Wildwood Live

About

The Wildwoods have about five miles of ocean beach across Wildwood, North Wildwood and Wildwood Crest, and all of it is free. There are no beach tags in any of the three towns, so you can walk on with a towel and nothing to buy.

The sand is wide. NASA's Earth Observatory calls Wildwood's beach the widest in New Jersey, and getting from the Boardwalk to the surf can take several minutes on foot. Beach stands rent chairs, umbrellas and boards, and beach taxis will carry your gear for a small fee.

History

NASA traces the width to sand drifting south along this coast, plus early 1900s work around Cape May, including a new harbor, a long jetty and a causeway that let Turtle Gut Inlet fill in, which left more sand at Wildwood. It says the beaches have been growing for more than a century.

When to go

Lifeguards work from Memorial Day weekend through Labor Day, about 10 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. Wildwood Crest guards weekends only from late May until mid June, then daily, and not every beach is staffed early and late in the season, so check the beach patrol's schedule.

Outside those dates and hours the beaches are unguarded, so swim only where a lifeguard is on duty.

Check today's hours →

Good to know

Each town's beach patrol can help visitors with limited mobility. Wildwood Crest offers free transport from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. while guards are on duty, and North Wildwood has surf chairs at its first aid station at 15th Avenue.

Wildwood Crest does not allow alcohol, fires, barbecues or picnics on its beaches. Rules and dog hours differ by town, so ask the beach patrol: North Wildwood 609-522-7500, Wildwood 609-522-8258, Wildwood Crest 609-522-3825.

Price

• AdmissionFree

Prices checked November 2026 on the website of The Wildwoods tourism authority. They can change, so check before you go.

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