Is Cape May good for teenagers?

My husband and I are thinking about going to either Wildwood Crest, NJ or Cape May, NJ next August with our 2 teenage sons ages 19 and 14. We want to book the hotel in Dec because I know how fast these beach resorts fill up. Anyway, I wanted to know which place would be better suited for 2 teenage boys? Cape May looks so beautiful but are there enough things to do besides sitting at a pool or beach? Also what hotels in Cape May would be good?

Any advice is appreciated.

Thanks.

Sandi

Is Cape May good for teenagers?

My advice would be to stay in Wildwood Crest, at the beginning of the Wildwood boardwalk, so your teens have access to the 2 mile long boardwalk which includes 4 piers of rides, arcades, go carts, dune buggy rides, and even a water park. Cape May is beautiful but much less going on for your teens. You can take a day trip over to Cape May to see the lighthouse, shopping, nice restaurants, and maybe even a whale watching cruise.

In the Crest, I%26#39;d recommend staying at the Adventurer, Aqua Beach Resort, Pan American, or Attache - all walking distance to the boardwalk. Wildwood is a fun, exciting place for teens. Cape May has the better restaurants and shops, grand old inns and a sophisticated atmosphere - not a big gnot a big draw for teenagers, in my opinion.

Is Cape May good for teenagers?

Hi Sandi,

I love Cape May...but I agree 100% with the previous poster. I believe the teens will be much happier in Wildwood.

Happy planning!

No, I agree with the others that Wildwood or Wildwood Crest towards the end of the boardwalk would be much better for your family instead of Cape May. The ages of your boys will allow you all to have some free time if you stay close to the boardwalk as they can walk up to the amusement piers themselves and find lots to do. The closer you can get to the boardwalk will also mean cheaper food for you all, especially if you have typical teen-age boys who eat constantly! We found the food VERY high this year in Wildwood Crest, both in the restaurants and in the grocery store, (only an Acme there as far as we know) but when you walk on the boardwalk, there are some great deals if you%26#39;re into casual dining. Bkfst. for $1.99 LOTS of places and it looked great! Sure beats $8+ for an omelette or pancake in a sit-down restaurant. I%26#39;d highly advise Oliver%26#39;s Pancake House for dinner, they had delicious food, all homemade, and some great family style dinners. Corner of Rio Grande and Pacific, you%26#39;ll see if when you first drive into Wildwood off the Garden State Parkway.

Have fun!

Just a little devil%26#39;s advocate. We have gone with our two children the last few years to Cape May and stayed right on the beach. Kids did not complain. My oldest like yours can drive. It is not a big deal to drive over to wildwood for the night to go to the boards. the rides are very expensive, so maybe their not being too convenient may be a positive. Wildwood is a little ';honky tonk'; compared to Cape May which may be a good reason for the parents to want to stay in Cape May. All this just depends on what kind of vacation you like.

I loved Cape May! Wildwood has the boardwalk and piers with rides and waterparks but it is very over built. There is so much concrete, very little grass or trees, and hotels jammed one on top of the other. Cape May is more relaxed and laid back. I found a condo on Pittsburgh Ave through a Cape May Realty site. Be advised that Pittsburgh is a busy street so ask questions about location. The boardwalk at Wildwood was full of tatoo places, t-shirt shops, and arcades. The piers were good for a day, the waterpark very, very crowded. The walk to the beach was very far from the boardwalk. If you stay in Cape May, it is short driving distance to Wildwood. You could bring your kids there often if they get bored on Cape May. I went with my kids and enjoyed the beauty and relaxing atmosphere of Cape May. My husband and I agreed that we would not have had the same vacation if we had stayed in Wildwood. Lot%26#39;s of hotels with plastic palm trees around their pools. Need I say more? Enjoy.

As the mother of 2 teen aged boys, Wildwood Crest is the better bet. There are a lot of beautiful motels along the beach. Surf the net and see what is in your price range. My parents have a summer home in the Crest and we have always vacationed there. I usually can get the kids to go over to Cape May at least one night for dinner and to walk around, but that is all they will stand. I love Cape May, but to get my time there, my husband and I come back for a weekend alone in the fall when the crowds have died down and the kids are back in school. You are right, Cape May is beautiful, but there is really not a lot for your boys to do. That having been said, these two places are not too far from each other, so as long as you don%26#39;t mind driving to Wildwood, you can stay in Cape May.

Our boys, who are 14 and 15, love to ride the go carts on the boardwalk, ride the pier rides (there are some good roller coasters and thrill rides) and paly some of the games along the boardwalk and at Gateway 26. ( 26th ave. and the Boardwalk in North Wildwood) Good luck and have a great vacation!