"WATCH THE TRAM CAR PLEASE"

THE WILDWOODS, NJ--Providing visitors convenient travel options on the island beach resort is just a part of the communities commitment to customer service. From the boardwalk tram car to beach tram service to island wide trolley runs, transportation alternatives are available to those who choose to give their feet or car a rest. With a 7-mile island, 5-mile beach and 2-mile boardwalk there is a lot of ground to cover in the Wildwoods.

If asked, "Where you would be if you heard 'Watch the tram car please?'," the answer would be a resounding, "The Wildwoods." Tram car service has been available along the wooden way for over fifty years. A $ 1.75 fare will provide seating one-way on the Sightseer and transport visitors to their desired destinations along the two-mile walk. The battery operated tram cars run a continuous loop from Cresse Avenue on the Wildwood/Wildwood Crest border to 16th Street in North Wildwood. Service begins each year, on a limited basis, Easter Weekend. As the season progresses and customer demand increases a 10:00 AM to approximately 1:00 AM schedule prevails. Tram service is available through mid-September weekdays and weekends. For additional information call (609) 523-TRAM.

With the Wildwoods' beaches growing by an average of 7 feet per year, a need to provide transportation across the expansive beach arose. Tram service on the beach was established in North Wildwood in 1994. The tram operates from 10:00 AM to 5:00 PM each day from Memorial Day through Labor Day, making three large loops across the city's beaches. The tram stops are located at each street end along the beach and runs are made every half-hour. Trams hold up to 58 passengers and umbrellas, toys, chairs and related beach gear is carried in vehicles trailing behind. The cost for convenience is fifty cents per passenger each way. During the evening, the city's tram service offers romantic moonlit tours along the water's edge from the gazebo at Third Avenue in the northern section of the city, covering the entire length of the beach to North Wildwood's southern limit. Fare for the hour-long evening tour is $2 per passenger. In the City of Wildwood, where the beachfront area near the island's center point widens to its greatest distance, beach tram service is being considered. Wildwood Crest's beaches are not as wide as those in North Wildwood and Wildwood, thus a beach tram service is not necessary in this part of the resort. Transportation is provided in every municipality from street ends to the water's edge for the elderly or disabled unable to make the trek. Those who require assistance should go to the municipal lifeguard station in each community. (lSth Avenue in North Wildwood; Lincoln Avenue in Wildwood; and at Rambler Road in Wildwood Crest).

Trolley Service is available via the Five Mile Beach Electric Railway Company, Inc. It is the oldest privately owned trolley company currently operating in the United States. The company has provided service in the Wildwoods and Cape May County for the past 9S years. In 1902, the Five Mile Beach Electric Railway Company began operating trolleys on tracks in the Wildwoods. The fare at this time was just five cents and ran from Anglesea to Wildwood Crest on a route directly along the beach. In 1929, buses began to replace trolleys across the nation, but "Five Mile" continued to run open-air trolleys until Labor Day 1945. Buses then replaced trolleys until 1981, when the company's current ownership introduced trackless trolleys to the Wildwoods. Riders can again experience the nostalgia of an open-air trolley. Trolleys operate year round at a fare of $1.50 per person with reduced rates for children. Additional transportation services are added to handle the tourist influx during the spring, summer and fall months. For routes and additional information call Five Mile Beach Electric Railway Company, Inc. at (609) 884-5230.