Explorer's Guide The Jersey Shore: Atlantic City to Cape May, Includes the Wildwoods: A Great Destination (Explorer's Great Destinations) [Paperback]

Jen A. Miller (Author)

Book Description

Series: Explorer's Great Destinations | Publication Date: May 17, 2008

"Consistently rated the best guides to the regions covered...Readable, tasteful, appealingly designed. Strong on dining, lodging, and history."—National Geographic Traveler

Explorer's Guide The Jersey Shore includes New Jersey trivia such as the other wooden elephants that didn't make it in Wildwood like Lucy the elephant did, Donald Trump's rise and fall in Atlantic City, and where to go to see authentic Miss America dresses (even if the pageant isn't in town anymore).

Distinctive for their accuracy, simplicity, and conversational tone, the diverse travel guides in our Explorer's Great Destinations series meet the conflicting demands of the modern traveler. They're packed full of up-to-date information to help plan the perfect gateway. And they're compact and light enough to come along for the ride. A tool you'll turn to before, during, and after your trip, these guides include these helpful features: chapters on lodging, dining, transportation, history, shopping, recreation; a section packed with practical information, such as lists of banks, hospitals, post offices, laundromats, numbers for police, fire, and rescue, and other relevant information; maps of regions and locales; and more. Black-and-white photographs and maps throughout

Editorial Reviews

About the Author

Jen A. Miller, a writer/journalist who specializes in the Jersey Shore, has appeared on TV and radio and in print. Miller blogs at downtheshorewithjen.blogspot.com.

Product Details

• Paperback: 320 pages
• Publisher: Countryman Press; 1 edition (May 17, 2008)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1581570899
• ISBN-13: 978-1581570892
• Product Dimensions: 8.9 x 5.9 x 0.9 inches
• Shipping Weight: 15.2 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 4.9 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (10 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,307,780 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
  • #35 in Books > Travel > United States > States > New Jersey

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

6 of 6 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A guide for shoobies and a book a local can appreciate, April 14, 2008

By 

Steve Chernoski (Lambertville, New Jersey United States) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: Explorer's Guide The Jersey Shore: Atlantic City to Cape May, Includes the Wildwoods: A Great Destination (Explorer's Great Destinations) (Paperback)

This is a great guide to the South Jersey Shore- a place where I had the pleasure to live for six years. Many of my summer days were spent traveling down the Parkway and back up again, visiting many of the places Jen Miller highlights and also made me wonder how I missed some other spots she mentions (How did I never visit the Alpaca farm?). On that note, she has a lot of information here that even locals can appreciate:

I had no idea Cape May is the third largest place in the US for weddings or that the Wildwood Boardwalk has more rides than Walt Disney World.

Her descriptions of each beach town give a first-time vacationer a good feel which beach would be appropriate for them (except I don't think Avalon and Stone Harbor cater to visitors of "all economic stripes" . . . it's basically the Ritz of the South Jersey Shore). It also can help a regular visitor discover new things - Miller's encyclopedia-like listing of eateries could see you making a checklist out of the chapters.

Particularly helpful are the pricing guides and notes about in-season and off-season hours.

However, the true highlight of the book are the shaded areas within every chapter where Miller gives helpful hints - like how to prepare for running at the beach (watch out for the wind), provides back histories - like the story of Wawa and shines the spotlight on those out-of-the-way spots - (Where the hell is Strathmere?)

Overall this is a great guide to the shore, though I would have appreciated more detailed descriptions of Somers Point, downbeach Absecon Island and Diamond Beach the same way Strathmere gets written up.

This book is a great guide for shoobies (the nickname locals give to tourists) and also something that can get native South Shore people interested in their immediate environs. It will more than likely be updated in many future editions to stay current and it would be good to have handy on your next trip to the South Jersey Shore.

5 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Just what I was looking for!, August 1, 2008

By 

J. Kelley (East Rockaway, NY United States) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: Explorer's Guide The Jersey Shore: Atlantic City to Cape May, Includes the Wildwoods: A Great Destination (Explorer's Great Destinations) (Paperback)

Like many who purchase this book, I'm not new to shore vacationing but have been spending short summer trips there since I was a little girl. Now grown and married, we've been toying with the idea of packing up and moving there. I share this to let you know what I was looking for in a guidebook. I wanted a feel for what it might be like to live there, head to the other towns, see what cultural events are availible in the off-season, etc. In essence, to go beyond the boardwalk but yet still get a feel for the best of what there is to see and do at the shore. I've purchased SEVERAL books on the topic but this book is by far the best and the one I continually refer back to. It might not have the pretty, coffee table feel that other books on the shore possess, (though it does have SEVERAL, fun black/white photos). What it lacks in esthetics, it more than makes up for in information. To start, the author fills you in on little fascinating details and sidebars that relate to the location's culture, history or both. The room/dining descriptions have a friendly feel, as if a local herself were describing the establishments to you in person, detailing thier pros, cons, and points of interest. Definitally not the feel of traditional stuffy guidebooks I have read in the past. This is a book I look forward to reading. It's a little bit culture, a whole lot of "what-to-do", a dash of history, and a healty dose of love for the shore. Thank you for this wonderful, insightful book! Give us more!

5 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Don't leave home without it!, May 29, 2008

By 

M. Z. Levy (Marlton, NJ USA) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: Explorer's Guide The Jersey Shore: Atlantic City to Cape May, Includes the Wildwoods: A Great Destination (Explorer's Great Destinations) (Paperback)

I've spent my life at the Jersey shore. As a kid, I marveled at the Diving Horse on Steel Pier. I grew up with Mr. Peanut. When I had kids of my own, I took them to Wildwood and Ocean City and Sea Isle. Then, without the crowd, I discovered the peace and beauty of Cape May.

This is what Jen Miller's book captures so well. Every shore is different. Every shore has its personality and purpose. You can't tell one from another without a really good scorecard. That's what this book is. Miller does an excellent job of capturing the psyche of each resort. The fact that she also turns this into a really good guidebook is a pure bonus.

It's one of those books you'll highlight, scribble in, tear out and send to friends. I'm buying copies for a lot of folks I know. Maybe even Mr. Peanut.