The membership arrived at the NJ State Firemen’s Home to find the home decorated for the upcoming Halloween and Thanksgiving holidays. It seemed like yesterday we were up here for the Summer Barbecues.
The outside grounds of the NJ State Firemen’s Home
We had a lot to talk about at our October meeting with the Annual Convention behind us. There had been discussions on the Home and its expansion, renovations going on and the upcoming holiday season. I thought it was one of the best meetings we had in a long time.
The outside of the home decorated for the upcoming holiday season
Our fundraising has been coming along really well and we have exceeded our drive from last year. I think the word getting out about what we do and the Social media has been a huge help. We not only want to show our fellow fire companies where their money is being spent but how it is being spent.
We discussed also our upcoming reorganization breakfast at the Wyckoff Fire Department in November and the Annual Christmas party in December. Our Secretary, Tom Simpson discussed the gift this year and a planned lunch for both the staff and the membership. Everything is underway and planned for a great holiday season.
After the meeting was over, we joined the residents in the main meeting room where refreshments were being served and the entertainment had started.
Gigi entertained the residents on a stage decorated for the upcoming Halloween season
Gigi performed a series of Classic rock and Country music
Gigi performing the Patsy Kline hit “Crazy for you”
After ending her performance with ‘God Bless America’, we got up and introduced ourselves to the residents. We let everyone know about our upcoming Christmas party, which is always a huge hit with the residents and staff alike. We also we wished them well and for their years of service to the fire service, which they seemed touched by. Then we took our group picture.
The members of the Bergen County Firemen’s Home Association
We ended the program with one of the employees of the home, Eleanor, singing with Gigi a heartfelt song., “I Believe”.
What I thought was interesting was one of the guys told me she had once been a backup singer to Michael Jackson. I thought that was really gift that this woman shared her voice and love for these guys.
It really was a wonderful afternoon and I want to thank everyone who made it possible. This is our gift to our fellow firefighters.
The Doo Wop Preservation League Museum at 4500 Ocean Avenue.
I visited the Doo Wop Preservation League Museum when I was visiting Wildwood, NJ for the Firemen’s Convention. They were sponsoring the DJ on the stage behind the museum. It was easy to miss the museum with all the fire equipment around it and hundreds of firemen milling around.
The neon signs in front of the Doo Wop Museum.
The old neon hotel signs outside the museum
Once inside, this small museum is a treasure trove of history of the resort motels that once lined the beaches of Wildwood, Wildwood Crest and North Wildwood. As time rolls on, many of these old motels, hotels and restaurants are giving way to condos, newer homes and new chain hotels changing the landscape of Wildwood. It is bringing it into modern times with newer looks.
The restaurant section of the Doo Wop Museum
When many of these motels are torn down, the establishments donate old furnishes, decorative objects and signs from the outside to the museum. The outside of the museum is decorated with signs of businesses that are now closed, there neon lights still shining but for a different purpose. These somewhat gaudy and over-grandised signs and looks were of a time of great optimism and travel. Since the middle and working class families did not have the money to travel to these exotic places, something similar was created for them in the Wildwoods bringing that look to the Jersey shore.
The restaurant section of the Doo Wop Museum
The neon room of the 1950’s
When talking to the curators , a couple that ran the museum said that the museum represents the change in décor used after WWII when they used the neon lights and steel from the war into the signs and lighting of the new resorts. It was a unique style of the late 1950’s and 60’s, when these materials were plentiful and motel owners were getting creative to bring in the rising middle class tourists that could not afford the trips to Hawaii and Miami Beach. These owners brought these themes to Wildwood with a creative twist. Check out the signing and furniture that lines the walls and dining set ups of the museum.
The old neon signs of the hotels in Wildwood, NJ.
The museum is small and takes only about an hour to walk through. Each of the vignettes are designed as its own room with furnishings from old hotels and motels like tables, chairs, lamps and ashtrays in one corner, in another are stools, a jukebox and menus from a 50’s or 60’s style restaurant or items used at the time like bicycles or scooters.
The interesting preservation by the museum shows all over
The History of the Doo Wop Museum:
The Doo Wop Preservation League was founded in 1997 as a 501C3 to preserve the 1950’s and 60’s architectural styles of the Wildwood’s. Doo Wop style is a combination of Space Age dreams of the late 60’s and the exotic seaside tropics of recently opened South Seas Islands like Hawaii which became out 50th State in 1959. The Polynesian look was very ‘in’ at this time as most people could not afford to go but wanted to replicated for them.
The signs of the museum beacon visitors.
The museum is housed in the 1960’s ‘Space Age’ restaurant “The Surfside” that was saved from the wrecking ball and moved to this spot right across the Convention Center and the Boardwalk. On Tuesdays and Thursdays when in season (i.e. Warmer Months), there are bus tours offered by the museum. The museum’s goal is catalogue the remaining businesses in town that still keep their look of the era (Museum website and The Wildwooder Newspaper).
Don’t miss the museum tours:
The best part is that the museum is free (donation suggested) and you can take your time for a self-guided tour of the museum.
I visit Douglass Candies on the Boardwalk in Wildwood, NJ every time I am visiting for the NJ State Firemen’s Convention. The selection of homemade candies is like talking a walk through Mr. Wonka’s factory.
The inside of this delicious fudge shop
When you walk through the front do , you can see the workers making and cutting fudge. You can see how fresh their candy is and how it is packaged right in front of you.
The one product I really like at the store is their candy bars especially their milk chocolate. They are a bit pricy but a once in a while treat is a good thing. You can always taste the richness in freshly made chocolate and their chocolate bars are the best. Their taffy was delicious too when they were sampling it.
The delicious taffy and assorted candies
The decorated Candy Apples
Each counter has a different type of candy and even in early September, the store was being decorated for Halloween. This smiling witch greeted customers at the door.
The store decorated for Halloween
The store on a sunny day on the Boardwalk
This institution on the Boardwalk is a summer tradition for me and for generations of beach goers. The beauty and old fashioned feel of the store harks back to a time when quality and care still meant something and excellent customer service meant a warm welcome and a smile. Douglass Candies has both.
The History of the Company:
(from the company website)
Douglass Candies, Inc. is a fourth generation candy company founded in 1919. We are the oldest family owned business in Wildwood! Since our origin, we have been making the highest quality cream fudge, gourmet chocolates, and REAL salt water taffy giving us our slogan “We Make The Candy We Sell”. You might recognize us by our signature plaid box and trademark scotty dog. The plaid represents our Scottish/Irish heritage while the scotty dog was simply used because our founder, Charles Douglass, adored his scotty dogs. We pride ourselves on customer service, quality control, family, and tradition.
Our founder, Charles Douglass, was an exemplary citizen of the Wildwoods. He was a prominent boardwalk business man, hotel operator, chairman of the Wildwood outing committee, board member of the chamber of commerce, executive committee member of the New Jersey State Hotel Association, and president of the Wildwood Golf Club. Charles founded Douglass Candies in 1919 and opened up his first location at Wildwood Ave and the Boardwalk where we continue to do business nearly 100 years later!
Charles’ candy career began in Philadelphia where he owned a store in Rittenhouse Square. In 1905, Charles and wife Flora moved to Wildwood. They opened the Douglass Hotel in 1913 on Atlantic and Pine Avenues, followed by a small candy concession stand on Cedar Ave in 1917. After some success with the candy store, Charles moved his operation to the boardwalk at Wildwood Ave. The building was constructed by recycling an army barracks from Cape May, NJ. During his reign as President of Douglass Candies from 1919-1941, the business gained major popularity and success. It was doing so well, in 1922 Charles built a pavilion across from his business for customers to get out of the sun/rain and enjoy a nice place to relax. Recipes and techniques created over the course of these years are the basis of our recipes that we still use today.
Charles passed away peacefully in his home at the age of 77. Following his death, Charles’ brother Joseph took over the business. Joseph Douglass also began his business career in Philadelphia. He lived in the famous Lemon Hill Mansion in Fairmont Park where he ran a candy/ice cream shop. After seeing the success of his brother, he moved his family to Wildwood in 1919. Upon arriving, he opened a boarding house and restaurant on Cedar Ave. He later opened the Douglass Cafeteria on Oak and Atlantic Ave. The cafeteria specialized in homemade ice cream. Joseph also owned the Bellevue Hotel and Restaurant in Cape May Court House. Joseph took over Douglass Candies in 1941 and owned it for less than a year before passing in 1942.
Upon Joseph’s death, his beloved wife Minerva took over the business along with their three children; Charles, Harvey, and June. Minerva and June handled administration and the store front while Harvey and Charles took care of the production side of the company. Minerva and her children aided in the continued success to Douglass Candies. They even brought in a famous German chocolatier, Frank Steiner, to help perfect our techniques and recipes. Minerva died in 1969, followed by Charles in 1972. June then bought out Harvey, leaving her the sole owner of Douglass Candies. Harvey passed in 1983. His children, Joe and Charlie, went on to pursue careers in candy on the west coast.
In the late 1970’s, as the President of Douglass Candies, June took over all administration work and oversaw all production. Her only child, Barbara aka “Babs”, handled the storefront and helped Douglass expand during her time with the business. June worked into her late 70’s and passed away in her home in Wildwood Crest is 2003. Barbara ran the entire business herself from 2000-2013, at which time she passed it on to her boys, James and Jason. Barbara passed away in 2014.
James and Jason have continued the family tradition as fourth generation owners and have given the business new life. They are responsible for the addition of new product lines as well as expansion into Stone Harbor. They were incredibly proud to celebrate Douglass’ 100th year in business in 2019 and look forward to continuing the Douglass tradition for years to come!
