Wildwood Boardwalk
Wildwood, New Jersey
Address: 3800 Boardwalk, Wildwood, NJ 08260
About
The Wildwoods Boardwalk runs nearly 2.5 miles along the Atlantic Ocean, from Cresse Avenue in Wildwood Crest to 15th Avenue in North Wildwood, passing through Wildwood in between. It is built from more than 70,000 wooden planks and has stood in some form since the 1890s, when it started as a 150-yard stretch of boards. The shoreline has shifted enough over the decades that the boardwalk itself has been moved twice. It stays open year-round, from 5 a.m. to 1 a.m., though individual shops and rides keep their own seasonal hours.
Three amusement piers run off the boardwalk with more than 100 rides between them, from kiddie carousels to full-size roller coasters, plus three beachfront water parks with slides, a lazy river and surf pools. Rides are pay-per-ride rather than one flat admission, so a family can pick a handful of coasters instead of buying a day pass. A yellow tramcar runs the length of the boardwalk for $5 one way if you would rather not walk the full stretch.
Between the piers are the parts most people remember: fudge shops, arcades with skee ball and claw machines, funnel cake and pizza counters, and boardwalk games. Pets are not allowed on the boardwalk at any time, and bags deeper than 8 inches are barred from 8 p.m. to 4 a.m. The beaches below are free, with no daily badge required, which sets Wildwood apart from most of the Jersey Shore.
Wildwood sits on a barrier island in Cape May County, roughly 40 minutes south of Atlantic City and about 45 minutes north of Cape May Point by car. Philadelphia is farther, closer to two hours depending on summer traffic on the Garden State Parkway.
Accessibility
The Wildwood Boardwalk itself is a flat, continuous wood-plank surface that most wheelchair and scooter users can cross without much trouble, but accessibility details vary by which of the three towns you are in, and no single agency publishes one boardwalk-wide guide.
The boardwalk runs through Wildwood Crest, Wildwood and North Wildwood, and each town manages its own ramps and access points. In North Wildwood, boardwalk access from street level is marked at 15th, 16th, 17th, 18th, 19th, 20th, 24th and 26th Avenues, with beach access from the boardwalk at 16th and 20th Avenues. In Wildwood proper, boardwalk-to-beach ramps are at Cresse, Rio Grande, Andrews, Spicer, Schellenger, Maple and Juniper Avenues.
Accessible restrooms are scattered rather than continuous. North Wildwood lists year-round ADA restrooms at Pine and Olde New Jersey Avenues and at 25th Avenue and the boardwalk, plus several seasonal portable units. Wildwood's accessible restrooms are at Glenwood, Youngs and Leaming Avenues on the boardwalk.
For getting around without your own equipment, Wildwood Rental Supply, a private company, rents a standard wheelchair modified for boardwalk use (18-inch seat, up to 250 lbs) for about $30 a night and delivers to all three towns. Wildwood Crest also runs a summer transportation service for people with disabilities between beach access points, and Wildwood operates a paid beach taxi for crossing the sand. Neither town's site confirms whether the boardwalk's yellow tramcar itself can take a wheelchair, so call ahead if that matters for your trip.
None of the three towns publishes anything about braille signage, audio description, sign language services, or sensory-friendly hours on the boardwalk, so assume those are not available unless a specific business tells you otherwise. For questions covering the North Wildwood section, contact the city's ADA Coordinator at (609) 522-2030 ext. 1220.
Checked by Accessible America, August 2026. Report a change
How we checked this
We checked these details against official information from the venue and public agencies:
- wildwoodsnj.com (1 detail, checked 2026-08-27)
More accessible places in New Jersey
- Morey’s Piers & Beachfront Water Parks (Wildwood)
- Atlantic City Boardwalk (Atlantic City)
- Princeton University Art Museum (Princeton)
- Adventure Aquarium (Camden)
- Battleship New Jersey (Camden)
- Liberty Science Center (Jersey City)
Photo credits
- Wildwood Boardwalk with pizza shop storefronts and a wide flat wooden walkway under blue sky: Dough4872, CC BY-SA 4.0 (source)
- Archway entrance to the Wildwood Boardwalk decorated with dolphins and seahorses over a level walkway: Dough4872, Public domain (source)
- The Wildwoods sign on a flat paved plaza with colorful beach balls near the boardwalk: Chriscoop, CC BY-SA 3.0 (source)
