A Short Travel Guide to Wildwood Crest, NJ

There's a special quality about going to the beach when the weather is still in the single digits. It's cold and quiet, almost tranquil. The world feels quiet, peaceful. For some reason, I was called to pick the Jersey Shore for a spontaneous weekend getaway. I've only been to the shore once, but I never ventured past Ocean City. Wildwood Crest and Cape May are at the southernmost tip of the shore, which was a 2-hour 40-minute drive away from Jersey City. They are both filled with history and retro architecture.

The Wildwoods is a popular resort city, especially in the 50s and 60s. One can easily imagine how it used to be when driving past the many Doo Wop-style architecture seen in the motels, diners, and even the local Wawa. I'm sure it gets packed during the summer, but when we arrived on a random Friday in March, it was practically a ghost town with a few cars. Many notable spots were temporarily closed during the off-season, but we were grateful to have found some local favorites thanks to Reddit.

We arrived hungry, so our first stop was Mudhen Brewery for dinner. The place was packed, but we were seated immediately at the covered patio with space heaters, which was much warmer than I initially thought. Comfort food seemed to be the name of the game that night, as we ordered the BBQ ribs and crab mac and cheese.

The ribs were not as tender as I typically like, which made me miss Naughty Nuri's. However, the baked beans, coleslaw, and cornbread made up for it. I would say the baked beans were the best I've ever had. It tasted like chili – packed full of flavor. The coleslaw was fresh and seasoned perfectly. The honey-soaked cornbread was sweet and moist. Writing about the sides has me salivating. I was a little disappointed by the lack of crab in the mac and cheese, but at least it was seasoned well and not too cheesy.

It was St Patrick's weekend, so the town was in full celebration everywhere we went. There was a live drum-and-bagpipe performance that was honestly so wholesome.

After dinner, we made our way to our home away from home for the weekend. Since it was off-season, a two-night stay at the Madison Resort was less than $500. It's a newly renovated hotel that won Best New Hotel in 2025.

You can tell that the building was once a motel due to the layout of the rooms. The windows were a large pane of glass facing the hallway, which was odd, but very much in the style of old school motels.

We had a comfortable stay here. Everything was clean, and there were no haunted vibes. I like that every room was equipped with a fridge and microwave. On both nights, I slept so deeply. I couldn't have asked for more.

Although Madison Resort is a 6-minute drive away from the boardwalk, which was still closed for the season, I like that it was a short walk away from the beach. After a simple breakfast, we had a nice walk to the beach. The wind was on full blast, so we didn't make it too far.

Since a lot of attractions were closed for the season, we only had a limited number of options to choose from. One that I thought sounded interesting was the Naval Air Station Wildwood Aviation Museum. The museum is housed in the last standing hangar built during WWII for aviation training.

The museum housed so many types of aircraft and even boats used by the coast guard. It would have been educational if it hadn't leaned so heavily on the pro-military stance. Seeing the missiles and rockets made me feel ill, knowing that there's an ongoing war in Iran. This would have been a skip for me if I had known how pro-military it was.

Our next stop was Sunset Beach, known for the Wreck of the SS Atlantus and Cape May "diamonds".

The SS Atlantus is the second concrete ship prototype built by the US government due to a steel shortage during WWII. When the war ended, a company bought the SS Atlantus to be used as a ferry, but it broke loose and has been stuck here ever since. I can imagine strong swimmers exploring the ship in the summer. It would be a sight to behold.

Cape May "diamonds" are a scientific marvel. They are quartz stones that are strong enough to be fashioned into "diamonds". They have the same shimmer and are almost as strong as real diamonds. If you have time, I would recommend reading the history of these stones rooted in indigenous traditions and beliefs.

For our caffeine hit, we got tea from Magic Brain before exploring the shops around Washington Street. Here are some favorites:

• Givens: A super cute boutique with trinkets, books, clothes, and a solid selection of Baggu bags. I wanted so many things, but practiced self-control.
• Shop Local: There were so many items made by local artists here, including these blind books that I was tempted to get. I left with some stickers.
• The Original Fudge Kitchen: I'm not a fudge girly, but I do love chocolate. Got an assortment of chocolates here that I'm slowly making my way through.
• Cape May Peanut Butter Co: Most mornings, a peanut butter toast is what I need to get me out of bed. I love that samples are given generously here. After sampling the honey roast and butterscotch flavors, I eventually got the special blend of the two that they had in limited stock.

After making a minor dent in my wallet, we made our way to Taco Caballito Tequileria for lunch. Even though it was a pretty chilly day, I was happy to be seated on the balcony overlooking the beach. According to the menu, their sea bass is caught locally, so I had to try it. The food here definitely slapped, as we devoured everything on our plates, leaving no crumbs.

Since two tacos weren't too filling, I had to get dessert. The flourless chocolate cake was dense, which paired nicely with the light whipped cream and fresh berries.

For dinner, we landed on The Surfing Pig, a casual local spot. I ordered the crab cake sandwich, which ended up being the best dish I had all trip. It was flavorful, and the tartar sauce was out of this world. If you know me, I'm a fish sandwich type of girl, so this hit the spot and satisfied my crab cake cravings.

Before hitting the road the next day, we stopped by Wawa to grab breakfast. I understand the hype around Wawa now. It's a convenience store and gas station with a hot food bar where you can order food to go within a reasonable price range. I customized my chicken sandwich, adding cheese, roasted veggies, and caramelized onions that came to a total of $5. It was super filling and fueled me up for our drive back home.

As an ex-maximizer when it comes to traveling, I'm learning how to slow down and enjoy the small moments. This trip allowed me to rest and explore new spots without rushing and feeling the need to check 10 things off a list. Instead of feeling tired after this trip, I was refreshed and inspired.