Edition 3, Volume 1
August 1, 2006

Welcome to our Newsletter...

Great Vacation Things To Do
If you’re looking for great times and fun for everyone, check out the lists below.
You’re sure to find the places, dates and events for a wonderful day of fun for everyone.

 Historic Cold Spring Village:  Three miles north of Cape May, N.J., Route 626,
between Route 9 and Seashore Road:

August: Tuesday afternoons: Junior Apprentice Program (12 and 13 year old)
Call 609-898-2300 – extension 12 for information.
August: Weekdays: Join in the games and crafts of the early 19^th century at the
Cape May Point jail.
August 5-6: “Hands On and Homespun.”
August 12-13: Antique Show and Sale.
August 19-20: Railroad Weekend.
August 26-27: Antique Car Show.

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Ocean City, New Jersey:
Regular August Events... 
Music! Ocean City Pops Orchestra presents performances throughout the month at the Music Pier.
For the schedule, go online to www.oceancitypops.org
Wednesdays: Enjoy the Farmers Market from 8:00 a.m. to 1:00 p.m.
on the Tabernacle Grounds.
Also on Wednesdays: Evenings on Asbury. Free family entertainment along the Avenue, 6:00 to 9:00 p.m.
Thursdays through Labor Day: Market Day, Asbury Avenue,
10:00 a.m. to 1:00 p.m.; Inn to Inn Tours: 2:00 p.m. – 4:00 p.m.,
with pickup at 7^th and Central; plus Family Night: 8:00 p.m. to 10:00 p.m. on The Boardwalk.
Beach walks – South End location: 59^th Street & Central Avenue.(Entrance to Corson’s Park)
Tuesdays – 9:00 a.m. Wednesdays – 6:30 p.m. North End location: OC/Longport Bridge Parking Lot
(Gardens Parkway) Tuesdays - 6:30 p.m.. Wednesdays – 9:00 a.m. Tickets
Purchased on-site. Adults $1.00 Children $.50 cents.
August 2: Sand Sculpting The second event of the season on the beach at 6^th Street, beginning at 9:00 a.m.
August 2: Miss Crustacean Hermit Crab Beauty Contest
Who says beauty isn’t in the eye of the beholder? This is the original crustacean beauty contest.
See who will walk down the runway as the winner (sideways, of course) 
Join the fun at 1:00 pm. at the 6^th Street beach.
Hermit Crab Races...But wait – there’s still more! The fastest crabs in the universe go for the Gold
(actually, it’s the Cucumber Rind Cup) right after the Miss Crustacean hermit Crab Contest at                                           the 6^th Street Beach. Will it be “boy” meets “girl”? (How can you tell?)
August 4-6: 44^th Annual Boardwalk Art Show.
Over 100 artists line the Boardwalk to sell their creations. Hours: Friday & Saturday – 10:00 a.m. – 6:00 p.m.;
Sunday – 10:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. Sponsored by the Ocean City Arts Center.
Call 609-399-7628 for more information.
August 8: Pamper Scamper
The fun starts at 9:00 a.m. with registration, and the annual baby crawling race
gets underway at 9:30 at the 6^th Street Beach.
97^th Annual Baby Parade. This is one of the oldest baby parades in the U.S.,
and it’s held on the equally amazing Ocean City Boardwalk.
August 12: South Jersey Lifeguard Championship
5:30 p.m.  34^th Street Beach. Call 609-525-9200 for information.
August 14 – 18: Weird Week
A great time for the entire family, it starts daily at 11:00 a.m.  
at the Music Pier, Boardwalk and Moorlyn Terrace. Call 609-525-9300  for more information.
August 17: Twins Contest
6:30 pm. at the Music Pier. Prizes for those who look the most and least alike.
For more information call 609-525-9304
August 18: Little Miss Ocean City
7:00 p.m. at the Music Pier, Boardwalk and Moorlyn Terrace.
Call 609-525-9304 for information.
August 19: 27^th Annual  Kids Fishing Tournament
Sponsored by the Ocean City Fishing Club. Register at 9:00 a.m. at the parking lot of the Longport Bridge.
Free admission.  Rain date: August 26^th.  Call 609-398-5625 or 609-390-5623 for information.
August 26: Night at the Prom
Featuring the Bubba Mac Band, 7:00 p.m. at the Music Pier.  Dancing for all ages. Tickets: $15.00.
Call 609-398-6841 for more information.

