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Month: November 2026

Thanksgiving Weekend in the Wildwoods 2026: Turkey Trot, Beach Bonfire & Holiday Shopping

Thanksgiving weekend 2026 in the Wildwoods runs from a Thursday-morning Turkey Trot at the Wildwood Crest Pier (Nov 26) to a beach bonfire in North Wildwood (Nov 27), Christmas in North Wildwood (Nov 27-29) and a Small Business Saturday market at Byrne Plaza (Nov 28). Several of the events are free, it is all on one island, and Coastal Sands Inn, our hotel that stays open through April, sits in the middle of it. Here is the weekend, day by day, from the organizers’ listings on wildwoodsnj.com, checked November 8, 2026.

Coastal Sands Inn lit up at night, Wildwood NJ
Coastal Sands Inn, 4110 Atlantic Ave, Wildwood, NJ.

The weekend at a glance

When What Where Cost
Thu, Nov 26, 8 a.m. TJ Hunt Memorial 5K Turkey Trot Wildwood Crest Pier $30 adults, $10 under 18
Fri, Nov 27, evening Family Holiday Bonfire on the Beach North Wildwood beach at 2nd and Surf Avenues $10 adults, $2 kids 12 and under
Fri-Sun, Nov 27-29 Christmas in North Wildwood Olde New Jersey Avenue area, North Wildwood Free
Fri, Nov 27-Sun, Dec 6 Wildwoods December Restaurant Week Participating restaurants across the Wildwoods Prix fixe: $15 breakfast, $20 lunch, $45 dinner
Sat, Nov 28, 10:30 a.m.-3 p.m. Wildwoods Holiday Shopping Village (Small Business Saturday) Byrne Plaza and downtown Wildwood Free to browse
Sun, Nov 29, 10 a.m.-3 p.m. Holidays at Hen-Ville Shopping Village MudHen Brewing Company, 127 W. Rio Grande Ave. Free to browse

Thursday: the Turkey Trot

The TJ Hunt Memorial 5K Turkey Trot starts at 8 a.m. on Thanksgiving morning, November 26, at the Wildwood Crest Pier. Registration is $30 for adults and $10 for runners under 18, and the TJ Hunt Memorial Foundation puts the proceeds toward scholarships and families who have faced traumatic events. All ages are welcome, so walkers and strollers come out too. Register through the foundation at tjhuntmemorialfoundation.com.

The Crest Pier is a short drive south of Coastal Sands Inn, straight down the island into Wildwood Crest, so you can be back for a shower before the turkey.

Friday: bonfire on the beach

The North Wildwood Volunteer Fire Company #1 hosts the Family Holiday Bonfire on the Beach on Friday, November 27, on the beach at 2nd and Surf Avenues in North Wildwood. Expect music, free photos with Santa and refreshments for sale. Admission is $10 for adults and $2 for children 12 and under.

Check the start time on the Wildwoods holiday events site before you head up. Dress for wind off the ocean: it is late November on an open beach.

Friday to Sunday: Christmas in North Wildwood

Christmas in North Wildwood runs November 27-29, put on by the North Wildwood Business Owners Association around Olde New Jersey Avenue. It is free: outdoor firepits, a strolling Santa, hot chocolate, lights and music, and a scavenger hunt with a chance to win a $500 Visa gift card. On Saturday a free “snowflake shuttle” runs between stops. Hours are not on the listing, so check nw-boa.com before you go.

Saturday: Small Business Saturday at Byrne Plaza

On Saturday, November 28, from 10:30 a.m. to 3 p.m., Byrne Plaza and downtown Wildwood turn into the Wildwoods Holiday Shopping Village, run by the Greater Wildwood Chamber of Commerce: local artisans, jewelry, handcrafted gifts, baked goods and holiday music. Byrne Plaza is about a third of a mile from Coastal Sands Inn, an easy walk.

Sunday: Hen-Ville at MudHen

Holidays at Hen-Ville at MudHen Brewing Company, 127 W. Rio Grande Ave., opens its holiday shopping village on Sunday, November 29, from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m., with 20-plus local vendors, hot cocoa, s’mores and free face painting. It comes back December 5-6, 13 and 19-20 if you are staying into December. Details: mudhenbrew.com.

