lined with games of all kinds and prizes galore. If you are a gambler and do not want to drive all the way to Atlantic City, there are tons of casino arcades on the boardwalk. There are also dozens of miniature golf centers, many with ice cream parlors attached. If you are up for it, it is also possible to get your palms and tarot cards read or even get a tattoo and something pierced.
The Wildwoods are broken down into four main towns: North Wildwood, Wildwood, West Wildwood, and Wildwood Crest. The Wildwoods are world reknowned for having the largest concentration of Mid-Century Modern or "Doo-Wop" motels and other commercial buidlings anywhere in the world. The vast majority of vacationers choose to stay in these "Doo-Wop" motels during the summer months. Prime examples of "Doo-Wop" motels can be found throughout the Wildwoods, including the Daytona Motor Inn on Atlantic and Youngs Avenue, The Starlux Motel on Rio Grande and Atlantic, and The Carribean Motel on Ocean Ave. and Buttercup. Often times families vacation at the same motels and hotels for multiple generations. Still other vacationers like to rent houses by either the week, the month, or the season. The most popular month to rent is July, which is consequently the month when housing is most expensive. Many residents of the surrounding states have second homes in Wildwood, and utilize their vacation homes for all or most of the summer. These people are known as "Shoobies". The Pier 6600 located at the southern end of Wildwood Crest offers the "Doo-Wop" look and mood. The Hotel itself is older with the offic drapped in older carpets and fixtures. However the pool and bar area is brand new, it had a warm sunny day feel with good drinks and live music, by Greg Davis, who plays good classic rock. Also in the Crest is The Oceanview Motel, this is a newer motel, but still keeps the older look. For kids it had a large minigolf area located on the property, as well as a good grill on the beach that serves Hambergers and Hotdogs.