I grew up going to the Jersey Shore. For my family, it wasn’t a vacation luxury; it was just what you did in the summer. And the Wildwoods were part of that story. My great uncle owned a hotel there, and as a kid I didn’t think much of it. That was just where we went because my family worked there. It wasn’t until I got older that I realized what a big deal that actually was.
So when I sat down with Ben Rose, Director of Marketing and PR for the Greater Wildwoods Tourism Authority, I expected a great conversation. What I didn’t expect was to learn that I had barely scratched the surface of a place I thought I already knew.
The Architecture That Makes You Stop and Stare
The first thing Ben wanted me to understand about the Wildwoods is that they look different than other beach towns. Not just pretty-beach different. Actually, unmistakably, pull-over-and-stare different.
Right after World War II, families had cars and disposable income for the first time, and they wanted to go somewhere together. Developers in the Wildwoods responded by building what Ben describes as outrageous, exotic motels, kidney-shaped pools, jutted roofs, wrought iron balconies, neon signs in every color imaginable. It was mid-century architecture at its most joyful and unapologetic.
That collection of motels was later coined Doo Wop architecture, named for the era of music that defined the period. And here’s what makes the Wildwoods genuinely remarkable, they have the largest collection of mid-century Doo Wop architecture in the entire country. As Ben put it, “As Art Deco is to South Beach, Doo Wop is to the Wildwoods.”
But the really surprising part isn’t the preservation of old buildings. It’s what’s happening with new ones. Developers coming into the Wildwoods today are voluntarily adopting the Doo Wop aesthetic in their new construction. The Doo Wop Preservation League even created a manual called “How to Doo Wop” to share with incoming developers, and most of them embrace it enthusiastically. The Madison Resort, which opened recently and won a national award for best new hotel in the country, was designed completely in mid-century style, right down to a telephone booth in the lobby that Ben’s grandchildren had never seen before.
Even Wawa, a chain that had never deviated from its standard design anywhere in the country, built its Wildwoods location in full Doo Wop style. They wanted to assimilate into the culture of the island. That’s how strong the identity is.
The Birthplace of Rock and Roll
Here’s the thing I genuinely did not know. The Wildwoods are recognized by the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in Cleveland as the birthplace of rock and roll music.
In the 1950s, Bill Haley and the Comets performed Rock Around the Clock in the Wildwoods, the song widely considered the first true rock and roll record. But it didn’t stop there. The Twist was introduced in the Wildwoods. American Bandstand first aired from the Wildwood Starlight Ballroom with Dick Clark. In that era, the Wildwoods were known as the Las Vegas of the East, and because Las Vegas had no air conditioning in the summer, every major performer of the era came to the Jersey Shore instead. Sammy Davis Jr., Martin and Lewis, everybody you could possibly think of performed on that island.
Today, that legacy continues with free outdoor concerts four nights a week at three different amphitheaters throughout the summer. The Wildwoods have always been about live music, and they haven’t stopped.
Watch The Tram Car Please
If you’ve ever been to the Wildwoods boardwalk, you know the tram car. That bright yellow and blue electric car that rolls up and down the 38-block boardwalk with its famous recorded message — “Watch the tram car please.” It’s as synonymous with the Wildwoods as Mack’s Pizza.
What I didn’t know was where those tram cars came from. They were originally built for the 1939 World’s Fair by the Greyhound Bus Company to move people around the fairgrounds. An entrepreneur in the Wildwoods bought them and put them into service on the boardwalk in 1949. The original cars are still running today, now powered by solar energy, over 75 years later.
That detail stopped me cold. A piece of the 1939 World’s Fair is still giving rides on a New Jersey boardwalk. That’s the kind of thing that makes a place feel genuinely alive with history.
More Than a Beach Town
The Wildwoods have over 160 events and festivals planned every year, most of them free. A free beach, which is a bigger deal than you think if you’ve ever paid for a New Jersey beach badge. Over 200 eateries on the boardwalk alone. Three amusement piers with more rides than Disneyland, rated the third largest seaside amusement park in the world.
But what Ben really wanted me to understand, and what I think makes the Wildwoods different from any other Jersey Shore destination, is that this place knows exactly who it is. The architecture, the music history, the multigenerational loyalty of families who book the same room the same week every year. It all adds up to a destination with a genuine, living identity that new developers want to be part of rather than change.
I grew up going to the Wildwoods and thought I knew it. Turns out I was just getting started.
To learn more about what The Wildwoods has to offer, visit https://wildwoodsnj.com/
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