Weekend in Wildwood & Cape May with Kids - Day 1

DAY 1: Saturday 5th September 2020

It is always great when you can make the most of a long weekend and embrace your adventurous spirit, so for Labor Day weekend we decided to head towards the southernmost point of the Jersey shore. With the threat of holiday traffic in our minds, we set off super early and amazingly we reached Wildwood, New Jersey before 9am and secured a sought-after parking spot right next to the beach.

Wildwood beach seemed different to the other parts of the Jersey shore that we had visited before. For a start, it stretched out for several hundred metres in front of us. The sand was flat and relatively firm but the top powdery layer felt like soft, squishy clay that cushioned our feet, like a huge memory foam mattress.

The sea glistened, more calmly than usual and we headed towards it. To our left, we couldn’t miss the enormous rollercoaster which seemed to fill the length of the nearest pier. Zaria was beyond excited at the prospect of a ‘real’ rollercoaster as we hadn’t been to a theme park for over a year. Gift shops, food establishments and pop-up stalls lined the promenade behind us. It wasn’t as picturesque as some of the quieter Jersey shore beaches but it felt unique and it oozed holiday vibes.

As we pitched up on the almost empty beach, Roy and Lyra headed straight for the sea to check out the bodyboarding, whilst I wrestled with our beach tent which kept trying to take off in the wind. Roy returned rather quickly, unimpressed with the size of the waves and we planted the beach tent securely in place.

The calmer sea was great for the kids and as you walked out towards the waves, the sand didn’t drop down suddenly beneath your feet like we were used to. The depth increased slowly and gradually. As the sea started to fill up with holiday makers, the lifeguards were on high alert, regularly blowing their whistle if anyone ventured out much beyond waist height. Although this was slightly annoying for Roy trying to catch a wave, I’ve always admired the quantity of lifeguards lined up along the Jersey shore beaches because the Atlantic is rough and unpredictable and there are hidden rip tides to be cautious of. Last weekend, the lifeguards at Ocean Grove were actually taking turns to swim with the tourists in a very small section of sea that they were allowing us to swim in.

As the tide went out, we were presented with more flat, wet sand ahead of us. The lifeguards moved their tall chair forward, leaving four puddles where the legs had been. The kids used the puddles like four mini paddling pools and then we had the idea to join them up and to build more puddles, islands and channels across the sand. This kept the kids entertained for ages, although they were not impressed when other kids decided to try and gatecrash the party. The random kids were not following social distancing guidelines and their parents were not stopping them. Roy and I watched the showdown as Lyra lay protectively across her pool. Zaria and Alaina followed suit but they were getting visibly stressed by the imposition. We tried shooting evil looks across the beach at the associated parents but they didn’t take the hint. Rather than confrontation, we took to the pools ourselves, in an attempt to politely scare them off. The other kids went away and I felt a bit mean. It is not our beach and in a pre-covid world I would have told the girls to let the other kids play.

After checking in to our Wildwood motel (which I wouldn’t recommend) and chilling for a bit, we headed back towards the beach and along the lengthy boardwalk towards Morey’s Pier. You can actually take a little train along the boardwalk but we weren’t sure where to get tickets, or where to get on so we just walked.

The pier was crowded and busy with all kinds of people. Welcome announcements and music came from the speakers. As we ambled along, we passed souvenir shops, tattoo studios and arcades, along with a boardwalk chapel, lots of fairground games, an amazing fudge kitchen and a monster truck ride. We finally got to Morey’s Pier and spent the minimum required amount of $75 dollars to get ride tokens.

Morey’s Pier was much more Covid-friendly than the boardwalk. Everyone had to wear a mask and the staff worked hard to promote the use of hand sanitiser and to clean the rides between each round of use. The regular cleaning and the social distancing on rides meant that the queues were longer than they usually would be but it was worth the visit. The rides were a lot of fun and they had a good range to suit all ages.

Roy and Zaria headed straight for the biggest rollercoaster, which had three loops and went backwards. I let the other two spend money on a balloon pop game (which you couldn’t use ride tokens for). They were guaranteed a win and we walked away with some cheaply made stuffed animals that the girls were thrilled with.

We managed around four rides per kid before leaving Morey's Pier to get some food. We still haven’t learnt that we actually only need three meals between five of us and we were never going to drink the enormous lemonades that we bought but the cups were reusable at least!

Amazingly, we avoided spending money on the boardwalk but promised we would return to Morey’s Pier to finish our ride tokens the following evening.

Roy and I couldn’t wait!

In addition to this blog, you can check out our Instagram feed for more photos and short posts documenting our travels and family adventures @fiveexplore