The Tuckerton Museum and the Seaport at 120 West Main Street in Tuckerton, NJ
The entrance to the complex from Route 9
The entrance to the Tuckerton Seaport complex on a sunny Saturday morning
The complex was once a bustling fishing and shipping area that has now been preserved as a cultural site with tours, a series of restaurants and a museum.
The Mission of the Museum:
(from the Tuckerton Seaport Museum website)
Our mission at the Tuckerton Seaport is to preserve, present and interpret the rich maritime history, artistry, heritage and environment of the Jersey shore and the unique contributions of its baymen.
The dock area by the coffee shop
The artwork by the parking lot and coffee shop
I walked over to the main building which served as both the gift shop and museum. It was funny that the gift shop took both the first two front rooms of the museum. I had to look behind shirts to see the displays.
The docks and touring boats by the museum
The Seaport Tuckerton Museum at 120 West Main Street
The History of the Complex:
(from the Tuckerton Museum website)
Originally launched as the Barnegat Bay Decoy and Baymen’s Museum, the Tuckerton Seaport has evolved over the past twenty-two years into a community museum and community center occupying 40 acres located along historic Tuckerton Creek in Tuckerton, New Jersey. Tuckerton Seaport benefits from a prime location at the center of the Jersey shore, easily accessible via Exit 58 on the Garden State Parkway. Tuckerton Seaport works as a coastal cultural center to bring folklife traditions of the past and present to life through programs on land and water.
The museum was just opening up as I arrived and the staff was busy getting everything ready so I just walked around the museum. It is an interesting museum on New Jersey’s nautical past and the growth of the shipping and trading that went on in the turn of the last century. The museum also showed the bustling fishing industry that still exists today.
The Giant Chicken greets you at the door
The Giant Chicken was a road stop symbol of the White Way Farm Market and a tourist attraction
I thought it was rather cute and could see why people stopped
The view from the front porch of the museum was spectacular on this sunny day
The exhibit at the museum ‘Museum in the Making’, which is a through look at Tuckerton, its past and its contributions to the growth of New Jersey
The first room also served as a bustling gift shop with the main attraction this carving of the ‘Jersey Devil’
A display of Duck Decoys
A collection of woodcarvings of fisherman
The popular businesses that once lined Route 9 up and down the shore area
Displaying life down the shore in that era with quilting and sewing
The display of wood carvings and artwork on the first floor
The artworks made of driftwood by local artists
The driftwood art display on the first floor
The rooms both on the first and second floor were displayed by themes of Lenape Indian life at the shore, the Dutch and English traders, growth of shore farming, shipping and trade and fishing industries and the development of tourism in the area with steamships and the railroads.
The first room in the museum is a detailed look at the life of the Lenape and the froth of the fishing industry
The early life at the Jersey shore
The Native American display
The first part of the early development of Tuckerton started as the fishing and hunting grounds of the Native Americans until the settlement of the Dutch
The history of the Lenape
The arrival of the Europeans started the bustling shipping and trade industries that supplied the home country
With the growth of industry and farming many people started businesses to supply the population
Some started popular businesses that lasted over a century
E. Walter Parsons Jr. had a very successful fishing business that was in the family until 1984
With the rich soil in the area, local farmers worked the land providing fruits and vegetables for the growing population
Early farming equipment on display
The second floor galleries depicted the developing life at the shore with creating of modern life saving for the shipping and fishing industries and with coming of railroads, the bustling tourism industry with the change of leisure travel after the Civil War and the Industrial Revolution.
The second floor rail transportation display
The second floor display on shipwrecks off the Jersey coast
The development of modern Life Saving procedures
With storms at sea and affecting life in the area, as it still does today, there was a growth and development of modern Live-saving procedures and rescue methods.
The Life Saving exhibit
The use of the Lyle Gun in rescues
The series of pulleys and wenches are still used today in different forms. They had to create a safe way to rescue people not just from storms but accidents as well.
The Life Saving and Rescue display
Rescue display
The railroad made its way to the Jersey shore bringing tourists from both New York and Philadelphia and bustling North Jersey. This opened the area up to tourism as leisure travel grew at the end of the nineteenth century.
One example of a visiting tourist was the Cinderella Cramer display with long distance travel to the shore.
The first female passenger of the Tuckerton Railroad
Getting the rail ticket
Tourism developing at the Jersey shore
The Cinderella Cramer display representing that eras travels to the shore with Victorian standards and use of steamer trunks
Packing the steamer trunks for the long journey
Artifacts from the shore
Life at the shore still had its perils as it does today with storms affecting development and shifting shore lines
The lighthouse light display
The museum once served as a beacon for shipping and the top level served as a lookout. Today you can walk upstairs and enjoy the views.
Traveling up the tower stairs
On this beautiful sunny and clear morning that I visited, the views were spectacular.
The view of the port area of the complex
The view of the inlet and Lake Pohatcong across from Route 9
My video of the views from the top of the lookout
The Tuckerton Seaport Museum tour was a very thorough look at the community and its development over the last three hundred years. The exhibits showed the progress the community has made and where it is headed in the future as the shore communities keep changing.
With the economy, the rise of AI, climate change and overall population growth toward the shore, it will be interesting to see the changes of the future.
Leaving the museum complex at the end of the trip
Tuckerton has an interesting past as a shipping and fishing destination and now you can tour the buildings and see what life was like back then and there it is moving in to the future today.
I had a very busy weekend of running around South Jersey. I have been updating my blog on the Historical Sites of South Jersey and trying to visit as many of this small museums and special events venues before they close for the season. Like any of my blogging trips, I planned the weekend like “D Day”. I lucked out as the weather was wonderful both days, clear, sunny and in the mid 80’s. I could not think of a better time to go to the shore than post-Labor Day weekend. My goal was to attend the Apple Festival that I had heard about at the Gandy Farmstead Museum when I toured the home for my blog, VisitingaMuseum.com (see blog and reviews).
The JW Gandy Farmstead Museum at 26 Tyler Road in Greenfield, NJ
Two weeks after my initial visit to the Gandy House during the Firemen’s Convention, I returned for the Historical Society’s Annual Apple Festival on Saturday, October 4th. The event reminded me of the Brinckerhoff House Strawberry Festival I had attended in May , a very nice family and community event that attracted everyone.
The East Fishkill Historical Society-Brinckerhoff House Strawberry Festival 2025/Exploring Fishkill, NY blog:
Since there were a lot of shore towns I wanted to revisit while the weather was nice, I arranged to stay at an Airbnb in Ocean City so I had plenty of time to do what I needed to do and relax afterwards. Plus when the event was over, I could visit Ocean City and explore both the downtown and the boardwalk.
I could not believe how crowded the roads were as so many places were having either Fall festivals or October Fest. Route 9 was like a parking lot near Smithville, NJ as the town was having their ‘October Fest’ over both days of the weekend. Traffic was backed up for about two miles trying to get in so I got off Route 9 and traveled down the Garden State Parkway.
I got to the Apple Festival around noon and the parking lot was packed with people. One of the members said later that afternoon that he could not believe the consistent crowds as it was still busy at 2:15pm (the festival was over by 3:00pm). The crowds were filled with several generations of family members who I am sure were traveling from one event to another on this spectacular sunny morning. People were still arriving even as the event was winding down that afternoon.
The sign welcoming you to the event
When I arrived at the festival, the parking lot was still filling up so I had to park way in the back so I could get in and out easily.
On the Gandy family property on the other side of the home, they had an antique car show, a mini train ride around the tracks of this part of the property and a Caboose train car that you could explore.
The train tracks around the farm property
The train set up and tracks to tour around the farm
The train rides were really popular with both the small and ‘big’ kids
This small train trip had a nice sized line to it as families were really enjoying themselves
I then toured the Caboose which was set up for service and a day in the life of a conductor. Some of the volunteers were even dressed as conductors leading tour and talking to families. I did not understand how the train car got there but I thought it was an interesting look at life on the early train system of this country especially how it opened up the State of New Jersey.
The caboose on the farm property
The inside of the caboose
Getting ready for the holidays
Life of a train conductor shown in the caboose
After the tour of the car show and watching the families have fun on the trains, I headed across the street to the Gandy House for the tours and activities. There were all sorts of craft vendors, food and entertainment. The music duo was performing the James Taylor song “How Sweet it is to be loved by You” when I arrived.
The back of the Gandy Farmstead with crafts and entertainment
Entering the Apple Festival with a Farmers Market and Apple sale
The Farmers Market of locally grown produce
There was a stand that was a mini Farmers Market with locally grown apples, pumpkins, squash and tomatoes on top of other produce. It was so nicely displayed and the prices were really reasonable.
They had a wonderful duo interesting the crowds that afternoon
There were all sorts of crafts stands around where the entertainment was performing
The local crafts people were really talented and included crocheted, painters, floral arrangers and jewelry markers. There were all sorts of handmade items and there were stands to buy homemade jellies and pickles and the prices were not like North Jersey, where a jar of jam at a Farmers Market will run you $15.00. The prices here were closer to $5.00 for certain items, which I thought was very fair.
One woman sold flowers from her gardens and arranged bouquets
This woman painted her own crafts and did beautiful work for both Halloween and Christmas
Here beautiful holiday crafts
I loved this Santa tree and was going to get it for my mom
This woman had the most beautiful handmade doll clothing and knit items for the holidays
What is an Apple Festival without food? I went to the concession stand for lunch and ordered a hot dog with a glass of locally made Apple cider and had an homemade Apple Shortcake, which I found out later the members had made the night before.
The concession stand where all the food was made
Enjoying my lunch. Both the hotdogs and apple cider were locally made and that’s why it tasted so good! The apple cider was from a local farm and I wished they had sold this at the festival. I think the farmer would have sold out!
Hot dogs taste so good off the grill!
