Breakfast, Lunch and Dinner from the Marvis Diner

The Marvis Diner is one of our favorite diners on the Wildwood island. You'll find it located at 325 West Spruce Ave. in North Wildwood, New Jersey. They serve breakfast, lunch and dinner. Parking is free. You'll want to check the diner's website for their hours of operation as it changes from season to season. 

If you're unfamiliar with the area...it sits right across the street from the WaWa and just a block or two from the bayside of the island. Nearby you'll find a DQ Dairy Queen and Rick's Seafood Restaurant. It's easily accessible from Wildwood, Wildwood Crest and Diamond Beach.

We try to dine at Marvis every time we visit Wildwood. Why? The food is delicious, the portions are generous and the prices are affordable. You'll find that they offer a lot of menu choices for breakfast, lunch and dinner along with appetizers and beverages. You can eat-in or order take-out. Plus, they're kid-friendly!

Inside you'll find that it's kept very clean. You can choose to sit at a booth, table or at the diner bar. We've always been seated quickly and the staff has always been friendly. Never any issues. Over the past 2 years I've tried at least 7 different menu items and have been pleased with them all. 

They offer all of your typical diner foods: chicken, meatloaf, steaks, pork chops, hot sandwiches, cold sandwhiches, wraps, soups, salads, desserts, etc. My wife RAVES over their chicken fingers and french fries, so she orders that a lot. I'm more adventurous and like to try something new every time that we visit.

If you're looking for good food, a family atmosphere with affordable prices...you'll want to give Marvis Diner in North Wildwood a try. It's one of our favorite diners to visit. 

Visiting the Hereford Inlet Lighthouse in North Wildwood

The Hereford Inlet Lighthouse is celebrating it's 150th birthday this year. It was built in 1874 and is still in operation today. You'll find it located at the Hereford Inlet in North Wildwood, New Jersey. It's part of the New Jersey Lighthouse Trail. One of the things I love about this lighthouse is it's built in the Victorian style.

Walking through the botanical gardens located on the lighthouse property is FREE. If you want to take a tour of the inside of the lighthouse you'll need to pay an admission fee. There's a small parking lot in front that offers FREE off-street parking to visitors. There's no open public restrooms on the property.

When visiting you'll want to wear comfortable walking shoes and dress appropriately for the weather. There are shaded areas to help keep you cool in the botanical gardens along with park benches that you can sit on. There's a covered gazebo that offers shade too!

While you're walking around you'll see various plants and flowers that are native to the area. If you want to see them in full bloom...visit during late spring and early summer. There's a small butterfly garden behind the garden to help the butterflies who migrate through the area. Yes...it's part of the butterfly migration trail too.

At the very back of the property you'll find the North Wildwood Seawall. You can go up there to sit or take a walk down the seawall. The park benches up there aren't shaded, so you will be out in the blazing sun during a hot summer day. However, you'll be treated to some of the prettiest ocean views on the entire island when you go up there. Perfect back-drop for family photos.

Throughout the year they host various educational events. You'll want to check out the Hereford Inlet Lighthouse official website for their schedule of operations and events.

North Wildwood Shell Garden on 20th Street and Beach

The North Wildwood Shell Garden was started in September 2024 and has quickly grown into a must-see for those who love to collect and paint seashells. Painting and decorating seashells is exactly like the painted kindness rocks that you see being made and left all around the world. The only difference is...the artwork is done on seashells instead of rocks.

You'll find it located on 20th Street and the Beach in North Wildwood. To get there...you'll need to park on 20th Street. Walk to the boardwalk and underneath the boardwalk until you see the Flagpole. You'll find the beautifully painted and decorated seashells around the Boardwalk Lou Memorial Plaque. 

When visiting, there's a few things you need to keep in mind.

* Feel free to drop off a painted and/or decorated shell.
* Pick a Shell to keep or hide.
* Take an unpainted shell and return it later painted and decorated.
* Adults and children can participate.

Please Note - This shell garden isn't for people who want to raid it! We want to keep the shell garden growing so please...drop off painted and unpainted shells and take 1-2 shells to keep for your personal collection or to rehide. 

Once you've selected a beautifully painted shell for your collection...flip it over and follow the instructions on the back. You'll find several groups on Facebook where you can post a photo of your new find! Most artists sign and date their creation since it's a piece of creative artwork. Have fun making your own, trading them and collecting them! 

TROG The Race of Gentlemen in Wildwood 2024

The Race of Gentlemen TROG 2024 was held over the weekend of October 4th, 5th and 6th in Wildwood, New Jersey. This year we had beautiful weather for the entire event! Blue skies, plenty of warm sunshine and pleasant temperatures. Thousands of people were in attendance, so on Saturday there was a large crowd. 

