Wild, Wild, Wildwood Days
Many have heard the song, but until you’ve spent time here, you have no idea how special this place is. “Wildwood Days” is a famous song by Bobby Rydell in 1963. The song is a tribute to the Wildwoods of New Jersey. The song helped put this area on the map as a hot spot for popular musical artists of the 50’s and 60’s. The term refers to the five communities that are found here: the boroughs of Wildwood Crest and West Wildwood, and the cities of North Wildwood and Wildwood City. It also includes a portion of Lower Township known as Diamond Beach. The area derives its name from the wild vegetation once found on this island. It lies 30 miles south of Atlantic City.
The Communities
Each of the Wildwood communities have a very different vibe. Wildwood City and North Wildwood are known for their shared wooden boardwalk and abundant nightlife. North Wildwood is more of a modest residential beach town at its northern tip. The City is more populated and lively. To the south lies Wildwood Crest, a quiet seaside town with no boardwalk. Here, the sale of alcohol is prohibited within its jurisdiction. The Crest promises visitors that “It’s Better in the Crest”.
Even further south is Diamond Beach. This is a part of Lower Township. Diamond Beach is another upscale and quiet community with large hotels and condominiums lining the beachfront. 
Finally, tiny West Wildwood is known for its “Small Town Charm on the Back Bay”. It is an island unto itself. The town is connected to the other Wildwood communities by a bridge. It is quiet and laid back here with no commercial center. Most homes here have beautiful views of Grassy Sound.
Doo Wop Capital
This entire area began developing as a resort in the last decade of the 19th century. This is when a railroad track was added from Cape May to Anglesea. The completion of the Garden State Parkway in 1955 led to a building boom when over 200 motels were built in the area. That boom caused it to become an iconic venue for mid-century architecture. This is how the area became known as “Doo Wop Capital of the World.”
The Doo Wop museum is located across from Wildwood’s expansive convention center. It exhibits neon signs and furniture salvaged from motels from the 50’s and 60’s. They were demolished in more recent years to allow for newer hotels and homes.
The Boardwalk
A world-famous boardwalk runs through part of North Wildwood and Wildwood. The boardwalk was built at the turn of the centery. It consists of more than 70,000 planks of wood and stretches for 37 city blocks. It is the hub of activity for the Wildwoods in the summertime. The boardwalk features five ride piers, two water parks and hundreds of shops and restaurants. 
A trolley called the “Tram Car” runs the length of the boardwalk. It takes visitors from one pier to the next. People also just like to ride it to take in the sights.
The Beach
The beaches here are, by far, some of the largest on the East Coast. They are as wide as 500 yards in some places. The beaches are so large because of their fortuitous location. That is because man-made changes to the coastline caused a disruption of natural ebb and flow of sand movement along the coast. As a result, sand that erodes from Avalon and Stone Harbor tends to gather here and grow bigger beaches. The upside to larger beaches is that the town, boardwalk and beaches are well-protected from damage caused by storms such as Hurricane Sandy and Winter Storm Jonas. Unlike other northern boardwalks, the boardwalk has never been destroyed by a storm and, in fact, was twice moved closer to the beach.
The downside of having such large beaches is that the walk to the ocean from the boardwalk can be tiresome and grueling on a hot summer day. Thanks to an all-terrain beach taxi service, beachgoers can be driven out to the waterfront so they don’t have lug 
all their gear through hot sand. Another perk: Wildwood can play host to many beach sports activities, such as volleyball tournaments and soccer camps. Perhaps the best part of Wildwood’s beaches are that they are free, unlike its neighboring beach towns that require beach tags to be purchased and worn.
Wildwood’s beaches have appeared on many “best of” lists, including the Travel Channel’s “Best Beaches” show and Conde Naste’s “Best Sports Beach” list.
Come Visit
The Wildwoods are a popular destination for vacationers, as well as day trippers vacationing in neighboring beach towns who seek a night of excitement on the boards. In fact, at the height of the summer tourist season, the population swells to as many as 250,000 or more. The year-round population of just over 5,300. With so much to see and do here, it is no wonder that the Wildwoods are so visited and so well-loved.
To learn more about The Wildwoods, please follow the links below:
History of The Wildwoods
Beach Information
Where to Stay in The Wildwoods
Where to Eat in The Wildwoods
Things to Do in The Wildwoods
Back to The Wildwoods’ Main Page
The Wildwoods are a total ball. There is plenty to do for everyone. Beach, boardwalk, bike riding, bars, night clubs, dancing, restaurants, ice cream parlors, amusements, water parks, dog park on the beach, tram car on the boards when the little ones get to tired to walk, parades, string bands, fitness gyms, activities year round. There is plenty of new houses, condos, and hotels to replace the old ones. There are places of worship. The Wildwoods are no longer just a 3 month resort. More and more businesses are staying open year round and the ones that do are raking it in.
So true, Bill!!! What a great place. Someday I’d like to take advantage of the Fifties Weekend (around October 15 each year) to learn more about it’s Doo Wop history!
We have totally fallen in love with the Wildwoods ever since our first time finding it over 15 years ago and have vacationed here every year since ..only missing once ( the beginning of COVID ) but always enjoy our visits and never want to leave ..Wonderful memories. We always stay at The Landmark Motel.
We cannot blame you for falling in love with the Wildwoods! The whole southern Jersey coast is beautiful, and the Wildwoods offer so much, from quaint Wildwood Crest to the bustling Wildwood boardwalk to North Wildwood’s beaches … and so much more. Glad to hear you’re back!!!