Wildwood, New Jersey. A place that holds fond memories and happiness for both my family and I. As someone who has traveled here every summer for the past 12 years, it’s safe to say I’ve gotten down a routine for each morning, afternoon, and night. And although Wildwood itself never changes, each day brings forth many new memories and experiences to last a lifetime. Here we have a day in the life of a vacation in Wildwood:

6:00 am- An unanticipated early wake up due to seagulls gathering on the balcony outside your hotel room, while the sky begins to transition from the darkness of night to a mix of yellow and orange light appearing on the horizon.

You roll over, pulling the blankets over your head, praying the seagulls will flock to the ocean below, or find another balcony to invade (preferably the man two rooms down who constantly smokes his cigarettes without consideration of other guests).

6:12 am- After minutes of pondering, you decide a sunrise at the Jersey Shore is one that can’t be slept on (literally). You slowly sit up, rubbing the sleep from your eyes, and quietly make your way to the balcony door, being careful not to wake up your family in the next room.

6:14 am- You’re sitting on the balcony chair, admiring the view before you. The sun has now begun to inch its way over the horizon, beaming through the sliding glass door, and casting rays upon the kitchen counter and decorative pictures inside. The boardwalk lights in the distance start to fade out, as daylight makes itself present.

You watch as early morning joggers down on the sand, and the sidewalks below, pause to take in the scenery. Some choose to snag a couple photos of the sunrise in all its glory, while others simply look for 30 seconds, take a sip or two of water, and continue on their way. Either way, it’s a beautiful sight to see all together.

6:35 am- Back inside, you lay down in your bed as another wave of sleepiness begins to take over. Thoughts of your day planned at the beach begin to circulate as your eyelids grow heavier, and the sky appears brighter. Another day spent in Wildwood holds many more memories to be created and cherished.

9:15 am- Your family has woken up, and are now beginning to wake you up for the second time that morning. The smell of cinnamon toast and freshly cooked eggs serve as your motivation for getting out of bed.

You make your way to the kitchen table, briefly pausing to look outside. The sidewalks are now crowded with joggers, walkers, bikers, and skaters. You laugh as you witness the family of 5 attempts to peddle in one of the bikes designed for the purpose of large groups. You know the ones with the canopy and the steering wheels in front that you’ve always wanted to, or have attempted to ride?

After devouring breakfast, you begin to dress for the beach, being sure to cover yourself head to toe in SPF 50. The consequences of not doing so, you know, are painful, to say the least.

12:30 pm- A few hours laying on the beach leads you to feel as though you’re in paradise. Hearing the crashing waves combined with the sound of seagulls and chatter from nearby families only intensifies the feeling.

Of course, you can’t forget about the ‘Fudgy-wudgy’ ice cream guy trudging through the sand with his cart decorated in flags, trying not to crash into a hundred parents and children while riding your boogie board, or the lifeguards blowing their whistles about every thirty seconds due to swimmers travelling out too far for them to see. It's all part of the experience.

4:18 pm- By now, you’ve retreated back to your hotel, maybe even gotten a taste of the pool if they’ve got one to offer. Either way, the day has been spent soaking up the sun, while simultaneously avoiding sunburn and seagulls swooping down to steal a bite of your lunch (you only make that mistake once).

You scrub the sunscreen off your body and rinse the salt water out of your hair, and begin to get dressed for whatever evening activity is planned. You watch as beachgoers make their way up the path back to their own hotels, carrying multiple chairs, coolers, and umbrellas over their shoulders. You know the pain of doing so both ways, but it’s worth it in the end.

6:53 pm- Dinner has been cooked and devoured by you and your family, and you’ve finally made it to the boardwalk (only to scarf down some curly fries, saltwater taffy, and Kohr’s ice cream minutes after arriving).

You hop from pier to pier, your family convincing you to ride the AtmosFEAR drop ride and The Great Nor’easter, both of which you’ve had an intense fear of since childhood that you still can’t seem to get over. You eventually settle for the log flume, but only because of the ride going beneath the pier while ‘Under the Boardwalk’ by The Drifters plays in the background. A classic that definitely can’t be missed.

Being a compulsive shopper, you’ve purchased at least one shirt/sweatshirt (or both) that have ‘Wildwood’ written on them, along with several magnets, postcards, and other overpriced memorabilia as keepsakes. If you’ve grown too tired to walk, you know that the tramcar is close by, considering you’ve overheard that same message played from it one too many times: “watch the tram car, please”.

11:00 pm- You’ve made it back to your hotel, where your family immediately lays sprawled out on their bed, stuffed from the boardwalk food and slightly nauseous from the rides you begged them to join you on.

Before heading to bed, you wonder out to the balcony, turning to the left to admire the boardwalk’s lights from a distance. It brings you a sense of comfort, that you aren’t quite sure where it came from, but you adore it anyway.

You glance at the ocean, which by now is barely visible, though you can make out the white foam rolling onto the shore. Lights from cell phones appear in various places from the shore (all very brave souls who choose to go down by the water this late), and the stars are visible in the sky above, something you aren't used to seeing.

You take in every moment that you are spending here, every sight you are seeing, each memory you are creating, as you look at the beautiful scenery before you, wondering what the next day might have in store.