The delicious homemade Apple Shortcake with homemade apple topping were made by the members
I also stopped off at the apple stand where cases of apples were being sold. It looked like many people were going to make pies and sauce with these and the stand looked like they were selling out.
I managed to buy one of the Mango sweet apples they were selling individually
The apples were so hard, fresh and sweet that it made the perfect addition to dessert. Nothing is better than a Jersey Apple right off the vine. I could not believe how fast they sold out of the boxes of apples and the individual apples were selling just as fast.
The Mango Sweet apples
Talk about delicious
After lunch, I ran into the Board members who had helped me with the tour two weeks early and I took a quick tour of the first floor of the home. The laundry room was not open the day of my private tour, so I toured this part of the house on top of taking a better look at the first floor.
Touring the outside grape arbor
The grape arbor on an early Fall day
Touring the first floor laundry room
An early washing machine
How to do laundry at the turn of the last century
After having lunch, touring the house and visiting all the vendors I relaxed for the rest of the afternoon and listened to the entertainment perform. The duo performed a combination of 70’s hit songs, country music and some James Taylor.
The duo performing classic hits
The first part of the song “Brandy (You’re a Fine Girl)” from the 1970’s before people walked in the way
The rest of the song performed. They did an excellent job with it
Before I left just after 2:00pm, I stayed to see who won the Apple pie contest. There were only three contributors but I wanted to get a slice before I left. They did not slice them up while I was there. Bummer! I really wanted a piece of fresh Apple pie.
The winners of the Apple pie contest
The Apple Festival sponsored by the Upper Township Historical Society happens every October. It is a wonderful family event and fundraiser for the Historical Society. I know I had a lot of fun and it reminded me of the events that I went to as a kid in the 1970’s, which was long before cell phones.
It was funny that the only person who had a cell phone glued to his hand was me but then I was there to cover this event. It really was a relaxing and wonderful afternoon with good food and entertainment. It was just like the 1970’s all over again with families enjoying each other’s company. Sometimes I think that people underate these local events which are so much fun.
By the time I left, most everyone was gone but I did watch families still walking in and heading to the food concessions. I hope they had that delicious Apple Shortcake. I assume the Festival did not close until after 3:00pm.
From the festival, I headed to Somers Point for an afternoon of picture taking. I had been here the summer before Grad school to visit the three museums on Shore Road, the Somers Mansion, the Atlantic County Historical Society and the Somers Point Historical Society and never got the exterior shots of the town that I wanted. I ended up revamping the whole blog and almost all the pictures.
As I was heading into Somers Point, I came across the most unusual farm stand sign and had to stop to take a picture. I thought this was fun and engaging and what a way to capture your attention.
The sign for Vaughan’s Farm Stand
The entrance to the Vaughan’s Farm at 312 Roosevelt Boulevard in Marmora, NJ
I stopped for a quick visit to the Vaughan’s farm stand and took a quick walk around the greenhouse to admire the plants and fall decorations on sale. I thought there might be food but just colorful plants and gardening supplies for local homes.
The flower and plant selection
The beautiful plants that they carry
The selection of seasonal items and Halloween themed gifts that they carried
Then I headed into Somers Point and my first stop, the original Somers Mansion which was the only museum open at the time. The other museums had closed earlier in the day but I had already visited all three in the past.
While the house looks impressive from the outside and was once home to five generations of the Somer family, the inside is a dusty relic of the past and they will not allow you to take pictures inside (I think they think someone will steal the dusty relics). I just think the inside could be a better interpretation of the family who lived here. Still the views from the house are amazing on a sunny day.
The view of the bay and the highway and bridge
On this trip I had about two and a half hours to really tour and explore the town. I ended up revamping the entire blog from three years ago with more pictures and a better depiction of this historical town.
I walked through the historical district of the town which stretches from the Somers Mansion to the modern downtown and got a better understanding of the growth of this community.
The district is filled with old and classic beach homes
Then I walked down Shore Avenue, the heart of Somers Point historical area and came across the statue of Richard Somers.
The statue of Master Commandant Richard Somers
Walking down to the elementary school on New York Avenue, I also visited the graves of the Somers family which is tucked off to the side.
The family cemetery was once part of their estate
After my tour of the historic district and revamped my entire blog on Somers Point, I remembered the Dairy Queen in town and had a craving for a Banana Split. It still tastes the same as it did in 1972!
The Dairy Queen in Somers Point at 501 Shore Drive
After my snack, it was time to walk it off. I took a tour by the shore line and discovered parks that I had not seen on my last trip to town.
The park and beach by the bay
As I walked further down the road, I came across the walkway under the bridge and the highway. That was an interesting walk.
The walkway under the bridge offers great views of the bay and dazzling sunsets
The sun was starting to make its descent in the late afternoon
I wanted to get to the Airbnb by 5:00pm and relax before dinner. Driving between Somers Point and Ocean City is a breeze in the off season and I made it in about twenty minutes.
My Airbnb was right next to downtown Ocean City and three blocks from their Boardwalk
After I settled in and relaxed a bit, I took a walk through the downtown to look at the stores and restaurants. I pretty much knew where I wanted to go for dinner but wanted to see my options.
Their pizza is always a treat and I look forward to eating here every time I am in Ocean City. Their red sauce has a nice flavor and is so well spiced. While a bit pricy for a slice (the meat lovers slice was $8.00), they did not skimp on the toppings.
A slice of the Meatlovers and a slice of Cheese pizza
I really enjoyed my dinner. The Meatlovers was loaded with different types of meat and you could taste the complexity in every bite. It was also fun to watch everyone glued to the Phillies game. When I explored Beach Haven the next day, it was all about the Giants.
After dinner, I took a stroll down the Boardwalk and walked through the amusement parks and games. Ocean City does not have the ‘honky-tonky’ feel of Wildwood or Point Pleasant. It really has the feel of family resort.
Walking through the amusement area
The park was really busy for a Saturday night post Labor Day
What was really beautiful was my walk on the beach and the light of the moon rising over the shore.
The beach views were breathtaking
My video of Ocean City Beach at sunset
Just walking on the boardwalk in the evening on a beautiful fall night was a treat. It had not gotten cool yet and it was still warm that evening.
My last stop before I headed back to the Airbnb was a stop at Johnson’s Popcorn. By this point it was now 9:00pm and everyone was closing up shop fast. I have never seen an amusement park empty out that fast.
The girl at the counter of the main Johnson’s Popcorn could not have been nicer. She told me she had plenty of popcorn left and gave me a bag of a combination of Caramel and Cheddar in addition to my cup of popcorn that I could barely finish.
My bag of Johnson’s Popcorn
The combination of the Cheddar and Caramel has the best flavor
I was a very happy camper that night
The popcorn was still warm and the caramel was still really sticky. Even at that time of the evening, the popcorn was such high quality. Trust me, not a kernel went to waste on the Boardwalk.
I slept so soundly that night and had one of the best night’s sleep in a long time. The Airbnb was great because it was so close to everything that it was a short walk back from the boardwalk I could get right into bed.
My room at the Airbnb
The next morning I wanted to take a quick walk around town before I headed towards my next shore town of Beach Haven just up the coast.
I stopped for a quick breakfast at McDonalds in Ocean City and indulged in the new Sausage McMuffin and Egg Breakfast Extra Value meal.
The new McDonalds in Ocean City, NJ at 900 West Street
I still think the Sausage McMuffin with Egg is the best breakfast in the industry
I wanted to make two stops before I left town. I started with a walk on the boardwalk admiring the sunny morning. Nothing is more wonderful than walking around a boardwalk on a quiet Sunday morning. The stores and restaurants were opening for breakfast and surfers were out in full force ‘catching waves’. Mornings in a shore community have their own life.
The boardwalk at Ocean City, NJ
The beach with early risers
The amusement area in the distance
There’s a big surfer culture here
I could not believe the amount of surfers who were on the Ocean City beach. The waves were not that big that morning but I could imagine what the waves were like during the recent storms. These folks have their own culture and lingo.
My video on the Surfers of Ocean City on the beach that morning
After my walk on the beach, I headed off to the US Lifeguard Station 30 Museum to see the exhibitions.
I was very lucky that I was able to visit the museum before it closed for the season and tour the facility. I found the life of the rescue teams fascinating and all the work these men did before the creation of the Coast Guard. The way they handled rescues and the training they needed back before the advent of phones and walkie-talkies was interesting. How the lanterns were used for as a form of communication between the beach and the building.
The inside Rescue Gallery
The formal Dining Room
There was a whole formal culture built on this and visitors and guests were welcomed to the building by officers, some meals cooked by the members wives and some by themselves.
The pulleys and wenches that saved people
Additional rescue boats
Life here was active but comfortable as I judged by the bunk room. This loft once overlooked the sea that is now three blocks away. Here the men had to be ready for anything and the windows offered perfect access to the sea.
The Bunk Room loft where the men slept and watched over the beaches
After I left the museum, it was time to travel to Beach Haven. So I took more walk around Ocean City to enjoy the beauty of this Jersey shore town. Even though it was just an overnight trip, there is a lot to see and do in these South Jersey communities packed with historical sites and interesting restaurants and especially beautiful beaches.
One last walk on the Boardwalk that morning
One last look at the spectacular beach
Now it was on to Exploring Beach Haven, NJ and Long Beach Island. I wanted to revamp that blog as well as there were places I wanted to visit before the weather got cooler. This is the best time to visit the Jersey shore and what a spectacular weekend it was!
My blog on Visiting and Exploring Beach Haven and Long Beach Island:
It was another wonderful afternoon in South Jersey and really shows all the wonderful things this area of the State has to offer. These little festivals show what volunteers can accomplish and I think we are better as tourists when we ger to attend them.
