After the Garden State Parkway was completed in 1957 folks piled into their cars and headed for vacations on the Jersey shore. Car friendly motels began popping up, and today Wildwood has the highest concentration in the world of these midcentury modern motels.

The Doo Wop Preservation League has a map divided into North Wildwood, Wildwood, and Wildwood Crest showing the location, dates, and information about about these artifacts from the past that are still open and taking guests almost 75 years later. 

There are so many of the typical midcentury architectural features, from cantilevered spaces

to geometric rooflines

to vibrant colors

to funky balconies

to neon.

Housed in an old restaurant, the Doo Wop Preservation League runs tours and collects relics of demolished motels in their sign garden. 

Even the local WaWa has gotten in on the action. 

Sadly, the fake palm trees were headless and the neon wasn’t lit during our Tuesday in early-April visit, but it was a great time of year for no crowds and endless parking.