photos courtesy of the Greater Wildwoods Tourism Improvement & Development Authority (GWTIDA)
C
onstructed pedestrian walkways overlooking beaches and the ocean can be found all over the world, but most are on the East Coast of the U.S. and some of the best known are on the Jersey Shore. The very first boardwalk was built in Atlantic City in 1870, in an area once frequented in summer by the Lenni Lenape. Beautiful beaches, fresh sea air, luxury hotels, restaurants and shops, as well as a railroad line from Camden, drew visitors from all over the world. The original boardwalk was constructed for housekeeping reasons: to keep sand out of railroad cars and hotels. That first, with boards placed in a herringbone pattern, was only intended to be temporary and made to collapse for storage after the season, but it became the beach’s most popular attraction and an amusement pier was added. Build it and they will come—soon the boardwalk was rebuilt as a raised platform. The first boardwalk built on pilings in Ocean County was at Point Pleasant Beach in the 1890s. Permanent boardwalks were also constructed at Seaside Park, Bay Head, Lavallette, and Beach Haven. By the early 1900s many shore towns had planked walks, boardwalks or promenades. What had once been a practical means of getting to and from the beaches became a place to stroll, watch people and congregate. Women and men in the latest fashions, who wanted to see and be seen, knew the wooden walkway was the place to do so. Saltwater taffy, that sticky chewy gooey mixture of sugar, cornstarch, corn syrup, butter and salt, was invented in Atlantic City, and the first skee-ball tournament was held there in 1932. As it became the entertainment mecca known as “America’s Playground,” some of the famous feet to tread AC’s boards belonged to Marilyn Monroe, Jimmy Durante, Ed Sullivan, Joe DiMaggio, Frank Sinatra, Milton Berle, Dean Martin, Jerry Lewis and Bing Crosby. The Beatles ate Atlantic City's famous subs on the boardwalk, and Annette Funicello and Frankie Avalon opened a bowling alley. Interestingly, to film the TV series Boardwalk Empire, set in Prohibition-era
Atlantic City, a section of the boardwalk was re-created in the Brooklyn Navy Yard. Boardwalks evolved to become a commercial enterprise, carrying tourists from hotels to vendors. Economic downturns and hurricanes played havoc with leisure time at the Shore, but America’s romance with the boardwalk was renewed in 1964 when the Drifters were the first to record the classic “Under the Boardwalk.” After Hurricane Sandy, boardwalks at Seaside Heights and Belmar were rebuilt, and others at Tom’s River and Lavalette were restored. Long Branch was the last to reopen, in April. Both the Atlantic City and Wildwoods boardwalks made National Geographic’s top 10 list. From Sandy Hook to Cape May Point, there’s a boardwalk to fill your needs. It’s come a long way since it was a 150-foot platform in the 1890s. Today, at 2.5 miles, the Wildwoods Boardwalk is sensory overload. There are three amusement piers with more than 100 rides and attractions, including worldclass roller coasters, wet-and-wild beachfront water parks, carnival-style midway games, flashing arcades, retail shops and enough food stalls to satisfy the craving that beach air seems to stir. The refrain you hear ad nauseum, “Watch the tram car, please,” was recorded in 1963 by North Wildwood resident Floss Stingel, and the trams are replicas of five original electric trains custom built for the 1939 New York World’s Fair. Operating in the Wildwoods since 1949, the rebuilt trams can run for up to 12 hours on a single charge from 2,000-pound electric batteries. Throughout its 100-plus year history, the Wildwoods Boardwalk has twice scooched closer to the ocean with the changing shoreline. It has been replicated in both Disneyland and Hershey Park, Pennsylvania. Among the dizzying attractions planned for the coming season are the Grand Prix Raceway on Morey’s Adventure Pier—the largest go-kart track in the Wildwoods—to a new whimsical store filled with carousel horses and decorations
JUNE 2016
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5/27/16 10:40:21 AM