The Stone Harbor Bird Sanctuary is a wonderfully preserved microcosm of what the barrier islands of New Jersey looked like hundreds of years ago. As you walk along Sanctuary paths, it is easy to imagine the Lenni-Lenape Indians wandering through the maritime forest, crossing wind swept sand dunes, past groves of white cedar, birch, pine, holly and sassafras trees, taking time to drink water from a spring fed freshwater pond and then, fishing in the salt water meadows surrounded by herons and songbirds.
As early as the 1870’s and 1880’s, the Sanctuary area was recognized as a “veritable paradise of birds” for ornithologists. The primary attractions were Little Blue Herons, Black-crowned Night Herons, Green Herons and egrets. Once the 96th Street Bridge opened in 1911, those who wanted to study, hunt or collect the eggs of birds no longer had to walk across four miles of marsh. Easy access to the heronry was a boon to birders but also a threat to birds whose plumes and eggs were valued.
In 1941, the Stone Harbor Bird Club was organized in the home of Lillian R. Leuallen. The Bird Club was renamed in 1946 as the Witmer Stone Club to honor Witmer Stone, one of the first ornithologists to document birds in the Sanctuary area. With considerable foresight, the Witmer Stone Club proposed early in 1947 that the Borough of Stone Harbor establish a “sanctuary”. In October of 1947, the Borough Council passed Ordinance #208 which preserved 31 acres of land as a wildlife sanctuary. Subsequent to expert study in 1961 which demonstrated that no birds were nesting on the beach side sanctuary acreage, the Stone Harbor Borough Council sold ten acres to the east of Second Avenue. The remaining 21 acres bounded by Second Avenue to the East, Third Avenue to the West, 111th Street to the North and area between 116th and 117th on the South represents the Sanctuary as we know it today. The Sanctuary remains one of the few bird sanctuaries in the world that are completely within municipal boundaries.
One can’t overstate the foresight and commitment of the residents and Borough officials to conservation as well as the preservation of open space and wildlife in 1947, 1961 and every year since. This commitment was reinforced by the United States Park Service in 1965 when it designated the Sanctuary as a National Natural Landmark.
Over the years, the Sanctuary has been home to thousands of birds and visited by more than a million people representing all fifty states and most countries in the world. It has been estimated that Sanctuary visitors spend more than $5 million each year, locally. Although some like the New York Times in 1960 glorify the Sanctuary, referring to it as “The Everglades of New Jersey”, Stone Harbor residents think of the Sanctuary as a symbol of the character of this quiet, single family town which respects the nature and wildlife that surrounds them while placing a premium on livability, aesthetics and serenity.
The front of the sanctuary from 3rd Avenue
I took a walk when I was in Stone Harbor through the town’s Bird Sanctuary to hopefully view some rare birds. While I did not see much, I heard a lot of singing and scrawling as I walked the path through the trees.
The front gardens in the sanctuary
The gardens were still in bloom in the late Summer and many colorful wildflowers attracted all sorts of butterflies and other insects.
The sign greeting you about the experience
The front path of the sanctuary
You head over the bridge to the paths that take you into the woods
Walking down the pathways through the woods
The path takes you into a deep wooded area in the middle of the town and by the time you get to the middle of the path, you can hear the mating calls of many birds. It’s funny to note that we are a couple of blocks from the shore.
Walking through the pathways
Reaching the middle of the beach woods
The middle of the bird sanctuary noisy with bird calls
Walking back through the pathways through the roads
Touring through the Bird Sanctuary does not take a long time, but offers relief from a busy shore town.
Open: Please check the website for the times they are open.
Admission: Free but donations accepted
My review on TripAdvisor:
The Tuckahoe Train Station at Mill Street and Railroad Avenue
I visited the Tuckahoe Train Station during Christmas of 2024. The holiday events were long over but the station was still decorated for the holidays. In the Summer of 2025, I arranged a full tour of the station museum and the rail yard.
The station’s historic sign
The station’s historic sign
The station was once the hub of the area and visitors would depart from cities like New York and Philadelphia. The trains stopped running to this area in 1981.
The train station from the front of the building in the winter of 2024
I came back in 2025 for a full tour of the train station and the grounds. The Board members of the Upper Cape May County Historical Society had arranged this enjoyable tour of all the rooms.
The station again in 2025
The train station history
The Summer of 2025:
My tour of the train station started with the history of the station and the development of the train station and transportation to the area. The coming of the railroad meant the development of the area as a resort town bringing hundreds of visitors each summer.
The tour started at the inside of the station and took me through the first and second floors of he old station house.
The first floor of the Tuckahoe Train Station
The Ticket a room is now the gift shop
The display cases of memorabilia from the station days
The classic train sets
Ticketing and travel materials
The entrance to the baggage Room
The Baggage Room
The old Ticketing Room
The Ticketing window
The old seating area in the Ticket Room. The tour guide told me that unions version of the benches was built brand new to match the antique one. I could not tell the difference.
The pot belly stove that kept everyone warm in the winter months
The next room over was the Waiting Room where there were more artifacts to see.
The Waiting Room
The seating in the Waiting Room
Then we toured the upstairs where the Conductor’s office and bedroom were located.
The Conductors office on the second floor
The conductor’s uniform
The we moved on to the Conductor’s living quarters when at the station working. This type of work had so much more to it in the days when rail travel was the way to go.
The Rail Conductor’s bedroom
The simple bedroom was enough so the conductor could get some rest
The artifacts from the turn of the last century
After we toured the entire building with the docent really giving me the thorough tour and history on the station and its artifacts, we went outside to discuss the trains.
We headed outside to tour the individual trains and their history. This once major shore hub has quieted down with the reduction in rail transportation due to cars.
The outside of the train station and its collection of train cars.
The train station outside where the cars are located
The Blue Comet Beach Train
The Blue Comet was once the ultimate in luxury travel when you came to the shore. This once ‘grand dame’ of travel is being renovated by the museum.
The Showman’s Car
The Pennsylvania Starline
The long line of train cars
The train cars being renovated
The Beach trains
The last part of these interesting and engaging tour was a tour of the Signal and Control Building, where all communications for the railway took place.
The Control and Signal Building
The inside where controls and repairs take place
The signal board to the train turnaround at the Y
The full tour of the Tuckahoe Train Station Museum will give you a glimpse of a once vibrant rail head and the life of visitors down the shore. The inner workings of a train station at that time are on full display here.
The History of the Tuckahoe Train Station Museum:
(from the museum website)
n the 1890’s the West Jersey and Seashore railroad, opened by the Pennsylvania Railroad, and the Atlantic City Railroad, owned by the Philadelphia and reading railway, offered competing service from, Camden to southern New Jersey seashore resorts. The first railroad line through Upper Township was completed in 1863, and the station at Tuckahoe was built over 30 years later in 1894. In 1933 the two railroads consolidated to form the Pennsylvania-Reading Seashore Lines. Tuckahoe served as the junction of the Ocean City and Cape May branches.
Passenger Service stopped in 1981 and soon after, freight service halted in 1983 except for the transport of coal and then oil to the power plant at Beesley’s Point. which lasted until May, 2019. The current Cape May Seashore Lines was founded in 1984 by Tony Macri.
In 1984, the Tuckahoe Train station was placed on the State and National Register for Historic Places, but afterward fell into a condition of disrepair. However, the building was restored to its original appearance in 2001 and is now the headquarters of the Historical Preservation Society of Upper Township.
‘The gardens that once enhanced the grounds were established as an Eagle Scout Project in 2003. Today, the township maintains the building and the grounds. The station is now a centerpiece for local township history and the location of the Santa Express Train rides at Christmas.
I found the tour fascinating of how this museum was once the hub of transportation for this section of the Jersey Shore.
The historic grounds of the property in the winter
I visited the John Westley Gandy Farmstead on private walking tours both in the Winter of 2024 and the Summer of 2025 and got a glimpse of farm life in early rural Southern New Jersey. Away from the markets of New York City, I got to see how tenant farming and life was for early farmers after the Revolutionary War.
The house is decorated with artifacts from the early 1800’s to the turn of the Twentieth century and how they affected the lives of early inhabitants of the house. There is antique furniture, home made quilts and a fully stocked kitchen with a wood burning fireplace to cook meals from scratch (which was not a trend in those days, that is how they lived).
The grounds when I visited in the summer months
The grounds of the farm in the winter
The grounds of this historic homestead in the winter
When a returned for the private tour in the summer, it was a different story. The grounds were lush and in full bloom. It was really interesting to see how the farmstead was in the different seasons.
The same grounds in the summer
The history of the house
The front of the house during the summer
When you walk inside the Gandy Housr on the first floor, you are welcomed into the kitchen and pantry area plus some of public areas of the house. Here meals were prepared and guests were greeted.
The pantry area of the kitchen
Wood was stored for heat and cooking and herbs were drying for the winter months for cooking and daily use.
The fire wood and herb s drying
The pantry and larders for daily cooking and baking for the daily meals. All meals were cooked from scratch and large breakfasts and lunches were part of farm life. All meals were cooked in the open hearth so meals had to be properly timed and cooking and baking had to be coordinated for the family meals.
The larders were filled with the items that were in season
Cooking over a wood burning fire was part of everyday meals in the farm kitchen. Various pots and pans were in use to cook the family meals.
The inside of the kitchen area that heated the main room
Meals were coordinated for the day with cereals and soups cooking first, baked items going into the oven when it was warm enough followed by roasts and stews.
The days cooking over a hot stove
There were early morning breakfasts on the farm and then a late lunch/ early supper when the afternoon work was done.
The other half of the main room was used for dining and the families social space. Here meals were served and the family relaxed.
