Wildwood: A blast from the past.

As I said in my last post, my family and I go to Wildwood every summer. I think our frequent visits helped to start my love for all things retro and vintage. If you've never been to Wildwood and you love 60's styles then you need to go now!

While a lot of the fantastic motels are gone now there are still some classic 60's style motels left. In the mid-2000's there was a condo boom in Wildwood and a lot of the motels, each with their own personality, were demolished to make room for cookie cutter condo buildings. A town that once had blocks of distinctive motels now has a bunch of towering beige buildings. Thankfully the "Doo Wop Preservation League" www.doowopusa.org has stepped in and continues to fight to preserve these magnificent motels. 

My family and I used to stay at the "Kona Kai" motel in Wildwood Crest. The photo below is one of the motels brochures, it's not my scan. The Kona Kai was built during the tiki craze and even the rooms were tiki themed. On the balcony there were torches that were lit at night and you really felt like you were at a Polynesian resort. Sadly the motel was demolished in 2006 and in it's place there is a boring beige block of condos.

It's sad that some people don't see the value in older things. The motels gave Wildwood personality especially when all the neon signs were lit up, it was magical as a child. So my retro fanatic readers, you should plan your trip today.