About
In the 1950s and 60s the Wildwoods filled with motels built in a playful, space-age style now called doo wop: boomerang rooflines, jutting facades, zig-zag balconies, neon signs and plastic palm trees. Most of the area is in Wildwood Crest, with parts in Wildwood and North Wildwood.
There is no gate or ticket. You can walk or drive Ocean Avenue and the nearby streets and look from the sidewalk. A guided trolley tour of the neon and the architecture leaves from the Doo Wop Experience Museum on summer evenings.
History
More than 200 motels went up on the island between 1956 and 1964. Since the early 2000s many have been torn down or turned into condominiums. The Doo Wop Preservation League, formed in 1997, has worked to save what is left.
Two motels have been listed on the National Register of Historic Places: the Caribbean Motel in Wildwood Crest, in 2005, and the Chateau Bleu in North Wildwood, in 2004. The Chateau Bleu was demolished in 2025. Register listing is honorary and does not stop a demolition.
When to go
You can see the motels at any time of year, and the neon signs show best after dark. Buildings change as motels are sold and replaced, so do not plan a trip around one particular motel.
The trolley tour runs on Tuesday and Thursday evenings in summer, starting at the Doo Wop Experience Museum at 4500 Ocean Avenue.
Good to know
The motels are private properties, so look from the street and sidewalk.
Price
Looking at the motels from the street is free. The trolley tour is ticketed; buy tickets through DooWopUsa.org.
Run Doo Wop Motels? Offer a coupon here for free.
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