Everyday family objects of the household
The front part of the room faced the road and the comings and goings of the surrounding community.
The side bench and family objects
The most interesting part of the tour of the first floor is the view of the construction of the home. Behind the glass frame showed how the home was built and of what.
The construction of the home behind the glass frame
The family quarters on the second floor show the chores that followed during the day with spinning yarn, making and mending clothes and dying fabrics.
The spinning wheels and the making of quilts
The landing and the first floor rooms
The spinning wheels and patterns
The first bedroom was furnished with handmade quilts and sown linens. The wash basins were used before indoor plumbing.
The first bedroom upstairs
The wash basin and grooming products
Going out for a formal evening
The second bedroom on the second floor has is collection of quilts
The hand made quilts in the second bedroom
The children’s toys
The handmade quilt collection in the one bedroom
Handmade linens were part of the fabric of rural life as women were trained to sew and quilt their clothes and bed linens. Store bought linens were a rarity at this time and the quality of a woman’s homemaking skills defined her household. The handwork on these quilts were amazing.
The upstairs fireplace to keep the rooms warm
The upstairs alcove where the fireplace is located
The Morning clothing in the alcove
We then headed up the stairs to see the attic which were hard to walk up they were such small stairs.
The narrow stair’s to the attic
I got to see the attic area which visitors normally don’s see. This is where the boys of the family would sleep in the summarrr
The attic loft area
We finished the house tour back in the kitchen-living room
The full kitchen and living room room
The laundry area just off the main room
The we then toured the grounds of the estate walking through the grounds and exploring all the buildings on the property, some original to the estate and some brought here from other properties that awaited the wrecking ball. The grounds included the family well, barn, outhouse, root cellar, wood shed and a grape arbor.
The area right behind the main
The estate well which was going to be replaced
Fresh well water is still a part of the communities in Southern New Jersey. These farmsteads were pretty much self-sufficient and people grew what they needed and could barter for the rest or bring it to market.
The woodshed on the estate
The estate on a sunny day
The root cellar
The Root Cellar was used to keep Summer foods and preserves cool throughout the season. People tried to eat seasonally as much as possible and store for the Winter months.
The Ice House
The historic sign for the Ice House
The inside of the ice house and the hooks to hold meats
Ice was brought in from local lakes and ponds to keep foods well preserved during the warmer months of the Spring and Summer.
The barn that was moved here
The inside of the barn with all sorts of historic farm. These are pieces of equipment that were used over the last 100 years.
The farm equipment
The equipment that runs a farm
The storage area of the farm
The storage bins
The Outhouse
There was no indoor plumbing in those days and the use of the outhouse was placed far from the main house.
The grounds of the farm
The back of the farm
The front of the homestead in the summer of 2025
The house was warm and contained by fireplaces in the Winter months and open and airy in the Summer months with a flow of air through the open windows. The Upper Cape May Township Historical Society is open also for special events like their Strawberry and Apple festivals plus private tours.
The Gandy Farmstead Annual Apple Festival
Two weeks after my initial visit to the Gandy House during the Firemen’s Convention, I returned for the Historical Society’s Annual Apple Festival. The event reminded me of the Brinckerhoff House Strawberry Festival, a very nice family and community event that attracted everyone.
Since there were a lot of shore towns I wanted to revisit while the weather was nice, I arranged to stay at an Airbnb in Ocean City so I had plenty of time to do what I needed to do and relax afterwards.
I could not believe how crowded the roads were as so many places were having either Fall festivals or October Fest. Route 9 was like a parking lot near Smithville, NJ.
I got to the Apple Festival around noon and the parking lot was packed with people. One of the members said later that afternoon that he could not believe the consistent crowds as it was still busy at 2:15pm (the festival was over by 3:00pm). The crowds were filled with several generations of family members who I am sure were traveling from one event to another on this spectacular sunny morning.
The sign welcoming you to the event
When I arrived at the festival, the parking lot was still filling up so I had to park way in the back so I could get in and out easily. They had plenty of parking on the farm across the street.
On the Gandy family property on the other side of the home, they had an antique car show, a mini train ride around the tracks of this part of the property and a Caboose train car that you could explore.
The train tracks around the farm property
The train set up and tracks to tour around the farm
The train rides were really popular with both the small and ‘big’ kids
This small train trip had a nice sized line to it as families were really enjoying themselves
I then toured the Caboose which was set up for service and a day in the life of a conductor. Some of the volunteers were even dressed as conductors leading tour and talking to families.
The caboose on the farm property
The inside of the caboose
Getting ready for the holidays
Life of a train conductor shown in the caboose
After the tour of the car show and watching the families have fun on the trains, I headed across the street to the Gandy House for the tours and activities.
The back of the Gandy Farmstead with crafts and entertainment
Entering the Apple Festival with a Farmers Market and Apple sale
The Farmers Market of locally grown produce
They had a wonderful duo interesting the crowds that afternoon
There were all sorts of crafts stands around where the entertainment was performing
The local crafts people were really talented and included crocheted, painters, floral arrangers and jewelry markers.
One woman sold flowers from her gardens and arranged bouquets
This woman painted her own crafts and did beautiful work for both Halloween and Christmas
Here beautiful holiday crafts
I loved this Santa tree and was going to get it for my mom
This woman had the most beautiful handmade doll clothing and knit items for the holidays
What is an Apple Festival without food? I went to the concession stand for lunch and ordered a hot dog with a glass of locally made Apple cider and had an homemade Apple Shortcake, which I found out later the members had made the night before.
The concession stand where all the food was made
Enjoying my lunch. Both the hotdogs and apple cider were locally made. That’s why it tasted so good!
Hot dogs taste so good off the grill!
The delicious homemade Apple Shortcake with homemade apple topping were made by the members
I also stopped off at the apple stand where cases of apples were being sold. It looked like many people were going to make pies and sauce with these and the stand looked like they were selling out.
I managed to buy one of the Mango sweet apples they were selling individually
The apples were so hard, fresh and sweet that it made the perfect addition to dessert.
The Mango Sweet apples
Talk about delicious
After lunch I ran into the Board members who had helped me with the tour two weeks early and I took a quick tour of the first floor of the home. The laundry room was not open the day of my private tour.
Touring the outside grape arbor
The grape arbor on an early Fall day
Touring the first floor laundry room
An early washing machine
How to do laundry at the turn of the last century
After having lunch, touring the house and visiting all the vendors I relaxed for the rest of the afternoon and listened to the entertainment perform. They did a combination of 70’s hit songs, country music and some James Taylor.
The duo performing
The first part of the song “Brandy (You’re a Fine Girl)” from the 1970’s before people walked in the way
The rest of the song performed. They did an excellent job with it
Before I left just after 2:00pm, I stayed to see who won the Apple pie contest. There were only three contributors but I wanted to get a slice before I left. They did not slice them up. Bummer!
The winners of the Apple pie contest
The Apple Festival sponsored by the Upper Township Historical Society happens every October. It is a wonderful family event and fundraiser for the Historical Society. I know I had a lot of fun and it reminded me of the events that I went to as a kid in the 1970’s.
It was funny that the only person who had a cell phone glued to his hand was me. It was just like the 1970’s all over again with families enjoying each other’s company. Try to visit in the future.
Open: Please call for a appointment and special tour
My review on TripAdvisor:
a
The front of the schoolhouse
The entrance to the property
The historic marker
The outside sign
The Friendship School was an interesting look at early rural education where students of various ages would be educated together.
The hours would vary with the growing seasons and students would be educated in the basics to educate them to the next level.
During the school day, children would have various chores to do such as gather wood, collect water, mind the fire and watch the day’s lunch. It would be a full day for both the teacher and the students.
My tour guide confirmed that nothing was easy during the school day and children had a lot of responsibility for what went on in their lives.
The tour was an interesting look at the lives of children of that period of time and the education they received.
The history of the Friendship School:
(from the Museum’s website)
This historic property contains the circa 1930 Friendship School, a circa 1900 privy, and a circa 1917 coal storage shed. The Friendship School was originally donated in 1976 by William Wells, grandson of Enoch Clouting to the Upper Township Bicentennial Committee during a time when Upper Township was particularly interested in its earliest buildings.
The historic plaques
The school’s hand pump
The committee, headed by the late Curtis T. Cordon, evolved to become the nucleus of the Historical Preservation Society of Upper Township (HPSUT) in 1977. Virginia M. Wilson was its’ first President.
The history of the Friendship School begins when it was incorporated in May of 1831 with Jonathon Corson, Lewis Corson, and Seth Young as trustees. The students’ tuition was paid for by parents in 1830, but by 1869, public funding for schools was established. In the 1862-63 school year, 52 students crowded into this 15’x 20’ structure, and of those students in the teacher’s roll book, 24 were Corsons!
The grounds of the school grounds
The school itself is standing on its fourth known location! It was originally located 6 houses southeast of its present location. It was used for classes until it was replaced with a larger building in the 1860’s.
The abandoned school house later owned by resident, Lot Corson, became known as “Lot’s Temple” because church services were held there. Then, it was moved to Enoch Clouting’s farm where a corn crib was placed on one side. It is Enoch’s grandson who kindly donated the school.
The barn on the grounds
The school building was in extreme disrepair when it was moved from the Clouting property to the corner of Ocean Ave. and Shore Road. According to an undated news article, “mere fragments of the (original) building remained” although “some of the heavier corner posts were salvaged.”
The school’s outhouse (pricey)
The historic sign
Nevertheless, restoration of this Friendship School was researched and planned by Kyle Fleetwood of Tuckahoe and James Wilson of Marmora; with assistance from Matt Unsworth, Robert Entirkin, Curtis Corson III, Somers Corson, Marshall “Ted” Behr, Guy Himmelberger, Harry “Hap” Folger and other members of the Bicentennial Committee. It was completed in 1980.
