Welcome to the GREAT VACATION Information Network...
You have arrived at the place where dreams come true for vacationers who are seeking the best possible source to search out and discover the perfect place to stay on their great vacations. Yes, we said vacations (plural), because from this day forward you’ll come here again and again to review all of the vacation properties we have available, and plan your vacations and special weekend getaways.
This is your MASTER LINK to the world of GREAT VACATION INFORMATION.
Go to www.GreatVacationGuide.com and find comprehensive information on accommodations, dining, shopping, attractions, picture galleries and much, much more. Click on the word “Newsletter” on this site’s homepage and discover the Great Vacation bi-weekly online newsletter with hundreds of archived stories on what to see and do, and find the current issue with monthly community events, Atlantic City entertainers, and a host of helpful information. Through these sources link to hundreds of other informative sites for more details on what is listed here.
Go to www.GreatVacationShoreRentals.com and find the perfect Weekly Rental in your favorite shore towns throughout the state of New Jersey, with weekly rates, availability, and contact information.
We list all the shore and bay towns in the entire state, and when you go online and enter the words “GreatVacation” followed by the name of the town and NJ.com, you’ll be linked to information on the towns and resort areas that interest you. For example:
www.GreatVacationAtlanticCityNJ.com, or
www.GreatVacationOceanCityNJ.com, or
www.GreatVacationCapeMayNJ.com, etc.
Go to www.GreatVacationPropertyRentals.com and research the perfect vacation property that interests you beyond the shore areas.
It’s a big world. Someone has to help you find the best accommodations. Make it GREAT VACATION,
your MASTER LINK to the best accommodations.
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Welcome To Sea Isle City, New Jersey
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The first people to visit Sea Isle City, as far as anyone knows, were the Lenni-Lenape native Americans. They went to the island to fish and hunt for sea shells which they used as “wampum” (money).
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In the late 1600’s title to the island was owned by a group of Quakers who were referred to as the West Jersey Proprietors, and they sold the island to Joseph Ludlum in 1692. Following the tradition of the time, Ludlum named the island after himself, and he divided the island into three divisions. In 1695 he sold one section to John Townsend, who named his purchase Townsend’s Inlet.
There is evidence that pirates may have stopped by the island from time to time as they roamed the coast of New Jersey, but no one built a permanent settlement on Ludlum’s Island for 200 years until Charles Kline Landis purchased it in 1880. Having traveled in Italy and Europe, Landis fell in love with Venice, Italy, and he planned canals and waterways using Venice and other areas in Europe as his model. Landis also imported artwork and statues from there to grace his island retreat. |
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Sea Isle City became a borough in Cape May County, New Jersey in 1882, Landis built a new road and rail line connecting the island to the mainland in 1883, and tourism took off in earnest. At one point there were many hotels on the island, but the arrival of the automobile changed the Sea Isle environment. Hotels were replaced by smaller cottages and boarding houses.
The days of the railroad were numbered, as well. A steel shortage during World War II resulted in the railroad tracks being torn up, and where the rail bed had been became a popular walking and biking path that was eventually named Pleasure Avenue.
In 1911, then governor Woodrow Wilson introduced the Walsh Act. This act of the state legislature was unique to New Jersey because it allowed municipal governments to forego a partisan style of government. Thus New Jersey’s municipalities which adopted the Walsh Act would be run by people who did not necessarily belong to any particular political party.
This is also different from other types of councils largely because of the way that the mayor is chosen. In other American cities the mayor is chosen in an election and he is responsible for the entire city. In cities like Sea Isle City the elected officials, or “freeholders” as they are called, share responsibilities for the city. Each of the three freeholders on the committee in Sea Isle City is responsible for their own unique area.
In municipalities such as Sea Isle City the mayor is chosen from these freeholders, and he or she serves as the chairman of the committee, with no other additional responsibilities outside of his or her area. Sea Isle City adopted this particular style of government in 1913 and it continues to this day. |
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Although Sea Isle City does not have a boardwalk made of boards like many other New Jersey coastal towns, one of the primary features in Sea Isle is the Promenade, a wide paved area that runs along the beach from 29th to 57th Street. Strollers discover that the Promenade is lined with wonderful shops, restaurants, family arcades and more – and that it’s also an ideal place for bicyclists and in-line skaters. The smooth surface beckons to those who like to ride a bike or skate, and Sea Isle City and its unique walkway are just 20 miles below Atlantic City’s famous boardwalk – within driving distance of all the attractions at the shore.
Sea Isle City celebrated its 100th Centennial on May 29, 1982. The fun in the sun that makes Sea Isle City such a delight in the warm weather season doesn’t come to an end with Labor Day and the return to school. Up until 19 years ago, the curtain used to come down then, and the next day, most of the businesses were closed, the town was deserted, and the visitors were gone. "It was like a theater the day after the show closed," said Irene Jameson, public relations director. Everything changed in 1989 with the creation of the Sea Isle City Tourism Development Commission. Their main purpose was to promote tourism through advertising and other marketing strategies and to sponsor activities that would attract visitors during the "shoulder season.
The commission embarked on an effort to extend the tourism season with the addition of Fall Family Festival, which has turned into an annual event. This year, Fall Family Festival is to be held on September 14-16 and will include a dance contest, the largest seaside market (350 vendors) on the Jersey coast, a fabulous food court, live musical entertainment, activities for children, an antique auto show and parade, free guided historical trolley rides, and a sand sculpting contest.
Thanks to the Sea Isle City Tourism Commission and other groups, the curtain no longer comes down on the tourism season on Labor Day, and residents and visitors alike have more activities to enjoy long after the heat of the summer ends.
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