REMAIN IN LIGHT
I must apologize fair
readers for the last entry at Vacations From Home, but our dog’s rant has
merit. We suffer greatly from Tripophobia which is the fear of not having a
trip planned in the near future. No sooner were we back at the middle-class
garret we call home in Collegeville Pennsylvania, Janet booked a trip to
Wildwood, New Jersey, again.
This was our third trip
to this 5-mile barrier island just north of Cape May, New Jersey since 2019.
Comprised of three towns, North Wildwood, Wildwood and Wildwood Crest, the
beaches are extra wide, the sand soft, and the beach slopes gently into the
Atlantic, and most importantly it’s free. Nearly everywhere else along the 140+
miles of New Jersey beaches you have to pay to get on, but in the Wildwoods, it
is free, and protected by lifeguards. The boardwalk may be filled with tacky t-shirts,
fast food joints, arcades and amusement rides, but the beach is wide enough
that concerts are held on the sand and there is a spacious dog park with a
large fire hydrant marking its location right on the beach.
While we were there,
they were setting up an area on the beach for a ” Barefoot Country Music
Fest”, and musical acts like Kenny Chesney have also played on the sands in
recent years. Those cost money, but the town next door North Wildwood has free
concerts throughout the season.
It’s a great place to
go, and most importantly Wildwood was the destination of Janet’s youth. Her
grandmother lived in the Wildwoods and waitressed at the famous Zaberer’s
Restaurant in North Wildwood, and Janet traveled there often with her mother
and then later with her own family.
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| WILDWOOD |
I’m thankful she has
brought me to this part of New Jersey. As I came from the north Jersey town of
Harrison, day trips were limited to towns like Belmar, Avon-by-the Sea or
Seaside Heights, and my first exposure to the Wildwoods which are much further
south was due to Janet.
ROUGH CROWD?
Wildwood has a dubious
history though, with lots of bars and a reputation of an “anything goes”
destination. As a newcomer to this resort town, I have seen just a bit of that
history when we came here in 2019 just after Labor Day to witness the final
dregs of the “Roar to the Shore” motorcycle celebration. When the local bars
post signs that demand patrons “leave their colors outside”, I wasn’t quite
sure if we were vacationing or were dropped into the middle of a remake of the
Marlon Brando motorcycle gang film, “The Wild One”.
Thankfully Wildwood is
trying to tame their reputation and make this town more family-friendly and in
2020 denied a permit to the Roar people. Although we would hear some outliers
chortling their engines at all hours of the night that year, there was no grand
parade of bikes on the boardwalk or members of motorcycle gangs blocking cross
traffic as their “entourage” paraded down Atlantic Avenue.
I guess I’m lucky I
only need to contend with rip currents and a beach that can be 500 yards wide
and the Tramcar that chortles along the boards ferrying patrons up and down warning
everyone of its approach with “Mind the tramcar please” incessant bleating.
AS IF WE NEED A REASON
TO TRAVEL
Now, it wasn’t out of
the blue that we visited Wildwood again. We had been invited to an overnight
party in Lewes Delaware before our trip to Wildwood and Janet decided that
instead of coming straight home, we take the ferry from Delaware to New Jersey
and spend a few days at the beach.
The ferry crossing
takes about an hour. Reservations are required and they ask you to get there
about a half hour earlier than the departure time. There’s a restaurant and a
beer garden on site, so it’s a pleasant wait.
Fees include the
vehicle and each passenger and because of the rising costs of fuel, there was a
$5.00 fuel surcharge that changes monthly. In July it is set to go up to $6.00.
For our trip across the Delaware Bay in cost us $61.00, but then we are in Cape
May and it’s a short drive up to Wildwood, avoiding a very long drive.
The previous two visits
to Wildwood we rented a condo, but it was not available this time. That condo was
in the middle of the boardwalk area with all the tacky t-shirts stands,
pizzerias and arcades and amusement rides and it could get noisy in the area,
but it was a half block from the beach.
Janet booked us instead
at the Dolphin Motel. It had great reviews and the mid-week prices were reasonable.
The Dolphin Motel is past the convention center, a block from the beach and two
blocks from the southern border with Wildwood Crest. It was neat, clean and
convenient with accommodating owners. Check out was at 10 am but they allowed
us to park on the premises until 2 pm, so we squeezed in another beach day.
FOOD
We were in Wildwood for
three nights and here’s where we ate. A couple were favorites that we had been
to before, but there were a couple of new ones.
Pig Out Night
When Janet would travel
to Wildwood with her young family there was always one night set aside as “Pig
Out Night”, and our first night brimmed with Mack’s Pizza, Kohr’s Bros. Ice
Cream Custard and Curley French Fries. We also stopped for beers at the glamorous
sounding PigDog Beach Bar. Not liking the live music being strummed we walked
our drinks onto the sand to lounge in Adirondack chairs set out for just this
purpose.
After this fine
smorgasbord, the walk back to the Dolphin Motel was slow, but we were
still moving faster than the American Legion Conventioneers shuffling out of
the Convention Center.
Lobster House, Cape May
It was a Monday evening
and there was still a line for tables at this popular seafood restaurant. Janet
always wants to go here for lobster and we like to avoid the lines by taking a
seat at the Raw Bar and eating there. The menu is more limited, but you can
always get lobster. The bar is just across the pier from a moored boat that
serves as a drink only bar.
A bit pricey but a necessary
destination each time we visit the area
Two Mile Landing,
Restaurants and Marina, Wildwood Crest
We passed the sign
along Pacific Avenue on our way to the Lobster House and thought we’d look into
the next day. We were very happily surprised by the whole complex of restaurants
and bars back there along the water’s edge. Great views of the sunset and the
marina. Live music. Great food. Happy hour food specials from 2-4 at the Crab
House and it can get very crowded mid-summer. “All you can eat” Blue Claw crab
specials is a big draw.
The 2 Mile Restaurant
and Bar, next door, recently reopened after COVID.
Next time we’ll go for
drinks at sunset.
Mud Hen Brewing
Craft beer brewing in
New Jersey doesn’t come close to the Pennsylvania experience, but its gaining.
Cape May Brewing, especially their Coastal Evacuation Double IPA is a favorite.
There’s even a “Brewtique” tasting room in nearby Rio Grande, NJ, but we haven’t
gotten to it yet. It’s about a 7 mile drive out of Wildwood. 
Within walking distance
of the beach is the MudHen Brewing Company. An open airy, seemingly always busy
brewpub, the MudHen makes a number of fine beers. This last visit I had their
Saison du Surf, and their Baker’s Double IPA. From 11a to 4p they have $8.95 lunch specials,
which change daily. Their Happy Hour is at the bar only from 3p-5p and has a $9
appetizer menu that include wings. Hopefully they aren’t Mud Hen wings…whatever
they are.
DogTooth Bar &
Grill
There is always a line
for tables at this place, but we were able to find a couple of bar stools this
time. Typical shore bar, with an array of beer taps and great bartenders. We
only went there for drinks, but the place deserves a special mention.
Thanks for reading.
Love Janet and greg
© 2022 by Gregory Dunaj
