Winter in the Wildwoods, New Jersey

My love for all things mid-century isn’t really a secret around these parts, so it will come as no surprise that a visit to the Wildwoods has been on my bucket list for as long as I can remember. A seaside down in dead of Winter probably isn’t a dream for many people, but it was the perfect chance to see many of the hotels around the Wildwoods without any other cars or visitors in the surrounds.

The Wildwoods is a cluster of 5 towns that run along the Jersey Shore, hugely popular in the summertime with people visiting for their beach vacations. A building boom in the 1950s saw hotels popping up everywhere, with Vegas style neons and Doo-Wop architecture, and it quickly became a hot spot for rock-n-roll, with Bill Haley performing ‘Rock Around the Clock’ for the first time, and Chubby Checker performing ‘The Twist’.

Dreaming of your own trip to the Wildwoods? Here’s are a few of our favourite (winter focussed) recommendations:

SNACK
Vegas Diner — I’m still puzzled as to the theming of this diner, but it’s a lovely spot for a classic diner breakfast
Star Diner — a turquoise vinyl delight with retro padded booths
SHOP
The closest we got to any shopping during our stay was at Wawa — a visit to the local grocery chain for snacks!
SEE
The hotels, most of them closed for the season let you take it all in without people around.
STAY
StarLux Hotel — one of the few places open during the time we were in town, but a really comfortable and affordable stay. On-site parking available, and quite close to the shore.