Camping in South New Jersey: Ocean View Resort
Camp New Jersey: I’m talking with Ryan today. He’s going to tell us all about Ocean View Resort Campground in New Jersey. I understand the campground is situated on the South Shore there in New Jersey. Why don’t you tell us a little bit more about the background of Ocean View Resort, Ryan?
Ryan: Okay, sure. Yeah, it was built in 1960. It was probably one of the first, you know, I’d say maybe the second, third, or fourth campground in the Cape May County area, so we’ve been here for a pretty long time. We’re on 188 acres at this point, but when the campground started out, it was just twenty campsites and, at this point, it’s grown to 1173.
Camp New Jersey: Whoa.
Ryan: Yeah.
Camp New Jersey: Huge.
Ryan: We’ve certainly evolved.
Camp New Jersey: Nice, and that’s quite a bit of space to sprawl out over there, especially given that camping on the South Shore there in New Jersey. It’s nice.
Ryan: Yeah. Yeah, it’s tucked away where it’s just a few miles from the beaches. But it’s one of those things, unless you’ve been here, you’d never know it was back here because from the road there’s no real indication. And of course, when you’re in the campground, you know, it’s just its own little world. It really is.
Camp New Jersey: Sure. And what types of camping do you offer there specifically?
Ryan: Well, we’re a little more modern. You know, we’ve got 50amp service. We can provide 50amp service at every site. Not all of our sites are, you know, wire at this moment for 50amp, but we can run 50amp everywhere. So, we’ve got full hook-ups. Electric, water, sewer. Cable TV at every site. Every site is even wired for a phone. Obviously it goes back a few years before cellphones.
Camp New Jersey: Yeah.
Ryan: Yeah, pretty modern. We’re a pretty modern campground.
Camp New Jersey: Sure.
Ryan: We still get tenters. You know, tenters will come in here and we have a couple areas that have a cluster of smaller sites, so they’re kind of perfect for tenters and pop-ups. And we’ve also got what we call our deluxe sites, which are really huge pull-throughs. They’re setup for some of the bigger rigs.
Camp New Jersey: Okay.
Ryan: And seasonal sites.
Camp New Jersey: And what are the most popular activities for guests there at the campground?
Ryan: I’m sorry, can you repeat that?
Camp New Jersey: What are the most popular activities for guests at the campground?
Ryan: Well, you know, I would say just our lake on the weekend. Just people coming out, hanging out in the sand, letting their kids play. They’re at the playgrounds or in the water. Probably one of the most popular things I would say collectively that people do. One of our bigger events is the Sun Splash Weekend. We have a beach party in July. There’s always a big crowd for that. You know, any kind of live entertainment that we have going on can be a big draw.
Camp New Jersey: Cool. Now, what are some of your favorite attractions around that area? Let’s say I was staying at the campground for maybe an extended period of time and wanted to kind of venture out and hit some attractions. Where would you recommend that I go?
Ryan: Well, there’s Cape May County area. You’ve got a lot of – you know, there are a lot of choices. We’re not far from Atlantic City. So, if it’s more of an adult type of thing, getting together some friends. You’ve got tons of options as far as clubs, dining, and shows right there in Atlantic City, about a half-hour away. I’d definitely point you to the beach, depending on whether you’ve seen the water or if you’ve ever been to the beaches. You’ve definitely got to get out there and ride the waves a little bit and catch some rays out there. Cape May County. Cape May itself is Victorian town, so we’ve got an outside mall. It’s a lot of fun just to kind of go around and check out the architecture and walk around that outside mall. That’s a good time. Wildwood is about twenty minute away. Just a large boardwalk. Lots of amusement. Tons of rides for big kids like us or little kids.
Camp New Jersey: Sure. Sure.
Ryan: They’ve got a couple. (Unclear 4:16.5). The family that owns most of Wildwoods. They’re always investing and making it better. They’re supposedly working on a huge roller coaster that’s going to span two piers or something. I saw something in the newspaper that they’re going to be stepping up some of their roller coasters just to get back. Just to stay on the map as a class, a real high quality amusement park.
Camp New Jersey: Yeah.
Ryan: You know, Wildwood. You just walk on the boardwalk. It’s free to go on the boardwalk. You just get individual tickets for the rides or whatever. Get a wristband. I mean you have lots of options and you can’t miss Wildwood. That’s a staple of Cape May County.
Camp New Jersey: All right, sounds really fun. Two more questions for you, Ryan. If you were going to spend just one hour at Ocean View Resort, camping on the Jersey Shore there, how would you spend your time there?
Ryan: One hour. Depends on the circumstances. Personally, I’d probably just – one hour. Hmm. That’s a really good one. One hour. Probably just take a long walk through the Park. I mean it’s just between coming across the diverse cultures and personalities. Never know what you’re going to see in one hour. I wouldn’t want to be stationary. I’d ride or walk. You know, I’d stay in motion and, like I said, between just being out in nature a little bit and what you may come across as far as meeting people from all over the place.
Camp New Jersey: A little bit of people watching.
Ryan: Yeah.
Camp New Jersey: Always fun.
Ryan: Yeah.
Camp New Jersey: All right. And last question for you: if you were going to stay at Ocean View Resort just one night, which specific campsite would you stay at and why?
Ryan: What specific campsite? Okay. I’d probably stay at campsite T33. It’s at the top edge of our lake. Big site. Beautiful view of the lake. And of course, my daughter would probably love just being able to cross one little street and she’d be in the sand, playing. A hop, skip, and a jump. And pretty decent privacy even in that area. Beautiful, beautiful section of the campground.
Camp New Jersey: All right, perfect. Well, hey Ryan, thank you so much for taking some time out of your morning and giving us a little bit more information about Jersey Shore camping and to specifically tell us more about Ocean View Resort.
Ryan: All right, thanks for your time, Clint.