I look forward to TROG the first weekend in October every year and head down to Wildwood. You'll see hundreds of vintage and antique cards, motorcycles and trucks parading around the island and of course...racing on the beautiful beach in Wildwood. In addition to the races there's live music (bands) and plenty of food to eat.

When you plan on attending...I recommend that you purchase your tickets online. It will save you time when you enter the event. You can buy tickets there too. Once you go through the admission gate they place a wristband on you so that you can come and go throughout the day. If you're not staying nearby, you will have to find PAID parking if you plan on parking within 3-4 blocks. Other than that, majority of the activities are included in your admission price.

The bleachers fill up really fast and early in the day. If you want to sit...get there early or bring your own chairs. Otherwise...you'll be doing a lot of standing and walking while you're there. Dress appropriately for current weather conditions, bring your sunscreen and wear comfortable walking shoes. Plan accordingly so that you can enjoy the day.

Typically I spend 3-4 hours there on Saturday watching the races and enjoying the festivities. There are fans that arrive early and leave late. If it's your first time attending (as a fan), I recommend that you allow the 3-4 hours in your schedule so that you can get a good overall feel for the event. Besides, it's not cheap getting in, so you want to take your time and ejoy it.

This post includes a few photographs that I personally took while attending The Race of Gentlemen TROG in 2024. I hope you enjoy them as much as I enjoyed attending it. 

Family Fun at Harbor Light Miniature Golf in Wildwood Crest

Looking to play miniature golf at one of the nicest places on the Wildwood island? If so, you'll want to head to Harbor Light Mini Golf in Wildwood Crest, New Jersey. You'll find it located on 10200 Pacific Avenue on the southside of the island...right before you leave the island to head into Cape May.

Harbor Light is open seasonally, so you'll want to check their website before you head out to play for their hours of operation. In addition to mini golf...they also offer ice cream. There's plenty of free parking available in their parking lot. 

This 18-hole mini golf course is beautiful. You'll find average to challenging holes with most being par 3. There are several beautiful water features too! They keep this course in tip-top shape! We like to play during the off-peak daytime hours...but playing during the evening is nice too.

The last time we were there we had the opportunity to see several ducks on the course roaming around. They were fairly friendly. The main highlight of our mini golf experience was watching several turtles come up out of the bay...go across the grass and starting digging holes to lay their eggs. If you happen to be there during that time of the year...please don't disturb them!!! 

You will be playing golf outside and not in a shady area. You'll want to dress appropriately for the current weather conditions, wear comfortable shoes, apply sunscreen and bring along a bottle of water to help keep cool on a hot weather day. During the busy tourist season we like to go as soon as they open or later in the day to play.

After a round of miniature golf you can visit their ice cream shop. There's no indoor seating but you can sit outside to enjoy your ice cream. They have all of your classic ice cream flavors. Just need something to drink? You can get that there too!

In my honest opinion, Harbor Light Mini Golf located in Wildwood Crest is one of the nicest places to play mini golf on the entire island! Get off the boardwalk and check it out while you're there.

The Butterfly Garden in Seaside Park, New Jersey

Did you know that Seaside Park, New Jersey is part of the annual East Coast Monarch Butterfly migration? Well it is! On a recent visit to Seaside Park we learned about it. Monarch butterflies are my wife's favorite and we enjoy learning about them. Here's some information we learned when visiting the Butterfly Garden. 

Each fall millions of Monarch butterflies migrate up to 3,000 miles along the East Coast. They travel from the Unites State and Canada to overwintering areas in Mexico. In the spring, they mate and then begin the journey north to complete this cycle. The Monarchs traveling north are the great-great-grandchildren of the butterflies that left the previous spring. The Monarch migration is one of the world's great natural wonders. 

Many areas of Monarch habitats have been lost in recent years causing the population to decline. Planting milkweed in backyards and on public lands provides habitat for new generations. Along the migration route you'll find Butterfly Waystations like the one that we visited in Seaside Park. 

What are Waystations? These specialized gardens provide the habitat needed for Monarch butterflies on their long migration. They included native plants like: violets, milkweed, yarrow, coneflower, aster, etc. These native plants were selected for nectar (food) and host plants (to lay eggs) for the Monarch and Swallowtail butterflies. 

If you're going to be visiting Seaside Park in New Jersey...we highly recommend that you stop by the Butterfly Garden to learn more about the butterflies and what you can do to help preserve their habitat.

Cape May National Wildlife Refuge for Hiking and Birding

The Cape May National Wildlife Refuge is a wonderful place to visit. You can walk the trails (most are easy walking) and partake in bird watching activities. On side you can visit the indoor nature center and shop for souvenirs and gifts. The refuge is FREE to visit and family-friendly.

