Wildwood voted "Top NJ Heritage Destination"

CRChair and I have made no secret of our unabashed love for all things Wildwood. So it was with considerable excitement that I saw the non-profit group "Heritage New Jersey" held a contest and the Wildwoods were voted Top NJ Heritage Destination. It certainly has been important to my personal heritage.

"The Wildwoods by-the-Sea are the best heritage tourism destination in New Jersey because visiting takes you back to a time when America was at its optimistic best,'' he said. "When the Garden State Parkway was completed in the 1950's hundreds of motels were built. They are fanciful motels designed to appeal to the passing motorist. They have exotic names like Shalimar, Royal Hawaiian, Pink Champagne, and Caribbean. Each one was designed to appeal to any type of visitor, to forget where he or she came from and transport them to a tropical location within a short drive from home.

"When I'm in Wildwood, I am taken back to my own childhood,'' Hirsch said. "I ride my bike on the three-mile boardwalk – only in the morning – I sit on the largest, safest, free beach in New Jersey, I eat locally made ice cream, and play miniature golf. Who gets to go back to their own childhood for the weekend? I do. When I was child the water tower read, ‘Wildwood Welcomes the World.' It's still true.''

This is great news for the tourism trade of the Jersey Shore. Here is hoping many new people discover the joys of the Wildwoods. If you are interested in learning more yourself, this is a good place to start (warning, music plays when you open the site).