Eating out that weekend

Despite the name, Wildwoods December Restaurant Week starts on Friday, November 27, the day after Thanksgiving, and runs through December 6, so leftovers can wait. Our Restaurant Week page has the dates and how the prix-fixe menus work.

Staying into December?

The holiday season keeps going: the parade and tree lightings are in our Christmas in the Wildwoods 2026 guide, the light show is on our Winter Wonderland page, and the rest of November is in our November in the Wildwoods roundup. Common questions about our hotels are on the FAQ page.

Where to stay Thanksgiving weekend

Coastal Sands Inn, 4110 Atlantic Ave, Wildwood, is the Coastal Collection hotel open from mid-October through April. It has family rooms, suites and an apartment with a kitchenette for bigger holiday groups, plus free Wi-Fi and on-site parking. Byrne Plaza is about a third of a mile away and MudHen about half a mile. Book Coastal Sands.

Our other four hotels, Beachside Resort, Sunset Beach Hotel, Sunrise Inn and Paradise Inn, reopen in April.

Questions about Thanksgiving in Wildwood

Is there a Turkey Trot in Wildwood on Thanksgiving 2026?

Yes. The TJ Hunt Memorial 5K Turkey Trot starts at 8 a.m. on Thursday, November 26, 2026, at the Wildwood Crest Pier; registration is $30 for adults and $10 for runners under 18.

When is Christmas in North Wildwood 2026?

November 27-29, 2026, around Olde New Jersey Avenue in North Wildwood; it is free.

What is happening in Wildwood on Small Business Saturday?

The Wildwoods Holiday Shopping Village at Byrne Plaza and downtown Wildwood, Saturday, November 28, 2026, 10:30 a.m. to 3 p.m.

Is there a hotel open in Wildwood over Thanksgiving?

Yes. Coastal Sands Inn, 4110 Atlantic Ave, is open from mid-October through April and can be booked direct on our website.


Is New Jersey Good for Whale Watching? Why Humpbacks Feed Off the Jersey Shore

Yes. Over the past decade the New Jersey coast has become a real humpback whale destination, and boats from Wildwood Crest, Cape May and Belmar go out looking for them from spring into December. This fall a couple from Virginia told our team they had come to the Jersey Shore for exactly that reason. Here’s what changed, why the whales come, when to go, and which boats sail closest to Wildwood. Schedules are from each operator’s own website as of November 3, 2026; check before you book.

Coastal Sands Inn exterior, 4110 Atlantic Ave, Wildwood NJ
Coastal Sands Inn, 4110 Atlantic Ave, Wildwood. Open mid-October through April, about a mile from the Starlight Fleet dock.

What changed: the numbers

  • From 5 sightings to 272. Gotham Whale logged 5 humpback sightings in the New York Bight apex, the ocean from New York Harbor east to Fire Island and south to Manasquan Inlet, in 2011, and 272 in 2018, Rutgers University reported in 2019.
  • They stay for weeks. In a 2022 study co-authored by Rutgers and Gotham Whale that covered 2011 to 2018, 58.4% of the humpbacks identified there were seen more than once, and the average stay was 37.6 days. About 31% came back the next year.
  • They’re mostly young. Of the whales whose ages were known, most were young, often under 5 years old. Many belong to the Gulf of Maine feeding population.
  • They travel the coast. The researchers matched individual whales seen off New York and North Jersey to whales photographed off Cape May and off Virginia.

Why whales come to New Jersey: the bunker

The short answer is food. Humpbacks eat krill, plankton and small fish, and Rutgers researchers point to Atlantic menhaden, the oily baitfish known along the shore as bunker, as the most likely draw. Menhaden have grown more plentiful over the past decade, and the 2022 study says the whales’ long stays may be tied to how reliably the menhaden are there. Rutgers also credits warmer, cleaner water for bringing more whales close to New York and New Jersey.

Most of that research was done off North Jersey and New York, but the same whales turn up farther south. The Cape May boats work with researchers too: Cape May Whale Watcher has posted about helping a Rutgers whale-tracking team tag a humpback off Cape May.

