Wildwood Trip

Alex, if you decide to stop in Cape May I would recommend staying at South Jersey Marina. It's a nice place and they usually have some pretty large yachts coming in for fuel so it's fun to watch. If you have kids there isn't a whole lot for them so you may not want to stay very long. There's plenty of places to eat and drink within walking distance but the beach and downtown shopping area is a long walk. Some recommendations depending upon what your looking for: Dinner at the Lobster House or the Washington Inn, lunch at the C-View bar, rent some bikes and check out the Victorian homes and the shops downtown, go to the Cape May Lighthouse, go to the Inn of Cape May and sit on one of the rocking chairs on the porch and have a vodka tonic and a cigar.:thumbsup: Mark
 
Alex
I've only been to Cape May by car but I know a bunch of people who have been there by boat. James (with the 420AC) goes just about every year. Everyone I know has stayed at Schooner Island Marina in Wildwood. Of course, if you do this you're pretty far away from CM proper. I think I brought it up a bit earlier in this thread but renting a car is a great option. Enterprise is close by and they'll come right to the marina. Then you have the freedom to go wherever you want. We had done this in Ocean City, NJ with another family. We rented a minivan for two days and were able to get all over as we pleased. To the beach in the day, back to the boat to wash up and back to OC for dinner and rides.

Wildwood is great for the kids with the b-walk and beach, and the marina is resort-quality (Pool=fun for kids).

CM is more of a destination than a stop-over. I would allow myself 2-3 days there.

All that being said, Mark is the authority since it is his stomping ground so it may be best to listen to his advice.
 
Alex, Ron makes a good point. Cape May is only about a fifteen minute car ride from Schooners so if you rented a car you could easily hit the attractions of both places. It really depends on what works for you. My wife and I will sometimes rent a slip at South Jersey for a night just to be in a different marina and hang out in Cape May. If you have the time I think it's more fun to stay at different marina's but it's definately more of a hassle if you can't stay and relax a bit. Either way you'll have fun. Let me know when you plan to go so we can have beer together. Mark
 
Mark
I've heard that the flavor of Cape May proper is more tuna-towers, outriggers and rocket launchers than family. Would you say that's true? Alex has two young-uns so I'm thinking they want pools, rides and beaches:thumbsup:
 
Ron, that's a pretty accurate description of what you'll find at South Jersey Marina. It's more of a fishing croud and there is no pool. Except for the nearby restuarants you need to go down town to do anything. There is a place across the street from the marina where you can rent jet ski's, kayaks, or take a ride on the a whale watching boat if you're into that kind of thing. I guess Alex will have to figure out what will work best for him and his crew. Mark
 
Alex, Ron makes a good point. Cape May is only about a fifteen minute car ride from Schooners so if you rented a car you could easily hit the attractions of both places.

This is very interesting idea guys. The only thing I was hoping that we'll be ok a car in Wildwood. May be take bikes or trolly or whatever other trasportation they may have, may be even a cab. But you gave me few interesting options to brain storm with admiral.

Mark
I've heard that the flavor of Cape May proper is more tuna-towers, outriggers and rocket launchers than family. Would you say that's true? Alex has two young-uns so I'm thinking they want pools, rides and beaches:thumbsup:

Thanks for looking out Ron.
Although, marinas with pools is not the primary criteria, but it defenately makes it more attractive vs. fishermen crowd for the kids.

There is a place across the street from the marina where you can rent jet ski's, kayaks, or take a ride on the a whale watching boat if you're into that kind of thing.

Mark,
These activities we would defenatelly enjoy. My kids love jetskies and I always wanted to go on a whale watching trip.

BTW, so far the plan is to do the trip some time in August. I don't have the dates scheduled yet.
 
Last edited:
Mark
I've heard that the flavor of Cape May proper is more tuna-towers, outriggers and rocket launchers than family. Would you say that's true? Alex has two young-uns so I'm thinking they want pools, rides and beaches:thumbsup:
From my experience this is true of Cape May Harbor proper, but the town itself and the main beach area are very kid friendly. You'll need a car to get to the resort area of Cape May from Cape May harbor anyway. When we stayed at South Jersey marina, it was in fact nice (they have fuel pumps right at your slip!) but very fishing oriented. I felt like I had parked my Lexus SUV in a parking lot full of F-350 diesel 4x4s: Dude, where are your outriggers? And what's with the carpet on your back deck? You're not going out to the Canyon in that thing are you? Oh, is that what kids look like? Do they float? Looks like they would make good bait!

Anyway, I digress. With a family, I would recommend Schooner's and a rental car for at least four days. We were there two nights and it felt like we just got there when it was time to leave. I can confirm the ease of renting cars there in South Jersey... the car was there when we got there, and the marina dude gave me the keys. I drove it at will and gave the keys back to the marina dude when we left. I think it was a total of $50.

