Games, music, neon lights and hot summer fun. If you're craving the excitement of Coney Island, but prefer pristine beaches and clean waters, then the Wildwoods offer a perfect mix of thrills and relaxation.

A five-mile island off the Jersey Shore, Wildwood is best known for its white sandy beaches and world-famous boardwalk. Built at the turn of the century, the boardwalk stretches along for 37 city blocks and is packed in the summer with families and beachgoers from all corners of the East Coast.

During the 1950s the region underwent some major architectural changes to reflect the spirit of the times, transforming this once quiet seaside village to the amusement thoroughfare it is today. The motels, diners, gas stations and other buildings in the center of the island present a varied, and sometimes kitschy, mixture of designs. Tropical themes and colors combine to form a fantasyland atmosphere, reminiscent of old honky-tonk towns. This brash style is now nostalgically referred to as "doo wop architecture."

The island spans north to south and is divided into three areas: North Wildwood, Wildwood and Wildwood Crest. Walk a bit farther north and the landscape becomes more muted, with lovely quiet bays and the Hereford Lighthouse. Down south in the Crest, oceanfront resorts line the beaches and summer water sport activities abound on beautiful Sunset Lake.