Whale-watching boats near Wildwood

Boat Where it docks From Coastal Sands Inn Season, as listed
Starlight Fleet, Atlantic Star 6200 Park Blvd, Wildwood Crest About 1 mile 3-hour whale, dolphin and bird trip; see their online calendar for dates
Cape May Whale Watch & Research Center, American Star South Jersey Marina, 1231 Route 109, Cape May About 5.5 miles 3-hour trip at 1:30 p.m., on the calendar most Fridays through Mondays in November 2026
Cape May Whale Watcher Miss Chris Marina, 1218 Wilson Dr, Cape May About 5.5 miles 3-hour whale trip May through October; the fleet sails March through December
Jersey Shore Whale Watch 905 Route 35, Belmar About 90 miles north April through December

Distances are straight-line from the hotel. Starlight’s own FAQ puts Wildwood 15 to 20 minutes from Cape May by car. All three boats near Wildwood guarantee a marine mammal sighting, whales or dolphins, or you ride again free. Trip-by-trip details, parking and what’s allowed on board are in our guide to whale watching near Wildwood.

When to go

New Jersey’s whale boats run from about March or April into December, depending on the operator. Summer is the busiest season. Fall counts too. Rutgers researcher Danielle Brown has pointed out that humpback migration begins in the fall, so even more whales move through the area, and Cape May Whale Watch & Research Center still has its whale trip on the calendar in November. Dolphins are the closest thing to a sure bet. The Research Center says it sees bottlenose dolphins on about 98% of trips from March to December.

What you might see

Humpbacks are the headliners. The Cape May boats also list fin and minke whales, and the Research Center lists the critically endangered North Atlantic right whale as a possible sighting. Bottlenose dolphins, sea turtles, ocean sunfish and seabirds round out the list. Every trip is different, so treat any species list as a maybe.

Tips before you board

  • Dress for colder than the beach. It’s cooler on the water, especially on a November afternoon. The 100-foot American Star and Atlantic Star both have indoor cabins.
  • Book ahead. The operators say their trips often sell out.
  • Prone to seasickness? Starlight and the Research Center sell sea bands and Dramamine at the dock.
  • On your own boat or kayak? NOAA Fisheries asks everyone to stay at least 100 yards from whales, and federal law requires 500 yards from North Atlantic right whales.

Make a weekend of it

In winter, pair a boat trip with our list of things to do in Wildwood in winter. Around the holidays, both Cape May fleets list Santa cruises, and Cape May’s Christmas Candlelight House Tours run on December Saturday nights; see Christmas in Cape May.

Where to stay

Coastal Sands Inn, 4110 Atlantic Ave, Wildwood, is open from mid-October through April. It’s about a mile from the Starlight Fleet dock in Wildwood Crest and about 5.5 miles from the Cape May marinas. Book Coastal Sands

Planning a summer whale trip? Beachside Resort, Sunset Beach Hotel, Sunrise Inn and Paradise Inn reopen in April. Compare all five on our hotels near Cape May page.

Quick answers

Is New Jersey good for whale watching?

Yes. Humpback sightings in the waters off New York and northern New Jersey went from 5 in 2011 to 272 in 2018, according to Gotham Whale data reported by Rutgers, and boats from Wildwood Crest, Cape May and Belmar go out looking for them from spring into December.

When is whale-watching season in New Jersey?

Roughly March or April through December, depending on the boat. Cape May Whale Watcher’s fleet sails March through December, and Jersey Shore Whale Watch in Belmar sails April through December.

Why are there so many whales off New Jersey?

Food. Rutgers researchers link the rise to Atlantic menhaden, known locally as bunker, which have become more plentiful, along with warmer, cleaner water.

Can you go whale watching from Wildwood?

Yes. Starlight Fleet’s Atlantic Star runs a 3-hour whale, dolphin and bird trip from 6200 Park Blvd in Wildwood Crest, and two Cape May fleets sail about 5.5 miles south.

Can you go whale watching in New Jersey in November?

Yes, on some boats. As of November 3, 2026, Cape May Whale Watch & Research Center’s booking calendar lists its 1:30 p.m. whale, dolphin and bird watch on most Fridays through Mondays in November. Check before you go.

