Weekend Recap: Morey’s Piers

Spending weekends as a family out of the city are a rare occurrence for us. With no car, two pups that have to be looked after, and busy schedules, it’s hard to manage time to get away. The moments that do arise to leave the city for a mini vacation, we take complete advantage of it.

I always feel so blessed to be able to experience trips with my family as a part of my job. Many of the opportunities we wouldn’t have without my job or just wouldn’t take the time out to do it ourselves. Last weekend we were invited to Wildwood, New Jersey to experience Morey’s Piers. The Jersey shore was deeply impacted by Hurricane Sandy and they are doing a phenomenal job to rebuild and let people know that they are open.

MacKay spent his summers growing up on the Jersey Shore in Cape May. He remembers visiting Morey’s Piers as a kid and couldn’t wait to get back to reminisce on all of the rides he went on as a wee one.

Our first night was a rainy one which put the pier out of the question for us. We drove around looking for a fun place to eat and stumbled upon Duffer’s. It’s a cute little family owned restaurant complete with an arcade, mini golf, and the best ice cream ever. Harlan wanted a banana split for dessert and I was happy to oblige. Even will all four of us digging in, we still couldn’t finish it all.

The next morning we stumbled upon another Wildwood favorite, Uncle Bill’s Pancake House. We stuffed our faces with so many different kinds of pancakes. It was so delicious. Avery scarfed down three mini pancakes and Harlan had five. MacKay got their corn pancakes which were out of this world. They had kernels of sweet corn in them and tasted decadent with the maple syrup.

After breakfast we decided to walk off the pancakes by visiting the pier for the first time. It was such a gorgeous morning and so fun to walk around before anything opened. Avery had a blast running around and looking at all of the rides.

Once we went back to the hotel and got our swimsuits on, we came back to the pier for some fun times on the rides and the water park. Harlan was obsessed with this ride called the “Crazy Bus” she begged us to ride on it numerous times. She kept telling me that it “tickled her tummy.” I think she meant that her stomach dropped a little bit as we went up and down. I’ve never been a fan of rides that do that, but if she likes the “tickling” of the tummy, she is definitely a roller coaster girl.

There were so many rides for Harlan’s size that she could have easily spent all day riding each one. We went right as they opened and didn’t have to wait for anything. In fact, she could ride them several times without having to wait in line. It’s a little kid’s dream!

After a short time watching Har ride some of her favorite rides, it was time to hit the water park. There are two water parks on Morey’s Piers. We visited the Raging Waters Water Park on Mariner’s Landing Pier. There were so many rides for both the girls and for the adults. MacKay spent some time by himself enjoying the adult rides while I sat in the kiddie area and watched the girls splash around. It was perfect in every way.

We also decide to head over to Ocean Oasis Water Park on Surfside Pier and they had one ride that Harlan quickly became obsessed with. She must have gone on it at least 10 times. Most of the time MacKay would venture with her up the stairs and down the slide, but I did go up with her once for a little fun.

Morey’s third pier, Adventure Pier, is home to their brand new exhibit, artBOX. It’s a 10,000 square foot art gallery of repurposed shipping containers that feature local artists work. Many of the artists feature art that is nostalgic to the Jersey Shore.

The girls had so much fun playing in these ride containers from old Morey’s Piers rides.

I was so impressed by all of the artists and their work. artBOX is definitely bringing something different to the pier, but it’s something that all families can enjoy and appreciate.

Surfside Pier is also home to the new Soggy Dollar Beach Bar which overlooks both the gorgeous beach and the waterpark below. We enjoyed great drinks and delicious eats from Morey’s executive chef who is bringing the classic boardwalk food and giving it a little bit of a contemporary twist. They feature many local wines, and vegetables throughout the pier and you could definitely tell because the food was absolutely amazing.

The evening asked for a few more rides before dinner time. Harlan couldn’t wait to get out and try some new rides that were made just for her size. The smile on her face spoke a million words.

Our night concluded with an incredible dinner at Joe’s Fish Co. The food was delicious and the atmosphere overlooking the pier was gorgeous. It was such a fun and peaceful way to end the family packed day.

And then we went home and did this for a long time (although Avery couldn’t quite make it back to the hotel before catching some zzzzzz’s.)

If you are looking for a family trip out to the Jersey Shore, I would definitely recommend a stop at Morey’s Piers. Whether you choose to spend the day at the rides, splashing around in the waterparks, or even both, you are going to have a great time.

Hope you had a great weekend!

{Disclosure: I was not compensated for this post. We were invited by Morey’s Piers to spend the weekend and accommodations and tickets were provided. All thoughts and opinions are my own.}