Trip Report, Wildwood, NJ 8/28-9/7 – Part 3 Attractions

[JerseyJanice]

The biggest attraction in Wildwood is the beach. It’s really why you’re there. I love the beach in the Wildwoods. The sand is darker in North Wildwood due to silt than it is in the Crest. It’s a great beach nonetheless. Ice cream vendors pushing hand-carts come past periodically. You can picnic on the beach as well. We bought a small cooler at CVS (half-price for only $5) and filled it with drinks to bring to the beach. Watch those seagulls though! There are some super-sized ones (I swear these things look like they’re on steroids) who will take you out for your sandwich.

I have to say the first few days of our trip, the water was pretty mucky. Maybe it was from the weather the previous week? I don’t know; it was dirty and full of reeds, especially closer to the shoreline. But happily, it cleared up and was beautiful for most of our days, although at the end of our trip, the surf got quite rough. Hurricane Frances churning up the Atlantic, I suppose.

The boardwalk rides are always fun. We bought a $100 book of tickets that lasted for the whole trip. It was worth springing for. They offer a wrist-band, but I think we did better with the tickets. I’m a real ride wuss (I hate doing anything that makes me dizzy), my husband could live without them, but my son likes rides, so with the tickets, we able to take turns going on rides with him.

Two nights of the trip, we had family join us on the boards. They got to ride with DS then. He got a big kick out of the kiddie-sized bumper cars, especially when his cousins took cars too. He made me go on a Himalaya type ride with him that I’m still nauseous over. I also rode on the “Kites” (oh, joy!) and a real dizzy one called the “Rocking Tug Boat.” Ugh!

Dante’s Inferno is lots of fun. The Pirates of Wildwood is a great spoof on Disney’s Pirates of the Caribbean. "Watch the Tramcar please!" Den of Lost Thieves is fun, but not worth the $10 it cost for two of us to ride it.

We rented a small surrey bike one day and pedaled it up and down Surf Avenue. Why we did this, I don’t know. My legs and feet were tired enough, and it was tortuous work pedaling in the sun. I guess it was fun though.

I visited the craft show in the Crest Gazebo on Sunday afternoon. It was nice to look around, but I didn’t see anything I wanted to buy. I wanted to go to the Cape May County Zoo, but my son wasn’t up for it. Ditto the waterparks. He’s not big on slides (yet—he’s young) and preferred to go to the beach. In the ocean, he is quite a daredevil (just like his mother was at the same age).

 

[Blondie]

You just brought back lots of memories for me! The Himalaya I used to ride was on the last amusement pier heading towards the Crest, can't remember the name of it now, I'm sure it's changed hands since then, it wasn't a "Morey" pier though. "Fun" pier, maybe?

And that "Watch the Tram Car Please" would get stuck in my head all the time!

 

[JerseyJanice]

Blondie, the Morey family is alive and well and doing whatever they can to upgrade the Wildwoods. They run the three big amusement piers: Wild Wheels, Mariner's Landing and Morey's Pier.

When you buy a ticket book or wristband, you're covered on all three piers.

I'm not a rollercoaster person, but a bunch of our family went on the Great White on the Wild Wheels. They thought it was totally awesome!

My son and his cousin did a little rollercoaster there as well called the Doo Wop. So cute--it was themed to the '50's. DS seemed to like it then, but he wouldn't go on again with DH later in the week. Said he was looking at it and didn't realize it was so scary.

 

[goofygirl]

Did you see the booth where you get to paintball Osama Bin Laden? There was talk of removing it because it wasn't "P.C." Just curious! Did you happen to see it? I saw it last year, looked like fun!

 

[JerseyJanice]

Yeah, GG, it's there next to the Den of Lost Thieves and Seaport Aquarium. I thought it was quite comical. It's called "Shoot the Iraq."

Outside the front of it, they have a guy dressed as GWB shaking hands with passersby. Sadam Hussein and Osama Bin Laden take turns getting shot at and hanging out by George.

My son couldn't believe they let you shoot at real people. He didn't do it though; I think he's too young for it.