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Cape May National Wildlife Refuge is located on Ocean Avenue in Wildwood Crest, New Jersey. It's at the southern end of the Wildwood island...before you cross the bridge to head into Cape May. Very easy to get to when visiting the Stone Harbor, Wildwood, Rio Grande and Cape May areas. It was established as part of the National Wildlife Refuge System in 1989. 

You'll want to start your visit at the Welcome Center where you'll find free parking. Inside the center you can ask questions, partake in any educational programs they're hosting, do a little shopping and obtain a map of the trails. You can also grab a map at the entrace walkways to several of the different trails. The map shows their route and length. 

We walked up the trail at the 2 Mile Beach Unit. It's a wood boardwalk with a wood railing. You can get a wheelchair or walker up that trail with assistance. At the end of that trail you'll find an area that you can see the beach and the Atlantic Ocean. From May through the end of September that beach is closed to help the migrating and nesting birds. 

One thing to note is that there aren't any benches to sit on and no shade on this particular trail. On a blazing hot and humid day...you'll want to walk it early in the morning or later in the evening. It's a short trail...only took us 15 minutes to walk out and back. Nothing that takes hours and it's an easy walk. 

Next...we got into our car and drove down to the next parking lot where you'll find the entrance to the Marsh Trail. This trail has a wood boardwalk but no railing. It's very shaded with trees, bushes and shrubs lining both sides of the trail. You can easily get a wheelchair down this trail too. 

There's information boards at the entrance to the trail giving you info about the Marsh Trail, it's length and the inhabitants (animals) you may see along the way. They're worth the read if you're not in a hurry. 

It took us 7-10 minutes to walk the Marsh Trail until we reached the observation blind. It has seating, so you can sit down and look out over the marsh. We saw several different type's of shore birds while sitting there, so bring along your binoculars if you have them. There's a chart hanging inside the little observation blind listing some of the birds that you'll find in the area. After sitting there for 15-20 minutes (it's relaxing) we headed back to our car.

A few things that I recommend when visiting: Wear sunscreen, spray yourselves with bug spray (they can be nasty near the water) and bring along a bottle of water. You should wear comfortable walking shoes and dress appropriately for the current weather conditions. Bring along binoculars and your camera! 

We enjoyed visiting the Cape May National Wildlife Refuge in Wildwood Crest. We visited on a cloudy (but not rainy) day. It gave us something FREE to do and was educational at the same time. It's always nice to learn more about nature and wildlife conservation. 

Historic Cold Spring Village an Open-Air Living History Museum

Historic Cold Spring Village is an open-air living history museum located in Cape May, New Jersey. The museum is open seasonally and for special educational events. You can find their complete schedule of operations located on their website. I recommend checking out the schedule BEFORE planning your visit. 

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You'll find the museum located on US Route 9. It's very easy to get to from all southern Jersey Shore points like Avalon, Stone Harbor, Wildwood, Sea Isle City and Cape May Court House. It's within a 20 minute drive from all of those popular tourist destinations.

Tickets are for a single day admission and range in cost from $12 to $16 depending on age...with children 3 and under FREE. Active Duty Military get free admission with a valid ID. Military Veterans get a 10% off discount with a valid ID. Parking is free.

We started off our visit by stopping by the Historic Cold Spring Village Welcome Center first. There's an orientation video you can watch in the Welcome Center that gives you historical information about the Cape May area. It's air conditioned in there and that's where you'll find the public restrooms. Pick up a paper map while you're there to help guide you around the property.

You'll be mostly outside for the rest of your self-guided tour. There are some shaded areas along the way with some benches you can sit on if you need to sit and rest. We recommend that you spray yourselves with bug spray (they can be bad in this wooded area), use sunscreen and bring along a bottle of water if you're visiting on a hot day.

The buildings are set up like a little town in the good old days. You'll find a book binder, blacksmith, pottery shop, a school, bakery, woodworking shop, the jail, a poultry house, a farm barn, etc. This is just a partial list of the buildings that you'll be visiting. Each one is unique and offers something different, so make sure you visit them all. 

At the back of the property you'll find the Cold Spring Grange Restaurant if you're looking to grab a bite to eat. There's another entrance/exit back there but for the 2024 season the entrance/exit is closed. You can still drive around to the back of the property to visit the Grange Restaurant (large free parking lot) is located right outside of the Grange.

One of the highlights from our visit was visiting the Blacksmith Shop. The Blacksmith took his time with his demonstration and showed us several different things that the Blacksmith has made. It's a really interesting demonstration and was our favorite of the day. Highly recommend that one!!!

Our second favorite demonstration and vist was to the woodworking shop. I have a personal interest in woodworking, so I really enjoyed seeing how things were done in the good old days. The woodworker gave a really informative and interesting demonstration. 