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Historic Cape May, New Jersey

August 1-19: Enjoy the Youth Arts Program in the Summer Monday through Friday,
for ages 11-14. Call 609-884-7525 for details.
August 3:The Sand Sculpture Contest kicks off at 10:00 a.m. today at 2^nd and Beach,
and at 11:00 a.m. don’t miss the 74^th Annual Baby Parade at Beach Avenue.
Call 609-884-9565 for information on both events.
August 12-13: It’s the 29^th Promenade Craft Show from 10:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m.
on the Boardwalk. Phone 609-884-9565 for details.      
August 17: Get to Convention Hall tonight at 7:00 p.m. for Kiwanis Auction Night.
Telephone 609-884-8888 for information.
August 20-25: Don’t miss the Mid-Atlantic Sport Fishing Tournament.
Call 609-884-2400 for information.   Enjoy the Youth Arts Program in the Summer Monday through Friday,
for ages 11-14. Call 609-884-7525 for details
.August 10-11^: Kid’s Art & Craft Classes – Dorothy Carroll Gifts
August 14: Family Night – Cape May County Zoo visits 7:00 p.m. Firehouse parking lot.
August 15: Women’s Civic Club – Covered Dish Luncheon & Card Party Clubhouse – Noon.
August 17-18: Kid’s Art & Craft Classes – Dorothy Carroll Gifts
August 19: Merchant’s Day Sidewalk Sale – Downtown Stone Harbor 9:00 a.m. – 7:00 p.m.
August 21: Family Night – Cunard Clowns
Kid’s Art & Craft Classes – Dorothy Carroll Gifts

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Avalon, New Jersey
   August 1: National Night Out – Beach Movie: 30^th Street Beach
August 3-6: Avalon Players: Times to be announced
August 12: Avalon Home and Land Owners Association Annual Meeting 10:00 a.m.
August 18: Brendan Borek Movie Night: 7:00 p.m.
August 19: Brendan Borek Day Surfing Contest and Beef ‘n Beer
August 26: Historical Society Life Guard Ball: 8:00 p.m.

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Stone Harbor, New Jersey
 August 3-4: Kid’s Art & Craft Classes – Dorothy Carroll Gifts
August 5-6: The Borough of Stone Harbor’s Annual Arts & Crafts Show
80^th Street recreation field.
August 7: Family Night – Pet Show Sea Isle City, New Jersey
August:
1 - Family Fun & Flick Night
1 - National Night Out 
2 - Country Joe and The Honky Tonk Heroes
3 - Family Night Dance Party
7 - Just In Time (Rock 'n Roll)
8 - Family Fun & Flick Night
9 - Harmony Show Choir
10 - Family Night Dance Party 
12 - 10 Mile Island Run
14 - The Danny Eyer Band (Dance Music)
15 - Family Fun & Flick Night
16 - La Banda Verdi
17 - Family Night Dance Party
21 – Old Jazz Dixieland Band
22 - Family Fun & Flick Night 
23 - Bob Ferris Big Band
24 - Family Night Dance Party
25 - Little Miss Townsend’s Inlet Contest
28 - Cape May County String Band 
29 - Family Fun & Flick Night
30 - Snake Brothers Band
31 - Family Night Dance Party 

August 30 – September 1: Gotcha/Heritage Memorial Pro-Surfing Tournament. Contestants compete for cash purse
in men's shortboarding and longboarding divisions.
Competitors from around the world. 41st Street & The Beach. For details go to www.seaislecity.org

