Every year our family takes a summer vacation to the New Jersey shore. We rent a condo in North Wildwood, the same condo each year. When you are picking out a place to stay two things to look at are how close it is to the beach and how close it is to the boardwalk. The condo we rent is within walking distance of the beach but we usually drive to get to the boardwalk. The boardwalk is about 15 blocks away, maybe a few more. It is possible to walk there but since we have small children we drive so that they still have energy and aren't tired of walking while we are on the boardwalk.

After visiting the Jersey shore for several years we have come up with our own plan of doing things. We visit the boardwalk for shopping, games, etc. in the late morning and early afternoon. This is when the majority of people are on the beach so it is less crowded. I love shopping on the boardwalk, I can always find a bargain there! They also have lots of shops that nothing costs more than $1.00 so the kids can do some shopping too. There are all kinds of 'carnival' games that hubby loves to play and the kids love the prizes. They also have any kind of food imaginable, as you walk the boards you are bound to get the taste for something!

We then visit the beach in the early evening when most people are going home for dinner and heading to the boardwalk. The less crowded beaches to us are a lot less stressful. It is much easier to watch kids with less people and they have more room to run. Ahhh just thinking about sitting on the beach at sunset reading a book in the warm ocean breezes watching the kids finding seashells makes me yearn for this years vacation.

Every year we also visit the Cape May County Zoo which is about a 10 min drive from North Wildwood. This is a free zoo and I have to say it is a wonderful zoo! They have a wide variety of animals and beautiful scenery. The whole family looks forward to our visit to this zoo every year. We also take a trip to The Sea Shell ice cream store every year which is located in Wildwood. They have the most delicious icecream and are very reasonably priced. Their servings are so large I don't think any one of us have ever finished our dessert.

All the other shore points are close and convenient so you can take day trips to visit the other beaches. If you plan ahead and bring non-perishables with you and eat most of your meals where you are staying this can be a very reasonably priced trip for the entire family.