We spent about 90 minutes at the Historic Cold Spring Village Museum walking around checking out the buildings and demonstrations that were going on. A few of the buildings were closed, but the majority of them were open and offering living history demonstrations. My grandchildren really enjoyed visiting the Farm Barn to see the horse. Yes, kids love animals.

If you're going to be visiting any of the south Jersey shore points we recommend planning an afternoon visit to Historic Cold Spring Village Open-Air Living History Museum. It's a great educational and family-friendly attraction...that's fun to visit!

Taqueria El Azteca Mexican Restaurant - Best Tacos in Wildwood

Taqueria El Azteca is a newer restaurant serving authentic Mexican cuisine in Wildwood, New Jersey. It is locally owned and operated. It's a small restaurant located on 3111 Pacific Avenue in Wildwood. You can call them at 609-554-3159 or connect with them on Facebook Facebook and Instagram.

You can dine-in, pick-up your own takeout or have your food delivered. When dining in...you'll find several tables inside and a few outside. The restaurant was extremely clean on the day that we visited and they weren't crowded at all. Only one table of diners while we were there.

When you walk in you'll find the menu board hanging on the wall or you can ask for a paper menu to peruse. All of their food is made-to-order from fresh ingredients. You're welcome to BYOB, bring your own beer. They do offer non-alcoholic, authentic Mexican drinks.

Partial Menu:

Azteca Tacos (3 per box) Choose from Beef, Chicken, Steak, Sausage or Shrimp.
Street Tacos: (4 per box) Choose from Steak, Chicken, Beef Tongue, Shrimp or Birria.

Quesabirria

Noodles Birria

Quesadilla (made with flour tortilla)

Azteca Mulitas Mix (3 per box)

Birria Mix

Fried Tilapia

Diablo Shrimp

Mexican Steak
Mexican Chilaquiles
Roast Chicken

Picaditas Del Rancho
Combo Tacos Packs (3 Steak, 3 Sausage and 3 Chicken)

Burritos (Choose from Birria, Chicken, Shrimp, Sausage or Steak)

Azteca Enchiliadas

Homemade Mexican Drinks - Horchata, Watermelon, Lemon and Cucumber
Authentic 3 Milk Cake for Dessert

We ordered Azteca Tacos for our dinner one night. I ordered the chicken version while my wife ordered the steak version. We only had to wait 15-20 minutes for our order to be ready. Just remember, there will be wait time because everything is made-to-order so it's fresh! Your meal won't be FAST FOOD! 

You get 3 tacos per box. Let me tell you...they're stuffed with all kinds of delicious goodies. They don't skimp on the filling! There's cheese, beans, meat, guacamole, cream, pico de galle, cilantro. onions and your choice of meat. One or two tacos is a meal for me. Yes, I saved the third one for lunch the following day. 

Over the years we've tried several Mexican cuisine restaurants in the area and I have to admit...Taqueria El Azteca exceeded our expectations. In our honest opinion, the BEST tacos on the Wildwood island. I mean that!!! They're were delicious and well-worth the menu price of $16.00 plus tax. Delicous and affordable! 

If you're going to be in the Stone Harbor, Wildwood, Rio Grande or Cape May areas while vacationing down at the Jersey Shore and enjoy eating authentic Mexican food...check out Taqueria El Azteca at 3111 Pacific Avenue in Wildwood, New Jersey. Highly recommend them! 

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The Best Hot Dogs at Maui's Dog House in Wildwood

Looking for a quick bite to eat for lunch or dinner? Going to be in the Wildwood area? If so, check out Maui's Dog House at 8th & New Jersey's Avenue in North Wildwood. They're known on the island for having some of the best hot dogs and we agree! 

Maui's Dog House is open seasonally. They offer outdoor, covered seating. Food is made-to-order and fresh. It's not fast food but it's served fairly quickly...as fast as they can make it according to the signage. We like to visit Maui's for lunch when we're down on the island. Yes, Wildwood is a barrier island located in Cape May county.

They offer hot dogs with a ton of different toppings along with hamburgers, chicken fingers, french fries, macaroni salad, cole slaw, salty balls, sausages, breaded seafood and various beverages. In our honest opinion, everything is affordably priced...especially for being located in a tourist area. In addition, their portions are generous in size. 

My wife ordered just a regular hot dog with ketchup while I ordered a hot dog with chili as my topping. These hotdogs will fill up the entire bun and then some! You can choose from 29 creative toppings for your hot dog! Everything is homemade and tastes delicious! Well worth the money that we spent for lunch! 

You can check out Maui's Dog House online along with their menu. You can eat there or order takeout. You can connect with them on Facebook and Instagram too. You can call them at 1-609-846-0444.