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The Wildwoods:
August 5-6: Boardwalk Craft Show – on the boardwalk south of the Convention Center. 10:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m.
August 5-6: Battle at the Beach Grappling Tournament in the Wildwoods Convention Center.
Mixed martial arts with contestants from the tri-state area. Begins at 8:00 a.m. Tickets  at the door, or at www.nagafighter.com
August 6: Antique and Modified Car Show on the Boardwalk from 16^th to 26^th Avenues, North Wildwood.
10:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. Participants welcomed. Entrance fee: $8.00.
Sponsored by the SJ Studebaker Club. 609-522-2201.
August 9-12: Ticket to Broadway Dance Competition in the Wildwoods Convention Center,
from 6:00 a.m. to 11:00 p.m. daily. The National dance competition finals from studios all over the country
competing for cash and prizes.  908-730-0364, or www.tickettobroadway.com
August 12: Philadelphia Soul Slam at the Wildwoods Convention Center at Schellenger Avenue, featuring the Philadelphia Soul of the Arena Football league. Soul Summer Slam ’06 sponsored by Q107.
Live music, a beer garden, performances by the Philadelphia Soulmates, inflatable rides and more.
609-729-9000. Fun for the whole family.
August 12: Boardwalk for the Cure. Stroll or ride a tramcar at the 4^th Annual 4K Walk on the Wildwoods Boardwalk. Check in between 8:00 and 11:00 a.m. in front of the Wildwoods Convention Center. Entrance fee: $20.00 for participants. 610-275- 4820 or www.boardwalk4cure.com
August 12: SOCS – Survivors of Cancer Fundraiser, Westy’s Tavern, Olde New Jersey & Spruce Avenues, North Wildwood. 3:00 – 7:00 p.m. Admission: $20.00. 609-846-0372.
August 12-13: Hereford Inlet Lighthouse Craft Show. 1^st & Central Avenues, North Wildwood. 10:00 a.m. – 4:00 p.m. both days. 609-522-4520 or www.herefordlighthouse.org
August 13: United Way of Cape May County’s Rubber Ducky Regatta, Raging Waters Water Park, Morey’s Piers, Schellenger Avenue & the Boardwalk, Wildwood. See over 10,000 rubber ducks race to the finish line.
Starts at 7:30 p.m. Free to spectators. 609-729-2002.
August 18-20: Law Enforcement Survivors Weekend honoring law enforcement officers who gave their lives in the line of duty. Begins Friday at 8:00 p.m. with the opening ceremony.
Events include a parade, ski run and Mass. Free admission. 609-522-2411.
August 19: Colgate Country Showdown. 25^th Edition of the Colgate Country Showdown featuring aspiring country music performers competing for a chance to win $1,000 in prize money and advancement in one of six regional finals. Free admission. 800-992-9732 or www.catcountry1073.com
August 19: Tri/Du the Wildwoods, 15^th & the Beach, North Wildwood, 7:30 a.m. Swim, bike and run (triathlon) or run, bike and run (duathlon). Entrance fee for participants. A portion of the proceeds benefits youth activities.
609-374-6495 or www.delmosports.com
August 19-20: Boardwalk Craft Show on the boardwalk south of the Wildwoods Convention Center, Wildwood.
10:00 a.m. – 5:0 p.m. both days. Free admission. 609-522-0378 or 609-522-0198.
August 22: Around the Island Row. Begins at 6:30 a.m. on the beach at 15^th Avenue, North Wildwood.
Free admission. 609-522-7500.
August 25-27: Sports Card Comic Book and Toy Expo, the Wildwoods Convention Center, featuring sports cards old and new, toys, comic books, figurines, Beanie Babies and other memorabilia. Hours: Friday 3:00 – 9:00 p.m.; Saturday, 10 a.m. to 9p.m.; Sunday, 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Free admission. 732-422-9365 or www.njsportspromotions.com
August 26-27: Wildwoods Classic Cup Hobie Cat Races on the beach at Primrose Road, Wildwood Crest. See colorful hobie cats in an ocean sailing competition Saturday 10 a.m. to 10 p.m. and Sunday, 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Entrance fee for participants. Free to spectators. 856-914-1027 or http://mysite.verizon.net/townbank.cats
August 26-27: Boardwalk Craft Show on the boardwalk south of the Wildwoods Convention Center, Wildwood,
10 a.m. – 5:00 p.m. both days. Free admission. 609-522-0378 or 609-522-0198.
August 27: Wildwood Block Party and Festival, Pacific Avenue from Burk to Rio Grande Avenues, Wildwood. Family fun with clowns, face painting, kids’ karaoke, rides    and appearances by major entertainers.
Starts at 1:00 p.m. Free admission. 609-522-2444.

Please visit our advertisers while visiting the Jersey Shore!
They will help you have a GREAT VACATION!
You won't be dissappointed!

Cooper’s Guest House
A wonderful place to relax with the access you need to all that Historic Cape May has to offer. (click here)

La Mer Beachfront Inn
A beautifully appointed beachfront hotel with all the modern amenities to make your stay a wonderful one.
(click here)

Montreal Inn
On the oceanfront in Cape May at Madison Avenue. Seventy (70) units, most rooms with a private balcony or patio. (click here)

Southern Mansion
Cape May’s premier luxury bed and breakfast inn/boutique hotel. A wonderful place to vacation with access to everything. (click here)

Windward House
A gracious Edwardian-style seaside bed and breakfast inn located in the heart of the Cape May historic district.
(click here)

Brown’s Nostalgia
Brown’s Nostalgia Bed and Breakfast, a 1900’s inn in the center of Ocean City, N.J., within walking distance of the beach and boardwalk. (click here)

Harris House Motel
Located at 12^th Street and Ocean Avenue in Ocean City, N.J. Call them at 609-399-7800. (click here)