Sources: Rutgers University news releases (August 8, 2019 and July 14, 2022), NOAA Fisheries marine life viewing guidelines, and the operators’ websites and booking calendars, checked November 3, 2026.

Wildwoods Holiday Spectacular 2026: The Duprees at the Convention Center, Dec 5

The Wildwoods Holiday Spectacular is on Saturday, December 5, 2026, at the Wildwoods Convention Center, 4501 Boardwalk. Doors open at 6 p.m. and the show runs 7 to 9 p.m., starring The Duprees with Wildwood’s own Joey M, hosted by Tommy Cono. It’s the second year for the show, put on by the Bobby Rydell Foundation, and tickets are sold through Ticketmaster. Here’s what to know, what else is happening in the Wildwoods that weekend, and our hotel that’s open about a quarter mile away.

Coastal Sands Inn lit up at night, Wildwood NJ
Coastal Sands Inn, 4110 Atlantic Ave, Wildwood. Open mid-October through April.

The show at a glance

Date Saturday, December 5, 2026
Time Doors 6 p.m.; show 7 to 9 p.m.
Where Wildwoods Convention Center, 4501 Boardwalk, Wildwood
Lineup The Duprees, Joey M; host Tommy Cono
Presented by The Bobby Rydell Foundation
Tickets Ticketmaster, linked from thebobbyrydellfoundation.org

Details are from the Bobby Rydell Foundation’s event page, checked November 2, 2026. Ticket prices are set by the seller, so check Ticketmaster for current prices and seating.

What the night is

The foundation bills it as a night of holiday favorites and timeless classics. The Duprees are the doo-wop group behind “You Belong to Me,” and Joey M is a Wildwood performer. There are 50/50 raffles through the evening, and the foundation says a few “special holiday friends” may stop by for photos. It’s billed as a family show.

The foundation is named for Bobby Rydell, who sang the 1963 hit “Wildwood Days.”

The rest of that weekend

Plenty else is on that weekend, and many of the events are free:

  • Friday, December 4: the Greater Wildwood Jaycees Christmas Parade steps off at 16th Avenue in North Wildwood at 6 p.m. and follows Central and Pacific Avenues to Byrne Plaza, where the downtown tree is lit at about 7 p.m. Christmas in the Plaza (free carnival rides and vendors) runs Friday 5 to 8:30 p.m. and Saturday 10 a.m. to 3 p.m.
  • Saturday, December 5, daytime: Santa Paws, a dog-friendly walk through North Wildwood’s Olde New Jersey Avenue district starting at 1 p.m., and MudHen Brewing Company’s HenVille holiday market at 127 W. Rio Grande Ave., 10 a.m. to 3 p.m.
  • Saturday, December 5, 5 p.m.: North Wildwood lights its tree at the Hereford Inlet Lighthouse, two hours before the show.
  • Sunday, December 6: the Gingerbread House Community Contest at the Crest Arts Pavilion in Wildwood Crest, 10 a.m. to noon, and the last day of December Restaurant Week.

Times are from the Wildwoods island-wide holiday listings. For the whole season, see Christmas in the Wildwoods 2026; for the prix fixe menus, see December Restaurant Week. The Winter Wonderland light show at Holly Beach Park follows on December 11 and 12.

Where to stay

Coastal Sands Inn, 4110 Atlantic Ave, is the Coastal Collection hotel open from mid-October through April. The Convention Center is about a quarter mile away, so you can walk to the show. Bundle up for the walk back along the Boardwalk. Book Coastal Sands

Planning summer 2027? Beachside Resort, Sunset Beach Hotel, Sunrise Inn and Paradise Inn reopen in April. Compare all five on the hotels in Wildwood page.

Quick answers

When is the Wildwoods Holiday Spectacular 2026?

Saturday, December 5, 2026, 7 to 9 p.m., with doors at 6 p.m., at the Wildwoods Convention Center.

Who is performing?

The Duprees and Joey M, hosted by Tommy Cono.

Where do I buy tickets?

Through Ticketmaster; the Bobby Rydell Foundation’s event page links to the sale.

Is there a hotel near the Convention Center open in December?

Yes. Coastal Sands Inn, 4110 Atlantic Ave, is open from mid-October through April, about a quarter mile from the Convention Center.


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