At the front door
The Wildwoods boardwalk
Two and a half miles of arcades, rides, pizza and salt-water taffy. The tram car runs the length of it — you will hear "watch the tram car, please" in your sleep by Wednesday.
While you're here
What to actually do all week
Most motel websites stop at 'close to attractions.' This is the part we can genuinely help with, because we live here and we have watched a few thousand families work out how to spend four days on this island.
A four-day plan
If you have never been before, do it roughly like this
Not a schedule. Just the order that tends to work with children in tow.
- Day one
Get your bearings, stay close
Check in, put the food in the fridge, and go straight over the boardwalk to the beach — it is a two-minute walk and it makes the drive worth it immediately. Eat on the boards. Pool before bed.
- Day two
The big amusement day
Morey's Piers. Buy wristbands online the night before rather than queuing at the booth. Go early, come back for lunch and the pool in the heat of the afternoon, then head back out when it cools.
- Day three
A slower one
Beach in the morning while it is quiet. The lighthouse and the gardens at the north end of the island in the afternoon. Barbecue on the sundeck in the evening — that is what the grills are for.
- Day four
Whatever they liked most
By day four everyone knows what they want to do again. Usually it is the pier or the beach. The tram car runs the length of the boardwalk, so nobody has to walk it twice.
Nearby
What's within walking distance
We are on 16th and the Beach, which puts most of this within a walk or one tram ride.
A two-minute walk
The beach
North Wildwood has one of the widest free beaches on the Jersey Shore, and there is no badge to buy. Bring a chair and go.
A short walk or tram ride south
Morey's Piers
Three amusement piers and two waterparks. Buy wristbands online before you come — the queue at the booth on a July morning is its own attraction.
About a mile north
Hereford Inlet Lighthouse
An 1874 lighthouse with gardens around it, at the north end of the island. A good hour when the beach has beaten everyone.
Adjacent to the property
The playground next door
Not ours, but it may as well be. Close enough that you can watch from the sundeck with a coffee.
Up and down the island
Doo-wop architecture
The Wildwoods hold the largest concentration of mid-century motel architecture in the country. The Matador is part of it. Drive Ocean Avenue at dusk with the neon on.
The calendar
Events worth building a trip around
These weekends fill the whole island. If you want one of them, book it early — and look at the specials page, because most of them have a package attached.
- September 2026 The Wildwoods boardwalk
Boardwalk Classic Car Show
A mile of restored cars parked on the boards. We are on the boardwalk, so you walk out of the lobby into it.
- Late September 2026 North Wildwood
Irish Fall Festival
The biggest weekend of the North Wildwood autumn — music, a parade and a town at capacity. Rooms go months ahead.
- Summer 2026 North Wildwood
Captain Kidd Weekend
Pirates on the beach, a treasure hunt and a family weekend built for children under ten.
Open May – October
Book the week. We'll tell you where to eat.
Or call 609-522-1234 — someone in the family will pick up.