Beachcomber Resort
Beautiful beaches and tall dunes, a relaxed, refreshing atmosphere, secluded pool – it’s “The suite approach to your seashore vacation.” (Click here)

Desert Sand Inn
The ocean is calling you to its waters for sun, surf, fun, relaxation, and a tranquil haven away from the hustle and bustle. It’s the Desert Sand Resort – perfect!  (Click here)

Marabella’s Family Restaurant
A family tradition of authentic Italian recipes in Stone Harbor serving the public since 1972. BYOB. Please call ahead to make sure you’ll be seated. Marabella’s means great food! (click here)

Stone Harbor Pizza
A full service restaurant with fantastic Pasta Primavera, great Italian specialties, incredible crab cakes, Atlantic City bread and fresh cut meats for the freshest food possible. BYOB. (click here)

The Mirage  Bar & Grill
Formerly The Mirage, featuring breakfast, lunch, dinner and late night fare. Contemporary American cuisine at its best in a casual and comfortable atmosphere. (click here)

Aleathea’s Restaurant (Inn of Cape May).
Delicious French/New Orleans cuisine, extraordinary fresh seafood, meats, roasts, appetizers and soups. BYOB. 
(click here)

Cabanas
This is Historic Cape May’s only oriental restaurant open from 11:30 a.m. for lunch and dinner daily. Cantonese and Szechuan favorites, plus Sushi and Sashimi. (click here)

The Shore Line Railroad Historical Society and
The Pennsylvania-Reading Seashore Line

What’s better than one attraction? Two, especially if they happen to be in the same place. If you love model trains, attention to detail, and fun for kids and adults, you’ll be going to the right place. (click here)
also (click Here)

Cape May Stage

Entertainment begins with the Cape May Stage Professional Equity Company, with the best in theater on stage in Cape May.  They have a wonderful show schedule now through the holidays. Don’t miss one of them. (click here)

Cape May Jazz Festival

If you want to share the truly “cool,” you’ll want to attend the Cape May Jazz Festival, an event so incredible that it’s held not once but twice a year. Love jazz? The next festival will be held November 10, 11 and 12, 2006. (click here)

Cape May County Zoo

Lions and tigers and bears, oh my! Wear comfortable clothing and shoes, round up the kids of all ages, and visit the most family friendly zoo in America. Admission is FREE! (click here)

The Mission Inn...Bed & Breakfast

   
   Sometimes it takes genius to recognize genius…Once upon a time in the enchanted town of Cape May, New Jersey there lived a man named Nelson Z. Graves. Now, Mr. Graves was no ordinary man. He developed and owned the Cape May Electric Company, the Casino Playhouse, and an extraordinary farm that, for its day and time, was the marvel of the world because it was “sanitary.” It had concrete floors, electricity, mechanical milking machines, and people came from all over to see it.
   Mr. Graves, being a genius, traveled to the American West, and what he saw there led him to return and construct an extraordinary home the newspapers of the time called The Spanish Bungalow. The year was 1912, and Nelson Z. Graves did many other things too numerous to mention.
   Years later Susan Babineau-Roberts and her husband Raymond were traveling the eastern seaboard in search of the perfect place to build a bed & breakfast. They had experienced such delight in B&Bs over the years that they had decided that this was what they wanted to do. When Susan saw The Spanish Bungalow, genius – and intuitive sense – said to her,
‘This is the one!’
   However, genius, Tom Edison said, “…is one percent inspiration and 99 percent perspiration…” and so Susan set off to California and toured over twenty California missions in search of her dream. When she returned, the real work began.
   Each of the eight guest rooms in The Mission Inn at 1117 New Jersey Avenue in Cape May is extraordinary. That’s because Susan videotaped and made still photographs of each mission she toured. Now, the painted murals of the southwest, the carved headboards showing a different California mission in each room, and two-person tubs and luxury showers throughout the inn are the pure genius of design evoking the soft shadows and beauty of the southwest, coupled with modern amenities, making The Mission Inn, if we dare say so, the most extraordinary year-round destination in the ultimate destination for Great Vacations and getaways in Historic Cape May, New Jersey.
   The Mission Inn and your innkeeper Susan Babineau-Roberts, Raymond Roberts, and her staff cordially invite you to experience California style casual elegance, “…where east meets west, and hospitality begins with your call.”
   Enjoy gourmet breakfasts served on the porch May through October, and inside this lovely Mission home the rest of the year. Each room has a fireplace to enjoy in the cooler months.  There is wireless Internet access in each room, televisions (some 32 inches!) with DVD players that may be hidden away when not in use, and all the amenities you could want.
   The Mission Inn offers guests an afternoon Happy Hour, complete with hors-d’oeuvres, bicycles for riding, and the beach items you’ll need, such as oversized towels, chairs and umbrellas, so you don’t have to pack too much to bring along.
   This is an extraordinary place for romantic vacations and getaways, made doubly so by its unique architecture, lovely faux painting, incredible murals and attention to detail. Now, your next step is…the important numbers and address: Toll-free: 1-800-800-8380.