All replacement wood matched the original in size and material and great care was taken to restore it to its original appearance. Locally sourced materials for the restoration/reconstruction came from the Van Vorst sawmill in Petersburg, the Hess sawmill in South Seaville and the Brewer sawmill in Dennisville. Benches donated by Myra Clouting Biggs, were reproduced by Matt Unsworth.
The inside of the school house
The teacher’s desk is a reproduction also made by Matt Unsworth. Hardware for the building was hand-wrought by Robert Entrikin of Petersburg. Although it does not qualify for the State and National Registers listing because it retains little original historic building fabric, the building is important to the historical time line of Upper Township.
The schoolbooks and school equipment
Also on this site are two old frame buildings: a circa 1900 privy donated from the property of the Seaville School on Kruk Drive and a circa 1917 coal/storage shed donated from the Palermo School on Route 9. The coal storage shed, was donated by Wes and Doris Nickerson with Jim and Nancy Siegrist helping with its restoration. It was added to the property in 1993. Three three-seat privy (outhouse) from the old unused Seaville School was donated by Sharon Kruk in honor of her father, and was restored by Lewis Albrecht and Jim Siegrist. It is a work of art (with a French style roof), but is non-functional.
The school room reproduction
A special item, the cedar flag pole, from which flew a U.S. flag that flew above the capitol in Washington, DC, was donated by former Deauville Inn owners, Walter and Gloria Carpenter in December of 1983. (Since replaced)
The school bell and flag
The Friendship School was dedicated on September 10, 1983 by Virginia M. Wilson, President of the Historical Preservation Society of Upper Township, Upper Township Mayor Leonard Migliaccio, HPSUT members: Ebbie Unsworth and her son, Matt Unsworth, and guest speaker, New Jersey State Senator, James R. Hurley.
The children would collect water and fire wood for the class room during the school day
The reproduction of the school
Upper Township continues to own and manage the property and the school, while HPSUT members manage the inside and its activities. Each Upper Township Kindergarten class is invited to the annual Kindergarten Day to learn what a student classroom life is like in a one room school house in the early
It has been a long time since I had visited both Seaside Park and the Seaside Heights Boardwalk and beaches. I used to come down swimming with my dad at the Seaside Park Beach all the time in the summer in the early 2000’s when I moved home from Guam. I always really enjoyed the park as it was one of the nicest beaches in New Jersey.
I had not been to the Seaside Heights Boardwalk in a long time. I used come down in the summers when I was in high school (like everyone else in New Jersey) but I was writing a series of blogs about museums down the shore and was writing a blog on the new Seaside Heights Historical Museum and Carousel so off I went down the Garden State Parkway again to this popular resort town. While I was down the shore, I went back to Point Pleasant Beach up Route 35 and revisited the downtown for that blog to update it.
The welcome sign to Seaside Park, NJ on a sunny Summer morning
I started my day talking with the Director of Recreation of Seaside Park, who was starting to spearhead a new Historical Society in Seaside Park and invited me to tour their historic City Hall building.
The historic Seaside Park City Hall at 1701 North Ocean Avenue
What I thought was interesting about the building is that it originally started out as a lifeguard station. I thought it had an unusual design with a tower and wide doors.
The from of the building faces the ocean.
When we toured the whole building I could see where the lifeguards used to watch the ocean from the tower and the large garage doors are where the lifeguard boats were stored. That’s why the doors were so large. What was impressive were the tower views.
The ocean view from the top of the tower at City Hall
After I got dropped off when the tour was over, I made my way to the Seaside Heights Boardwalk which starts in Seaside Park and passed the well known pizzeria, Sawmill Pizza, which has an excellent reputation and is well known down the shore. I had never eaten there but I heard they had over- sized slices.
The original Sawmill Cafe in Seaside Park, NJ in the downtown area
I had gotten to Seaside Heights so early, it only took me only an hour and fifteen minutes to get there from North Jersey, that most of the businesses on the Boardwalk had either not opened yet or were just opening. The Boardwalk was really quiet and I had the Boardwalk to myself.
The Seaside Heights Boardwalk at 10:30am in the morning was quiet and very relaxing
The Boardwalk by both the Sawmill Cafe and Three Brothers Pizza. The outdoor seating is plentiful.
The long stretches of quiet Boardwalk in Seaside Heights
The Boardwalk is perfect when its quiet and not much of a crowd. It was a sunny day with a pleasant breeze. With some of the businesses preparing to open for the day, I was able to visit many of the stores on the Boardwalk without the usual crowds having to elbow people to see things on the shelves and in cases.
I had asked the Recreation Director of Seaside Park why there had not been the damage during Hurricane Sandy as in other parts of the shore, he said it was due to being on higher land on the shore line and the well built dunes that had been created. These dunes today are well maintained and a valuable part of the beach ecosystem.
The planted dunes by the shore line in the Seaside Park part of the beach
The well built dunes near the Boardwalk protecting both the Boardwalk and beach
As I walked down the Boardwalk to get to the new museum, I noticed the open air art show on the Boardwalk. The Boardwalk was lined with interesting paintings by artists depicting Seaside Heights.
The newest addition to the collection on the Boardwalk
I thought it was wonderful to have an artwork display that had so much creativity and imagination in each of the pieces. The fact that it was a beautiful sunny morning to enjoy it made it even better. Each piece had such a colorful perspective of life at the shore.
I finally got to the Seaside Heights Historical Society and it was all gated off. I had to stop and ask the woman selling beach badges when it would be opening and she said not until 3:00pm. I am looking at my watch and it was past 11:00am. She said it was open from 3:00pm to 8:00pm so I would have plenty of time to see it.
With so much time before its opening and so much more I wanted to see and do, I decided to take the time to explore not just Seaside Heights and Seaside Park but Bay head and Point Pleasant Beach as well. I had wanted to revisit their downtown area as well as visit other museums in the other towns.
The Seaside Heights Historical Society- The Carousel Pavilion at the dnd of the Boardwalk
Some of the historical pictures of the past of this shore community
After our conversation, I decided to make a morning of exploring the two towns and see what they have to offer. Both towns have so much to see and do both on and off the Boardwalk. The first thing I did was have something to eat. I am not sure if it’s the sea air or just the smells of the boardwalk of fried foods and sausage but I got hungry.
This started my ‘Pizza Fest’ adventure on the Boardwalk. With so many pizzerias located on the Boardwalk, it was going to take several trips to Seaside Heights to try them all. I started on one side of the Boardwalk and would work my way down.
As I passed the Historical Society, I looked at the pizza case at Shore Slice Pizza at 1309 Boardwalk and saw the Sausage pizza in the case. I got to talking with the owner and he was telling me he worked in the City and learned the business there. All I have to say is that the pizza was wonderful.
The pizza made first thing in the morning. Pizza at 11:00am was really fresh.
I had to have a slice of the sausage pizza and it was fantastic. I love a slice of pizza loaded with sweet sausage.
After a nice lunch, I walk the length of the Boardwalk and explored the stores and the restaurants. I had a nice time weaving through all the stores looking at candy displays and restaurant menus. I saw plenty of gift shops as well.
The amusement area closed that morning
I passed the amusement area but it was closed in the afternoon so I only got to see the rides beyond the fence. The park would open up later that evening. I walked all around the Boardwalk that morning and have to say that there is nothing like a Boardwalk that is all your own. You are not elbowing people, the shop keepers are not over-whelmed with people and are extremely friendly and it gives you time to really enjoy it and look around.
One store that impressed me was Planet Candy at 615 Boardwalk
I stopped in Planet Candy attracted by all the candied covered apples and chocolates in the window. The smell of the sweets lead me inside and I was delighted by the selection of candy, chocolates and novelties.
I loved the selection of gifts and treats and the service was very friendly
I loved the assortment of fresh candies, gifts and admiring the boxes of fresh salt water taffy, a Jersey shore specialty. Talk about a kid in a candy store. I left with a smile on my face.
I stopped to look at Jimbo’s Bar & Grill menu to see what they were having for lunch. The had an extensive menu which I took note of for another time. I had my eyes set on another pizzeria.
I had heard about the pizza at the Sawmill for years and it has quite the reputation down the shore so I had to try it. I have to say that the slices are really large so bring an appetite.
The giant cheese slice The Sawmill I had for my second part of lunch
I have to say that I was disappointed. It was an over-sized slice and it looked good, it was thin on the bottom and could have been cooked more so it limped in my hand. Maybe this happened because it was the first pie of the morning. The guys at the register were really friendly and served the pizza quickly.
I took one more trip around the Boardwalk to work off the two slices of pizza and passed the display of Seaside Heights Rescue Boats that people took pictures in. While it was quiet in the morning by the afternoon you could not get people out of these boats. I was able to get some nice pictures before it got busy.
On my second trip to Seaside Heights, I had done a bit more research on the town and remembered another pizzeria that I wanted to try on the Boardwalk, Maruca’s Tomato Pies Pizzeria at 601 Ocean Terrace on the Boardwalk.
What I had remembered about Maruca’s was that they put an extra swirl on the top of the pizza to finish it once it baked. People in the State of New Jersey call this a ‘Tomato Pie’ since the sauce is on top of the pizza and not below the cheese.
Maruca’s Tomato Pies (Pizzeria) at 601 Ocean Terrace
Maruca’s Tomato Pies do live up to the hype. I had a piece of Sausage pizza and it was very good (but it could have used a bit more sausage on top). It really did have the swirl on top of it and what was nice about the extra sauce is that it added extra flavor to the cheese on top of the pizza. I must have really enjoyed this lunch because it was the same dinner I had when I visited in October. They are so generous with the sausage on top of the pizza and the pizza is so crisp!