You're going to want (I stopped short of saying "need") a rental car to do this right, and Cape May and Wildwood are a stone's throw apart by car, so pick the best marina (Schooner's), allow enough time and enjoy the trip!
 
Last edited:
I agree with most here....stay at Schooner's and rent a car 'if' you also want to include Cape May in your plans. There is so much for the kids to do right there in Wildwood, and all within walking distance....especially for just a 4 day trip.

..... (they have fuel pumps right at your slip!) .......

Just to clarify....I'm pretty sure that that's diesel fuel only....
 
Just to clarify....I'm pretty sure that that's diesel fuel only....
Oh, hell yes. They really would of looked at me cross-eyed if I was burning car fuel.

Continuing on with my list of quotes from my earlier post: "That minivan of yours at least runs on diesel, right?"
 
AHHH I love this thread... Brings back the days of my youth spent at my grand parents in Wildwood. Running the 22 ft Thompson cuddy aground in the channel and pushing it off. Wondering if the tide was high enough to get the boat back up the canal to the dock in N. Wildwood... Love it!!!

Anyway, even if Festivus does not say it you need a car. I have not been to Wildwood at least to the Rio Grande area for 10+ years. Is Schnooner's the marina on the East side of the channel or the West side. I remember it used to be the Rio Grande Yacht Basin, is that it. Or is Schooners that marina that used to look abandoned with a sunken Schooner and an old wooden Post or Viking there. Where the piers were falling into the water??? I lusted after those big Bertrams and Hatteras with the outriggers...

Anyway I do remember fondly that the boardwalk pretty much ends down that far in Wildwood and once you make the something like 6-7 block walk to the boardwalk you have another 6-7 blocks to the rides and games...?? I would rent a bike and ride the boardwalk for breakfast one morning that would be fun. But my 40+ years needs a car to get around Wildwood these days.

Also remember that Wildwood has the widest beach at the shore, so once you get to the board walk you got another 300 yards through the HOT sand to get near the water... I think... Plus you have all the stuff that comes with beach going, chairs, 14 different sand molds, sand tools, cooler to hydrate the children, tied children that are complaining that its too far, thats going, coming back its unbearable... Ahhh... Yes I think I need a trip back to Wildwood!!!
 
With a family, I would recommend Schooner's and a rental car for at least four days.
You're going to want (I stopped short of saying "need") a rental car to do this right, and Cape May and Wildwood are a stone's throw apart by car, so pick the best marina (Schooner's), allow enough time and enjoy the trip!

festivus44,
Since you've been there with your kids may be you can share your opinion on the parks in Wildwood. From what I see there are 3 main parks:
-Surfside Pier
-Mariner's Landing
-Adventure Pier

They all look pretty nice and somewhat different. So, in order to enjoy them all I was thinking to do one park per day. Do you think it's fine or the parks aren't that big?

At this time I'm looking about 5-6 days for the trip, which would include visit to Cape May. Considering 1/2 day ride to the final destination and 1/2 day back, I'm thinking to spend 3 full days in Wildwood parks and beaches and about 1-1.5 days in Cape May. I think that staying in the nice marina (Schooners) and renting the car to go to Cape May is a very good option. The only thing I'm also debating if I really need a car just to be in the Wildwood area. As far as those 3 parks, according to google maps they look not too far. Two of them walking distance (<1 mile) and the third could be a bike ride. Is this valid observation or do you guys think I would still need a car even for the days we're going to the parks/beaches (I'm not sure how easy to park there. Comparing to our home port, it's very nice to be in walking distance from the beach, every time we take a car to SeaSide Hts, it's always a bit of a hasle to find parking)?

Thanks,
Alex.
 
Last edited:
Alex....bring you dinghy too....I spent a few hours last August just tootling around the harbors in the dink....there's also a few restaurants you can dink to for lunch....Mark should have better info on that...
 
festivus44,
Since you've been there with your kids may be you can share your opinion on the parks in Wildwood. From what I see there are 3 main parks:
-Surfside Pier
-Mariner's Landing
-Adventure Pier

They all look pretty nice and somewhat different. So, in order to enjoy them all I was thinking to do one park per day. Do you think it's fine or the parks aren't that big?
Alex- I honestly didn't realize there were multiple parks. I guess there are two different piers. We went to one called Morey's Pier which doesn't seem to be on your list. I don't think you need more than a day at the combination. We walked to the boardwalk from Schooner's and then took the famous Tram ("watch the tram car, please") up to the amusement piers. There is a water park or two up there as well.

