Wildwood Crest

Wildwood Crest is the southernmost of the three main Wildwoods. Like its neighbors, it has free, wide beaches with no badge required, and it shares the area's mid-century motel look. What sets it apart is the calm: the Crest has no boardwalk, and it draws families wanting a quieter base than Wildwood proper. Residential blocks, low-rise motels, parks, and bayside sunset views give it a relaxed, vacation feel.

History Wildwood Crest incorporated as a borough in the early 1900s, the last of the island's towns to form. It grew as a beach destination, but its character came with the postwar boom, when families driving to the Shore filled new motels in the colorful, space-age style now called Doo Wop. Wildwood Crest kept more of those motels and stayed more residential, while the boardwalk and amusements stayed to the north in Wildwood.

What makes it unique The Crest's appeal is what it lacks. There is no boardwalk and no big amusement scene, so it stays calmer than Wildwood, though it shares the same free, wide beaches. It also holds a dense run of restored Doo Wop motels, part of one of the country's largest collections of mid-century resort architecture. Unlike its neighbor, it is a dry town, which reinforces its low-key, family reputation.