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mallory
Citizen
Username: Mallory
Post Number: 77
Registered: 6-2002
| | Posted on Wednesday, July 19, 2006 - 9:13 am: | 
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Hi - trying to book a short 3 day vacation for me, my husband, my 4 year old daughter and my 2 month old son. I dont know Jersey very much, and want somewhere close that we can drive to. Ocean city and Cape May/ Wildwood have both been recommended to me. Which is better - has more to do for a 4 year old? Most family friendly etc.??? or is there somewhere else in new jersey that is better?
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phyllis
Citizen
Username: Phyllis
Post Number: 552
Registered: 6-2001
| | Posted on Wednesday, July 19, 2006 - 10:19 am: |
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Better depends on your taste. Haven't been to Ocean City or Wildwood in years, but they both are towards to southern most part of the shore. There are lots of wonderful places closer (we're an LBI family). Cape May is a different story all together because it's unique. Beautiful, but again, another hour and change away than lots of great places that would be a much shorter trip. Spring Lake is close and very pretty (more of a year-round town than many shore towns.)
All depends on when you are looking, and what kind of place you want to stay. LBI has rental homes, a handful of motels/hotels and a bunch of B&Bs. But things are going to be booked up now through the end of the season. |
teach75
Citizen
Username: Teach75
Post Number: 50
Registered: 3-2003
| | Posted on Wednesday, July 19, 2006 - 11:15 am: |
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OCean City is where we used to go when I was a child. I loved it! I have been to both Wildwood and Ocean City in the past 5 years. They both have a boardwalk with rides, etc. Ocean City has a whole section of the boardwalk dedicated to rides for the very young. It is even under a roof if I am not mistaken. Plus Ocean City is a dry town. No alcohol sold within city limits. This, in my opinion, makes it nicer for a family because you cut down on dealing with rowdiness. It is known to be a family oriented destination. Cape May is lovely and beautiful and rather romantic. (IMHO) |
MeAndTheBoys
Citizen
Username: Meandtheboys
Post Number: 4209
Registered: 12-2004
| | Posted on Wednesday, July 19, 2006 - 1:27 pm: |
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I have three children ages 3, 5 and 7. We are renting a house on Cape May Point this summer. It is pretty and quiet (no boardwalk honky-tonk and the attendant "rowdiness" although there is a time and place for that too), and has lots of open beach space. This is my preference with small children and as a quiet, relaxing place to "live" for a week. It is in close driving (or bikeriding) distance to the charming, historic downtown area and boardwalk. Drive a little further for true Jersey Shore honky-tonk boardwalk experience. I imagine my preference for quiet will remain for years to come, at least until the kids are well in to thier teens. IMO, Cape May is well worth the extra time it takes to get there. Of course it's easy for me to say that because I can drive down mid-day on a Friday and stay with a friend who is less than half hour from Cape May!
I agree that there are quite a few beach communities that are closer that would also be appropriate. I hear Ocean Grove is really wonderful, although I've never been. Spring Lake is nice as is Bayhead. Point Pleasant and Manasquan are more boardwalk, college kids, party to all hours, but I believe there are neighborhoods, perhaps further back from the beach, where it is quiet. I do know from experience that the police in these towns are very much on top of the rowdiness, and work hard to keep things reasonably under control. |
Popo
Citizen
Username: Popo
Post Number: 152
Registered: 1-2003
| | Posted on Wednesday, July 19, 2006 - 2:17 pm: |
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I second Cape May/Cape May Point. We love it there! One of the advantages for families with small children is that the slope into the water is very gradual. |
Projects Dude
Citizen
Username: Quakes
Post Number: 182
Registered: 3-2004
| | Posted on Wednesday, July 19, 2006 - 2:33 pm: |
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As a side note... on the way down south towards Cape May, you can also stop by at Storybook Land just outside Atlantic City. Will be a decent way to break up a long trip. It's not Disneyland but not overly cheesy either... lots of very young kids under 7 there with rides available for them so your kids may like it. |
cody
Citizen
Username: Cody
Post Number: 1058
Registered: 5-2001
| | Posted on Wednesday, July 19, 2006 - 3:58 pm: |
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Ocean City has a nice boardwalk area, with shopping, mini-golf, amusement parks and restaurants. It is a "dry" town, so all the restaurants are BYOB. There also isn't a large presence of loud or drunken young adults on the boardwalk. But it can get very crowded. It's within driving distance of "Lucy" (the wooden elephant in Margate) and has a long, beach. Most hotels are down by 10th - 16th Streets, but the island stretches considerably further, so driving to 80th Street, for example, gets you to a quiet stretch of beach (but no lifeguards). The beach isn't as wide as is the beach in Wildwood. There is Corson's Inlet Park, which is undeveloped and good for nature walks, but watch out for biting flies if the wind is blowing from the west. They are horrid then!