Count on one day for the amusement parks. Another day for the water parks (tough to do in the same day with the wetness and all), one day for the Wildwood beach (which is an absolute hike even from the boardwalk), another Day for Cape May and some time in one of those days to explore the back bays with the dinghy. There will also be swimming in the pool and fishing from the dock to keep the kids busy. There are couple of decent waterfront restaurants that are quick dinghy ride from Schooner's as well.
 
Alex- I honestly didn't realize there were multiple parks. I guess there are two different piers. We went to one called Morey's Pier which doesn't seem to be on your list. I don't think you need more than a day at the combination. We walked to the boardwalk from Schooner's and then took the famous Tram ("watch the tram car, please") up to the amusement piers. There is a water park or two up there as well.

Count on one day for the amusement parks. Another day for the water parks (tough to do in the same day with the wetness and all), one day for the Wildwood beach (which is an absolute hike even from the boardwalk), another Day for Cape May and some time in one of those days to explore the back bays with the dinghy. There will also be swimming in the pool and fishing from the dock to keep the kids busy. There are couple of decent waterfront restaurants that are quick dinghy ride from Schooner's as well.

festivus44,
It's possible I overstated considering them as 3 different parks, but this is the impression I'm getting from these sites:

1. Looks like there're 3 parks (or 3 sections of one large park) at the Morey's pier:
http://www.moreyspiers.com/rides.php

2. Looks like there're two water parks:
http://www.moreyspiers.com/waterpark.htm

I do realize that advertisers make it look like a big thing and large area to cover. It's their intention to have tourists there for longer stay. So, it sounds like you have it broken down nicelly (1 day water parks and 1 day for amusement parks), which might give us an extra day for something else.

This is great and very helpful info.

Thanks,
Alex.
 
The piers are pretty close together. Morey's Pier looks to have brought out the old Hunts and Mariners Piers. Their used to be a pier owned by the Ramagosa family that my grandfather worked at but I think that too is now owned by Morey's. Two are less then I would say 2 blocks apart. Mariners is maybe 5 blocks up the boardwalk still close. 1 day for the boardwalk and one day for the water parks I think would be great. If you have any energy left 1 day on the I think still free beach.

The walk down the boardwalk to Mariners is according to Google about .8 mi from Rio Grande Av. It looks to be about at least another .8 mi from the marina up to the boardwalk. You are going to have to cross 2 4 lane busy roads to get to the boardwalk. Google 3500 Boardwalk,Wildwood, NJ in maps and I am thinking that is Mariners Pier. Then on the satellite to the right are the other two piers. While looking notice how WIDE the beach is at Rio Grande Av. To the left is another pier but I don't even know if its open, I forget the name it still may be an independent pier not too sure...

Oh and we did go whale watching out of Cape May on the Cape May Whale Watcher. You get free pizza and drinks and you get a cool ride out the Cape May Inlet and around sunset beach to watch the sunset and then back through the canal. It was somewhere in the neighborhood of $120 for the 6 or us to go. Be careful around whale watching... They guarantee that you will see a mammal which in our case was a pack of dolphins feeding at dusk. They make it clear its a mammal not exactly a whale... Just don't get too excited, its not the same whale watching experience I had up in Boston...
 
Last edited:
Alegria,

I appreciate the details. Actually, now that you had mentioned to check out the sattlite view of the area, I see that my thoughts on renting bikes is too optimistic. I guess, renting a car, as other folks were suggesting, would require for most of the days.

"Be careful around whale watching... They guarantee that you will see a mammal which in our case was a pack of dolphins feeding at dusk." - Thanks for heads up, this is kind of a show stopper. We've had a pleasure having lunch around dancing dolphins on few occasions when I had my boats towed in FL area, so I might as well rethink this with admiral. BTW, I also herd that whale watching in Cape Cod Boston is very nice.

Thanks,
Alex.
 
Hey guys,
I never thought that single slip reservation at Schooners need to be 6 months in advance. So, unfortunatelly they have no availability for the dates I need.

Does anyone know if Lighthouse Pointe Marina is a good place to spend 6 days? It's locateed right across the bay from Schooners.

Thanks,
Alex.
 
We do a trip to Schooners every year. What has worked for us to is to bring along 2-3 of the scooters, the aluminum ones that fold-up. We ride those down to the beach/boardwalk instead of taking bikes. It is too far to walk, esp with kids. There's a Wawa across the street from the marina - we were there a dozen times a day it seemed!
We also go to Canyon Club in cape may but it is a much different feel than Schooners in Wildwood. Quite, more upscale, infinity pool, isolated... Need to arrange for transportation to get to the beach. Lobster house is a must but the wait is bad.
 

Forum statistics

Threads
112,950
Messages
1,422,861
Members
60,932
Latest member
juliediane
Back
Top