My lunch on the second trip to the Seaside Heights Boardwalk
The pizza really does look nice
I had a slice of their Sausage pizza for lunch on my second trip to town and it lived up to its reputation. It could have had a bit more sausage on top and was a little pricey at $7.00 a slice but figured it must be the rent. Still the pizza was flavorful and delicious. Their was nicely spiced and the sausage added a sweet flavor to it.
I returned to Seaside Heights in October 2024, to see what was happening on the Boardwalk for Halloween. There were some nice decorations but nothing had been planned for the Boardwalk that I could tell. We had some warmer weather in the middle of the month and for a week it was in the 70’s.
When I returned to Seaside Park and Heights in October of 2025, the Boardwalk had been busier with a Pumpkin Decorating Contest and the night before a showing of ‘The Rocky Horror Picture Show’. I also got to see the finish of the Scarecrow Contest. So there were little ones running around but the cool weather kept people from sticking around.
The Boardwalk was very busy but most of the businesses had closed for the season and those that were open closed at 6:00pm. Still it was nice to walk on the Boardwalk and enjoy the warm breezes from the ocean and be able to visit the dunes without having to pay for it.
Seaside Heights Boardwalk was celebrating Halloween on the Boardwalk
Some of the businesses had decorated the Boardwalk for the Fall holidays
I was finally able to visit the beach without paying for it in mid-October
A beautiful view of the now closed Amusement Park at Sunset on a October afternoon
The Seaside Heights Beach by the Boardwalk at Sunset on October 20th, 2024. I was just beautiful the way the sun sparkled on the shore
In October of 2025, I stopped in just after a Scarecrow Making Contest. The contest was already over by the time I got there but people were still looking them over. The kids did a really nice job with the contest. While Seaside Heights and Park don’t have the activities that its northern neighbor Point Pleasant has, the activities led to some creative ingenuity of the kids and there were interesting decorations all over the towns over the Halloween weekend.
The town even decorated the Boardwalk more this year with skeletons and other creatures. There were not many activities on the Boardwalk on the Halloween weekend but the decorations were fun.
Skeletons on the Boardwalk
Zombies on the Boardwalk
I left the Boardwalk to explore Seaside Park’s Downtown area and parks. I can see the beach at any time but what makes the character of a town is where the locals go. The restaurants that are out of the way, the parks families go to and the business districts that the tourists don’t flock to but should. I took a stroll down the Main Street of town. My first stop was the Seaside Park Farmers Market.
The Seaside Park Farmers Market at the Marine Lawn
The Farmer’s Market is every Monday and Friday when in season. I walked through the market that afternoon and really enjoyed the variety of merchants they had selling their wares.
The entrance to the Seaside Park Marina where the market takes place.
There were a whole array of vendors to choose from at the Farmers Market and you could find what you need to fill your pantry or for the perfect picnic at the beach. The was a pickle man, a woman making gourmet pizzas to go, farm fresh fruits and vegetables from local farms in the area, a bread and pastry man, and a cheese man. There were several people selling homemade crafts and jewelry.
The market was busy that afternoon
The one thing I did notice was that the prices were very similar to those in Bergen County. It looks like the price hikes have affected down here too. When you want quality it will cost you.
There was a lot of nice produce and prepared foods to buy
The Cedar Post Farm Market had a nice variety of fruits and vegetables at their stand
After walking the whole Farmers Market and noting the vendors for my next trip down the shore, I left the Farmers Market to visit the stores that lined the business district. Before I left, I took a quick tour of the marina district behind the park. The views were amazing.
The Marina District at the end of the block with a view of the bridge
The views from the Marina District
The old fashioned clock tower just outside the Farmers Market
There were a number of stores I passed on the walk down the street that were not open at the time but would warrant a visit in future trips. The first business I passed was a whimsical ice cream shop with a very unusual logo.
The Ice Cream Boss at 10 NE Central Avenue in Seaside Park, NJ
I noted that they made their own homemade ice creams in house and wanted to try their peach and blueberry while they were in season. The store was not open at the time but this is for another trip to Seaside Park.
On my second trip to Seaside Park, I ended my day and my eating tour of town with a medium dish of ice cream, which equates to two and a half nice scoops of ice cream in a dish. This is far more generous than some the places closer to the City.
The inside of Ice Cream Boss
The selection of homemade ice cream at Ice Cream Boss
I changed my mind on what ice cream flavors I wanted to try when I sampled the Pretzel Caramel Swirl and the Birthday Cake flavors. Talk about wonderful. The ice cream here is all homemade and you can taste it in the quality ingredients.
The combination of Birthday cake and Pretzel Caramel Swirl was delicious
There were loads of chopped pretzel and big swirls of caramel in the first scoop and hunks of vanilla cake, icing and sprinkles in the second scoop. I had no problem devouring this at the end of a very hot day.
What I like about Ice Cream Boss is that you can eat either inside or on the outside tables giving you view of the surrounding homes and gardens. The road is also filled with people heading to the beach so it is busy all the time. On a sunny, warm day there is nothing like it.
The next place I passed was the Union Church of Seaside Park with its historic looking wooden structure. This historic building stood out amongst all the shore homes in the area.
The Union Church of Seaside Park at 47 4th Avenue in Seaside Heights
The church was organized by founding members in 1899 and the church was completed in 1901. This historic non- denominator church has been welcoming locals and tourists alike for over a hundred years (Church website).
The main entrance to the church
The next business I visited has been a shore staple for years and that I see in many shore towns, B & B Department store at 500 SE Central Avenue.
The outside of B & B Department Store at 500 SE Central Avenue
B & B Department Stores are one of the last of the small localized department stores in New Jersey. Many of these disappeared in the early 1990’s with the bankruptcy of Allied, Federated and Macy’s Department stores. B & B seems to know their niche and caters to the Jersey shore downtowns. I visit their store in Beach Haven I am in the area.
I love the way they merchandise their clothes
They a nice collection of seasonable clothes that is perfect if a tourist is visiting and needs to pick up a couple of things for the trip. They also have a nice gift department and a collection of logoed ‘Seaside Park’ merchandise. Each of their stores gears this merchandise to the beach town they are located in.
I thought the displays were very original. This shark display was in the beach merchandise department
After I left the store, I continued down the street to the next store stopping at Park Bakery at 408 SE Central Avenue. I got there rather late in the afternoon and the assortment of baked goods was limited but I took note of the items available and will be back for breakfast in the future.
This whimsical little guy greets you when enter the bakery
After I had breakfast on my second trip to town in August it must have been something in the salt air but I was still hungry from my breakfast at White Oak Market and had to stop in the store for a piece of pastry.
There had been so much going on in the store on my last trip with a delivery and a noisy family inside plus being late in the day, there was not that much of a selection. Early in the morning, there is more to choose from. I loved looking at the assortment of twists, yeast breads, doughnuts and turnovers to choose from.
The selection of pastries, cookies and cakes at Park Bakery
What I like about Park Bakery is how whimsical the store is inside. I had not noticed it on the first trip but there are puppets and interactive characters along the walls and by the coffee station.
These dessert Chef’s oversee the counter at the bakery
The talking Moose and Tree interact with one another and the tree is actually a refrigerator
After surveying the turnovers and cookies I chose one of the doughnuts and that was a hard choice as they all looked so good. I had one of the powered Jelly doughnut’s with a raspberry filling and it was a delicious. There was so much jelly inside that when I bit in, the sweet jelly burst in my mouth.
The delicious jelly doughnut with raspberry filling was the perfect way to finish breakfast
When I came back in August, I did a more extensive walk of the town and ended up walking not just the entire length of Seaside Park but all the way to the edge of town to the Seaside Park that is located in Berkeley Township. I thought it had been part of Seaside Park, the town.
The entrance to Island Beach State Park in Berkley Township in the Summer
Then turned around and walked the entire length of the business district and Boardwalk again in Seaside Heights and saw all the new developments there as well. Like many of the shore towns in New Jersey that I have visited, the old businesses are being knocked down for pricy condos and more upscale expensive restaurants to cater to the people who will moving in. I have seen this in Point Pleasant Beach and Wildwood.
The Island Beach State park is actually located in Berkeley Township in South Seaside Park
You can’t just ‘walk into Seaside Park’, the park itself but have to drive in and pay a fee so that is where I stopped when I got to the entrance. I noted the restaurants at the entrance of the park and there were some that I wanted to try in the future.
The Seaside Park sign on October of 2035
As I walked back to Seaside Park, I stopped at several of the small parks that line the bay on the side streets. I think the tourists miss these and that’s what the locals enjoy. The first one was a small park near the entrance of Seaside Park two blocks down from the entrance at the end of 24th Street. The small pavilion offered nice views of the park and bay.
The view from the pavilion at 24th Street in South Seaside Park
The nautical display by the businesses in South Seaside Park
The little bohemian houses as you leave the Berkeley Township neighborhood by the beach
The next little gem of a park was by the 13th Street Pier in Seaside Park. This long pier was attracting fisherman and joggers on the hot day. At the entrance of the park, there was a butterfly garden meant to attract monarchs on the migration path.
The sign for the 13th Street Pier and Park
The small garden at the entrance of the pier
This wonderful little park also had a pavilion to rest in the shade and relax and enjoy the views.
The Butterfly Garden by the entrance of the pier
The views from the 13th Street Pier at the park
The views from the end of the pier are just breathtaking of the bay area. On a sunny day you can see all the way up to the bridge. The views are just spectacular and the park is so peaceful on a quiet weekend.
The views from the 13th Street Pier Park
The views from the 13th Street Pier Park looking south
I walked back to the circle where the main part the Seaside Park shopping district starts and had to stop in the police station because there are not a lot of public bathrooms outside the Boardwalk area. They have nice public bathrooms and no one bothers you when you use them.
