Wildwoods, NJ
Location Reports
were also named “Best Beach for Family Vacations,” “Best Beach for Tourism,” “Best Beach for Events,” “Best Beach for Eco-Tourism” and “Best Beach for Day Trips” in the same surveys.
In addition,
the Wildwoods have been named one of Sherman’s Travel’s “Top Ten American Boardwalks” for two years in a row.
In November of 2012, the Wildwoods Convention Center was selected to receive the Economic Impact Award by Southern New Jersey Business People (SNJBP), a New Jersey business- focused publication. The award recog- nizes organizations and projects that have made a dramatic impact on the economic development of the region.
In addition, the Wildwoods have received multiple major honors from some of the country’s most influential organizations such as
Time.com, Sherman’s Travel, Forbes Traveler, America Online, Preservation New Jersey and Smarter Travel.
In 2012 alone, the Wildwoods have won eight major awards. Along with national awards, the Wildwoods have won two New Jersey Excellence in Tourism Awards. In 2011, the Wildwoods took home several honors, as well.
In addition, the Wildwoods’ Doo Wop architecture has been named one of AOL’s “Ten Architectural Wonders of the United States,” and one of America Online’s “Top 10 More Beach for Your Money” destinations. For this list, the Wildwoods’ free beaches were listed among other major U.S. beaches, includ- ing those found in Maui, Hawaii and Huntington Beach, California.
John Siciliano, executive director for GWTIDA, said, “Words can’t describe how honored we are to be listed among the nation’s top beaches and board- walks, along with being recognized for our unique Doo Wop heritage... We hope that these honors attract even more visi- tors to our beautiful five-mile island so they can see, first-hand, what we have always known: that the Wildwoods offer guests a one-of-a-kind experience,
thanks to our distinctive Doo Wop her- itage, and our free beaches and board- walk which, we can proudly say, are among the country’s best. These honors are a tribute to everyone who works hard to make the Wildwoods a premier family destination.”
WHAT’S NEW
A number of new businesses opened their doors in downtown Wildwood this past spring, buoyed by a retail renais- sance in the resort town’s shopping dis- trict by way of cool new banners, curbs, neon signs, streetscapes, decorative lighting, additional street furnishings and eye-catching directional signage.
Downtown Wildwood is comprised of 26 blocks of eateries, unique shops, bars, hotels, motels and fun things to do and see. The Wildwood Business Improve- ment District is working with city officials and business owners to plan number of special events with block-party appeal to further enhance the “new” Downtown Wildwood experience, as well.
Cattle and Clover is a newly opened restaurant here. A “steakhouse with an Irish soul,” it features several signature Irish dishes and different cuts of steak. This versatile restaurant also features the largest Whiskey assortment in the Wildwoods.
Additional new businesses downtown include Dee Dee’s Cafe, and Zippy’s Bikes, which specializes in pre-owned sales.
Recently reopened or expanded venues in downtown Wildwood include: City Night Club; MT Bottle; GIA Ristorante, serving up fine Italian cuisine in a new location; and Good Night Irene’s, a brew pub with over 36 craft beers on tap and a selection of craft bottle beers. Food at Irene’s ranges from brick-oven pizza to handmade Black Angus burgers.
These new and expanded businesses join a fun and enticing list of existing Pacific Avenue businesses, such as Dugout Ice Cream Parlor, Alumni Grill, Io
E Tu Italian Restaurant, Beach Whiskers Boutique, and Marvis Diner.
Also new in the Wildwoods, the Zoom Phloom is being made over at Morey’s Piers, having been inspired by the “Tree of Life” at Walt Disney World®’s Animal Kingdom. The new “Sea of Life” is being created out of the existing rockwork and run outs on the ride. The redesign began in October of 2012, and will feature hand- carved seals, sharks, an octopus and more. Joe Pez of Concrete Links, the same artist who hand-carved the rocks, logs and waterfalls of the resort’s new River Adventure last spring with a steak knife, will perform the sea life carvings for this project.
PLACES TO MEET
The Wildwoods Convention Center is a state-of-the-art, 260,000-square foot multi-purpose venue located on the beach. It is home to 20,000-square feet of meeting and ballroom space and 75,000-square feet of dividable unob- structed exhibition space, capable of hosting groups as small as 50 up to 10,000 people. It offers floor-to-ceiling ocean views from its main exhibit hall and lobby areas, and the center’s boardwalk extension allows for direct access to the boardwalk and beach between meetings.
In addition, its meeting space also fea- tures glass doors that can be opened to allow ocean breezes to enter. For those seeking an outdoor experience, the cen- ter’s 6,600-square foot oceanfront deck overlooks the beach and ocean, and is available for pre-functions, parties and banquets. State-of-the-art technology and service is available through the facili- ty, which is staffed by event planners, marketing experts and culinary profes- sionals available to assist.
CULINARY UPDATE
The restaurant renaissance that started years ago in Cape May has spilled over into the Wildwoods, and a growing num- ber of gourmet restaurants are located throughout the five-mile island, many gar- nering superb reviews.
Mid-Atlantic EVENTS Magazine 55
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