I’ve never been but plan to go this week-end. Any information to share, like how much is parking? how early should I get there to find parking? best place for beach access? cheap eats?
I appreciate any and all opinions.
I grew up in Wildwood (lived there until I was 26), so I can tell you my experiences back then but not how it is right now (I usually go to the beach in Ocean City, which is not as nice as Wildwood but is a closer drive).
The Wildwoods is actually four separate towns on one island - the whole island is 8 blocks wide and 5 miles long. North Wildwood is at the North end, Wildwood in the middle, and Wildwood Crest on the South end (West Wildwood is on the “bay” side of the island and is immaterial to our discussion here). Wildwood is where the “action” is, North and the Crest are more residential (although motels line the beach blocks).
Wildwood’s beaches are free and extremely W—I—D—E; by this I mean in some places, it’s up to half a mile between the street and the water’s edge. The beaches are widest in the center of the island and narrower at the north and south ends. Wider beaches mean a longer walk, but it also means that other people are not sitting so close to you.
There is street parking, with parking meters, or there are paid lots (I pay $10- $15 per day to park in OC, I"m going to assume it’s about the same in Wildwood). The parking spaces near the beach will obviously be taken first, so the later you go, the farther you will have to walk to an already-wide beach; and, you’d have to go back to feed the meter every few hours. So think about how long you will be there, it might be more efficient to pay for a parking lot if you are going to be on the beach all day.
When I was a kid, there were no bathroom facilities on the beach (part of the price you pay for free beaches, I guess), but if you are near the boardwalk, you can walk up there and hit the bathrooms. The boardwalk runs for two miles from 16th Street in North Wildwood (NW is only 26 blocks long), through Wildwood to, I think, Cresse Avenue (the beginning of Wildwood Crest) but most of the activity on the boardwalk is between 22nd Street in NW and Schellenger Avenue in Wildwood (about a mile of action, the edges are pretty to walk but quieter as far as activity).
As far as cheap food, there are tons of food places on the boardwalk, and all over town are little pizza places, delis, mom and pop restaurants, fast food chains, etc. depending upon what you are looking for. There are local “free” papers all over that are stuffed with discount coupons, and many of the local places have breakfast or dinner specials. If you are more specific about what part of town you’re staying at or what kind of food you’re looking for, let me know.
I’d also suggest going to The Wildwoods Chamber of Commerce website, they list all kinds of maps, special deals, information, etc. and you can stop in their tourist center to talk to them in person while you’re there.
I lived in North Wildwood, and I much preferred the beach there than in Wildwood proper.