I walked around the circle of the main shopping area and made my way back up Central Avenue. I could see the Bay Area from the shopping district and went off the path to explore it. One store I enjoyed walking into was the Shore and More General Store at 100 5th Street.
The Shore and More General Store at 100 5th Street
The Shore and More General Store is for the visitor who forgot the things they needed for their trip or for a day tripper who did not want to drag everything with them for a day at the shore. There are all sorts of beach chairs, towels, umbrellas for sale and inside suntan lotion, snacks, drinks and gift items to take home with you. It reminded me of some of the stores of Amity Island in the movie ‘Jaws’. A little local store that carries everything needed in a beach community for a visitor.
The inside of Shore and More General Store in Seaside Park, NJ
I stopped at the 5th Avenue Bay Pier and Park after my long walk around the shopping district. This wonderful little park has a small beach, a wonderful pier to walk on to see the views and the most breathtaking views of the bay and shoreline. This park is really for the locals and it funny how all the kids seemed to know on another.
The park offers a small beach for a fee for swimming in the bay and the pier looks like it is popular with fisherman and sunbathers alike. Just like the 13th Street Pier Park, it offers the most spectacular views on the bay and the surrounding shore.
5th Avenue Bay Pier in the afternoon
The park is nice to get away from all the hustle of the Boardwalk. I watched everyone fishing on the pier talking and swapping stories past catches. The I got the end of the pier and saw all the sailboats in the distance. That was a beautiful site. It looked like a regatta.
The view from the 5th Avenue Bay pier is breathtaking on sunny afternoon
The 5th Street Pier
This seagull acted like he was guarding the pier
The view of the 5th Street Beach and Pier with our friend the seagull looking on
The weather got hotter in the afternoon and I got the most amazing accidental tan. I did not realize the strength of the sun that afternoon. It was really strong hidden by cool breezes. The pier offers such a nice place to relax and watch families having a nice time on the beach. It is the perfect place for a walk after a day at the shore.
I walked up Central Avenue peeking in the gardens along the way and admiring peoples homes. There seems to be a mix of weekenders and permanent residents.
One of the gardens I admired on my walk up the main street
I loved this shell flag that was on one of the porches
One of the nicely landscaped homes gardens in the downtown district
From the park I made my way back to the shopping district on my way back to the Boardwalk. On the way, I passed the White Oak Market at 206 SE Central Avenue and walked in to see a bustling crowd of customers.
The grocery section and deli of the White Oak Market
What a great little grocery and deli. It had the nicest assortment of sandwiches and salads and is the prefect place to get food items for a beach picnic. The people working there could not have been nicer to all the customers. The problem was after two slices of pizza I was not hungry and I was eyeing the breakfast sandwiches coming off the grill.
The hot food deli section of the market
I made note of this and on my second visit to town had breakfast here as my first stop. I had a Bacon, Egg and Cheese on a hard roll that was wonderful. They loaded the sandwich with fresh bacon, about three eggs and a couple of slices of American cheese and tucked all of this into a chewy bun. I was able to enjoy this with a Nantucket Red Plum juice on one of the benches outside the store.
The White Oak Market’s prepared food section and salads
While I was waiting for my order to be finished, I stopped and looked at the gift and beach section. The store has all sorts of shirts for the beach and to take home as a souvenir. What’s nice too is the grocery section is extensive and you can stock up on things you will need for both your hotel room and beach rentals.
The selection of gifts and grocery items
I had a better chance to walk around the store and it is really like a little general store for the locals with a nice grocery section, a section for beach toys like pails, shovels and items like chairs and umbrellas for a day at the beach.
They also have a selection of clothing with logoed items from Seaside Park to take home as gift. What I really liked about the stores is that it really was a gathering place for the residents who were greeting one another by name and sharing gossip with one another. It is one of those stores that every town should have in it.
I took my Bacon, Egg and Cheese sandwich and a Red Plum juice and ate outside on the benches, which is a really nice treat on a sunny day. The sandwich was excellent and was the perfect breakfast that morning after a long walk (see reviews on TripAdvisor and LittleShoponMainStreet@Wordpress.com).
The Bacon Egg and Cheese sandwich on a hard roll is definite choice for breakfast
Yum!
When I returned in October in 2025, for lunch I tried the Chicken Salad on a hard roll. The over-sized sandwich was enough for lunch and dinner.
The Chicken Salad with a side of Macaroni salad
It was a great sandwich
Ditto with the Macaroni salad
After my second meal was over, I made my way through the rest of town and into the business district of Seaside Heights which parallels the Boardwalk. This is where the real changes are happening.
Gone are the older motels and shops. The area must have been rezoned because all sorts of upscale condos and apartments are being built where those businesses once stood. It tells me that they are trying to attract a more year round visitor.
The edge of the Seaside Heights Downtown business district by the Boardwalk
A downtown restaurant sign
The Downtown artwork
The Downtown artwork
The Downtown artwork
With all this new building you can see the quality of the coffee shops and restaurants now being built around them. The old hot dog and cheesesteak places that surround the block between this and the Boardwalk are starting to look out of place.
Part of the old Downtown Seaside Heights by the Boardwalk, the waterslide park
I made my way back to the car which I parked near City Hall. I had to go back to Point Pleasant to finish my blog on that town’s downtown area and two of their museums. I came back to the Boardwalk later that evening.
My blog on Point Pleasant and Point Pleasant Beach:
Later that night I was back on the Boardwalk again and there was a nice crowd that evening. The amusement park opened on the Boardwalk and it was a lot more lively with the rides going and the music.
The Boardwalk amusements area was really lively when I returned to the Boardwalk that evening
The rides were spinning, flipping and swirling everyone around. It looked like everyone was having a good time on this sunny Friday night. There is nothing like a night at the Jersey Shore.
My view of the rides and activities on the Boardwalk:
I walked to the end of the Boardwalk to find that the Seaside Heights Historical Society building was open and the historic carousel was in use with its colorful animals and cheerful music.
The Dr. Floyd L. Moreland carousel in the Seaside Heights Historical Society Building
The carousel was so beautifully restored and the music so festive.
The start of the ride and the music
The beautifully restored horses
The camel
The tiger
The gentleman working the carousel that evening told me that the Historical Society plans on having more exhibitions in the future but for right now the doctor’s collection of carousel horses were on display.
The case line of carousel horses being shown at the museum
The panels from the carousel that could not be restored were on display as well
The Seaside Heights Historical Society has done a wonderful job creating a museum that is engaging and interactive. That and the carousel offers a wonderful ride.
The Society has a new exhibition in the back part of the building promoting the “Postcards from Seaside Heights” in October 2024.
“Our History in Postcards” at the Seaside Heights Historical Society
The Seaside Heights “Hodge Podge” of the Town Map and artifacts from the town
The Seaside Heights Banner display
The Seaside Heights Historical Society keeps adding all these interesting displays to the building and you really have to walk around the building to enjoy them. Don’t forget to ride the carousel.
As I walked back down the Boardwalk, I enjoyed all the laughter and yelling going on with people having a wonderful time on the rides and at the games. Before I left for the long ride home, I stopped at the Midway Steakhouse at 500 Boardwalk for some Cheese Balls. All I saw that afternoon were signs for the famous Cheeseballs of Seaside Heights and now had to have some before I left.
What Cheeseballs are fresh mozzarella balls (or have been rolled into balls), breaded and quickly deep fried similar to mozzarella sticks. They are then served with a homemade red sauce. They are heaven on earth and the Midway Steakhouse did an excellent job on them.
My Cheeseballs meal from the Midway Steak House that I ate on a bench on the Boardwalk
Yum!
I took one last look at the amusement area before I left and watched the summer crowd just having fun. Funny if we’re not for the cellphones and the models of the cars, I would have shown it was 1978 all over again. That’s what the Seaside’s do, bring you back to your youth.
The entrance to the amusement area at dusk
It was a fun day!
The Boardwalk at the end of the day
The clown in the amusement park taking a rest
Greetings from the restaurant section of the Boardwalk
Seaside Heights Boardwalk in October of 2025 during Halloween Weekend
Halloween Weekend in 2025
No matter what time of the year it is, both Seaside Heights and Seaside Park offer interesting and fun activities or just a quiet walk on the Boardwalk is nice as well. It is a relaxing place to just think and have a nice afternoon.
After a long holiday weekend in Cape May in post-Christmas 2025, I decided to head to Seaside Heights and Point Pleasant to see what was happening there for the holidays.
Both Seaside Park and Heights were really quiet in comparison
I drove though both Seaside Park and Seaside Heights and the towns were both extremely quiet. Most of the businesses I had visited over the summer and late Fall around Halloween were closed up tight with signs that said ‘See you in the Spring’.
The Christmas decorations and the Seaside Park Christmas tree
The festive Santa in Seaside Park
I decided to walk over to the boardwalk to see if anyone was around. Only the arcade with a full staff all on their cellphones because of a lack of customers and one branch of Big Brother Pizza was open with again a bored staff. They have to do a better job of letting people know they are open for business. All the public bathrooms were closed, which was a pain.
The quiet boardwalk was fun to walk in the off season. It has a quiet beauty to it
The snowmen band was one of the few traces of Christmas on the boardwalk
The arcade’s Christmas tree was a real beauty
The one nice thing about the arcade being open is that they let everyone use the bathroom. So, there was a stream of people who were walking the boardwalk that walked in. That meant some business on a quiet day. As I walked around the rest of the Boardwalk, it looked like it was closed until the warm weather returned. Still both Seaside Heights and Park were nicely decorated around both towns for the holidays.
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