Email: info@missioninn.net The Mission Inn, where their mission is to make your visit so extraordinary that you’ll come back again and again to stay in what you’ll come to identify as “your special room.” The Mission Inn, helping you build a lifetime of happy memories one memorable visit at a time. (Click Here For More)

 

The Atlantic City Boardwalk...A Little Bit of History

   The boardwalks that stretch along the beaches in the southern New Jersey resort towns are to be found in Atlantic City-Ventnor, Ocean City, Sea Isle City, Avalon-Stone Harbor, the Wildwoods and Cape May, and each has a story to tell and a role to play in the lives of generations of people who have come to the sea in search of fun and relaxation.
   In this issue, we’ll look at what is considered perhaps the best known of all boardwalks in the world: Atlantic City’s boardwalk.
   Tourism to Atlantic City began, for all intents and purposes, on July 5, 1854 when the first trainload of tourists arrived at the newly completed railroad station to take rooms at Aunt Millie’s Boarding House, the Belloe Hotel, and the huge United States hotel. The railroad was built, in fact, some twenty years before an actual road was constructed from Atlantic City to the mainland. By that time the number one problem in Atlantic City was, well, sand. You just couldn’t get away from the stuff. Everywhere you walked, it went with you. Thus, the idea for a boardwalk grew out of the need for people to stop tracking sand everywhere they stepped.
   The first boardwalk ran from east to west to aid people getting to and from the beach. This first effort lasted for about a decade while the city’s population grew, and a new and longer boardwalk was built, parallel to the beach this time, and it provided access to the beach from a number of Atlantic City streets.
   A population of 20,000 lived in Atlantic City by the late 1800s, and the shops, spas and amusements had also grown in number because AC was a much desired location during the summer.  Things went well until 1889 when the ocean decided to come inland and flood the whole city, and when the waters receded an even larger and wider boardwalk was constructed to serve a town in 1900 that was prosperous and growing by leaps and bounds. Amusement piers were built out into the ocean, electricity had come to town, and the “boom” was on. Atlantic City’s good fortunes continued right through two world wars and the Great Depression, but things would begin to go downhill following World War II.
   Other towns up and down the seaboard were now competing for summer tourists. Many  towns built their own boardwalks. Airplanes began to make quick trips south to Florida and the Caribbean possible for vacationers. By 1960 many people weren’t coming to Atlantic City, choosing other destinations. Hard times had arrived, and they lasted until the late 1970s when casino gambling came to town and changed everything.
   Gambling changed the fortunes of the “Queen of Resorts” once more. The boardwalk is still there, running from Gardiner’s Basin all the way down the length of Atlantic City and neighboring Ventnor to its end. The boardwalk once ran through Margate and Longport, as well, but storms destroyed those boardwalks years ago, and they were never replaced.
   Now, in the early hours of summer mornings people walk, push strollers and ride their bikes along the boardwalk. Bike riders must leave the “boards” at 10:00 a.m. to make room for pedestrians in the summer months, but it’s easy for someone to walk the length of Ventnor and Atlantic City, and vice versa, on the most famous boardwalk in the world. (If they like to walk – it’s a long walk, indeed!)
   For over 70 years Miss America Pageant contestants rode the boards in open cars “showing their shoes” to the public. Parades have come and gone. The famous “Diving Horse” has been replaced by Ripley’s Believe It or Not and other attractions, and the glitter of the casinos and upscale shopping, mixed in with the pizza shops, tee-shirt shops and saltwater taffy, is there for all who visit. 
   The Atlantic City of today is open 24/7. The boardwalk makes the casino experience vastly different from other places where casino gambling is the main industry. There are not many places where you can walk out of a luxury hotel/casino and right onto the boardwalk and hit the beach. There are short stretches of the “boards” that have been replaced with different and, hopefully, more durable materials. Sometimes there is a stretch of “composite” boards, and aluminum has also been used as a surface, but the integrity of the design (these materials are designed to look like boards) is maintained.

Great Vacation Guide / Successful Seasons Inc.
Copyright © 2006/2010 All Rights reserved
info@greatvacationguide.com
All content above is subject to change without notice, please check with the event organizers before making plans!