Wildwood is cleaning up its image - used to have lots of honky-tonk motels and a drinking crowd. Now, there are many condo conversions and they are looking for the family trade. The beach is much, much wider than most of the other barrier islands in the state and I think it is free (Ocean City has beach fees, as does Cape May, Avalon, Stone Harbor..) Wildwood has a bigger boardwalk, with several amusement piers, a small aquarium, lots of restaurants. It is near the Wetlands Institute, just outside of Stone Harbor, which has lots of activities for children as well as boat cruises through the salt marsh. Storybook Land is fun for small children.
If you go to Cape May area, it is always fun to look for translucent quartz pebbles known as "Cape May diamonds" at Diamond Beach. The lighthouse is fun, and there are interesting walks at the park by the beach. The ferry from Cape May to Lewes, Delaware is also a good outing. You can drive on, or walk on. There is shuttle service at the Delaware end to take to outlet shopping or into Lewes (a quaint, older town with lots of shopping, but not outlet stores).
Parking in Cape May itself can be difficult in the summer, but there are lots of restaurants there. I don't know of any amusement park in Cape May itself, though. There is a restoration village called "Cold Springs Village" that has family-oriented theme weekends, and is fun to visit and see what life was like in the early 1800s in southern NJ. It's on Route 9, near Erma. |
teach75
Citizen
Username: Teach75
Post Number: 51
Registered: 3-2003
| | Posted on Wednesday, July 19, 2006 - 11:54 pm: |
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Oh, and the Cape May County Zoo is so worth a trip there whether you are in Woldwood, Cape May or Ocean City! |
cody
Citizen
Username: Cody
Post Number: 1060
Registered: 5-2001
| | Posted on Thursday, July 20, 2006 - 12:22 am: |
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That's very true, I'd forgotten about the zoo.
It started out small, but now has a modern reptile house, an African plains exhibit, red pandas, primates,alligators, wallabys, a small petting zoo, birds, bears, tigers and some more usual NJ animals. Definitely worth a stop. If it's a cloudy day (that means not a beach day) it can get very crowded. |
sportsnut
Citizen
Username: Sportsnut
Post Number: 2502
Registered: 10-2001
| | Posted on Thursday, July 20, 2006 - 9:46 am: |
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We just came back from Cape May this past Monday after spending four wonderful days there. We went for the first time seven years ago when my son was just 9 mos. old and we've gone back just about every year since. We stay in a little B&B a block off of the beach and close to the Mall and the arcade. We had intended on doing the Diamond Beach thing this year but got sidetracked and missed it yet again. We've done the lighthouse and made a day trip to Wildwood in the past (hated it) but the great thing about Cape May is that there are tons of things to do - you can take the trolley tours, play minature golf, play Skeeball, hang out on the beach, take a walking tour or my wife's favorite - shop.
The Zoo is also great although we haven't been back in years.
We're still kicking ourselves for not buying down there seven years ago.
I can't recommend Wildwood due to the "Honky Tonk" factor that someone above mentioned. I can't tell you how many cursing teens we encountered down there one night it was appalling. |
cody
Citizen
Username: Cody
Post Number: 1061
Registered: 5-2001
| | Posted on Thursday, July 20, 2006 - 10:08 am: |
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If you visit Wildwood, definitely go in the morning or early afternoon. That's when it is more "family" oriented. The evenings can get rowdy, for certain. But we've been there during the day quite often over the past few years, and it has been fine then. The T-shirt shops can be a bit raunchy, though, but a 4-year old might not pick up on that. |
heroman
Citizen
Username: Heroman
Post Number: 113
Registered: 7-2001
| | Posted on Tuesday, July 25, 2006 - 6:06 pm: |
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Definitely Cape May. We go every year and my three kids love it. It's quiet and walkable and there's all sorts of things to do for everyone, and you can relax. The Chalfonte has a kids dining room, if you grown ups want to eat without disruption. You will also see lots of dolphins. Check out www.capemay.com |
babymakes3
Citizen
Username: Babymakes3
Post Number: 28
Registered: 10-2005
| | Posted on Saturday, July 29, 2006 - 5:58 pm: |
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A bit off topic - may I recommend the book CAPE MAY COURTHOUSE? It's a true story and the very end has a local mention ( won't ruin it - no reading the last page first!)
We will be spending some time in Avalon this summer - close by Cape May. |
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