If you live in SJ, it’s likely you have treasured memories of the Shore – lots of them. And odds are they all involve happy times with your family and friends. Take a look at just a few of the great memories sent in by SJ readers. We know the Shore season is pretty much over, but we’ll always have our memories (and next summer!).
I loved going clamming with my mom in Brigantine when I was little, but I probably did more playing than clamming. I remember her teaching me to look for the holes in the sand during low tide (we always had to go at low tide, and she would check the paper for the times), and then you would dig! I remember hearing the commercials for the new Brigantine Castle on the radio while we drove there. I was always scared we were going to see the castle, but we never did. – Elizabeth Adams, Marlton
Back on a rainy Saturday morning in August 1987, a bunch of my friends and I decided to hop in the car and take a ride to Wildwood. We didn’t have a place to stay, so we figured we’d just wing it and see if we could find something. Well, we found the best place ever, called the Wyndmoor Apartments. We had the best time there. It had a nice second-floor balcony where we would hang out after we came back from the Boardwalk. It was a tradition we kept up for quite a few years. – Dina Maher, Cherry Hill
I remember 39th Street in Brant Beach in the mid-’80s – we rented a house for a month. It was crowded, because the vacation included my parents and my six siblings, two of whom were married and had kids. My youngest brother came down in the middle of the week with a friend. They got there late and ended up sleeping in the car because we were all asleep and it was too late to knock on the door! Sometimes, so many friends slept over that they spilled out onto the picnic table on the front porch. – Peg Smith, Cinnaminson
One of my favorite moments from our vacations to Beach Haven was when I was very young. My mother was sitting in a beach chair working on a puzzle book, and my brother was quietly playing in the sand. The next thing we knew, my mom was flat on her back with her feet in the air! My brother had dug the sand out from behind her chair – it was such a funny family moment… even though Mom wasn’t too happy! – Laurie Sporing, Medford
When I was a kid, we would stay in Ship Bottom or Surf City with my dad’s Army buddy and his family. They had these trampolines at a place called Tumbletown in Ship Bottom – it had holes dug in the ground with trampolines stretched over them. After we got ice cream, we would get time to jump. I guess it was pretty dangerous, because I remember when they got rid of the trampolines. But they were fun. – Tina Fox, Beverly
My family and I were in Wildwood for my sister’s color guard championship, and my dad asked if we wanted to see the motel my great-grandparents used to own. The motel was called the Fran-Celia. They combined their names, Frank and Cecilia. It was the largest of the three they owned. The other two were called the Surf Haven and the Trylon. It was so cool and vintage-looking. I’m pretty sure they knocked it down to build condos though. I’m just glad I got to see it before it was destroyed. – Paul Damiani, Williamstown
The thing that comes to my mind first is eating at all my family’s favorite restaurants at the Shore – places like Voltaco’s and Piccini’s in Ocean City, and the Crab Trap in Somers Point. As a family, we also liked to play a good round of 10-cent skee-ball at Jilly’s in Ocean City and ride bikes on the Boardwalk. – Steve McGettigan, Ocean City
We would go to Seaside Heights every year around April to play the games and win the Easter baskets – we wouldn’t leave unless we got one. I loved when my grandparents and the rest of my family would come with us – we had the best times. It was my favorite because my mom always tried her hardest for me. She was so good at the crane games. – Ashley Epifano, Willingboro