I took a weekend trip with my Fiancé and her daughter and stayed at the Imperial 500. This was our second time there and I had been there before for the Kenny Chesney concert. I have nothing but good things to say about the Imperial. This has to be one of the best run motels on the island. The family that owns it has generations returning and it’s easy to see why. Friendliness, cleanliness, and a great pool. Not to mention it’s still one of those places that you naturally strike up conversations with others on the balconies and by the pool. If you are looking for a place to stay go there.
We arrived Friday around 3pm, checked in and then drove up to the boardwalk for dinner at PigDog. Their menu isn’t big but the views are just perfect. They built a large wooden covering and added much more seating. I got the pulled pork sandwich, it was delicious and we were also able to enjoy some acoustic guitar from the live musician. After dinner we did some rides. Not sure if I’m not remembering correctly but it seems ticket prices went up quite a bit from what I remember in the past couple years. Regardless we had a nice time and we were able to get a great spot for the fireworks. Over the years I’ve learned of a few very nice quiet spots to enjoy excellent views of them. Hint in the photo.
Saturday breakfast was at the Royal Grill. Everything is great and I agree with the waitress that told us they have the best chocolate milk on the island. Never too old for chocolate milk right? It was a picture perfect beach day so we were there for hours. The ocean is still quite chilly but I was able to get a little body surfing in and just enjoyed the crystal clear water.
Sunday breakfast was at the Tiki Top Fire Grill at the Waikiki. I might be wrong but I believe this is new ownership from last years Tiki Top Grill (notice no fire in the name) because the menu was much more simplified from last year which had some really great breakfast dishes like chicken and waffles, yogurt in a half pineapple etc. We still had a nice meal and the views are great. The Waikiki has been looking really good. They got new owners in the past few years and the property looks great and they have maintained the orange lights at night with the green floodlights on the lava rock. The old library has had a lot of work done to it and they are still working on it.
Another great beach day
Dinner this night was Sam’s Pizza, a Birch Beer and Curley’s Fries. We ended up enjoying a couple hours of Fascination in Randy’s arcade. There is a new Rollabingo Game at the north end of the boardwalk which seems like a knock off of Fascination. I’ll stick to the original. Randy had a decent crowd in there and we won enough tickets for a few stuffed animals for the little one and lots of fun memories. My fiancé won a very tough game of Coverall that had 5-6 people all with only one light left to get including me. Darn top corner red line I just can’t seem to get that one lol! The convention center has some new lights and the Olympic Island Beach now sports blue balcony lights
Monday morning our final breakfast was at the Royal Grill. My waffle was absolutely delicious. Great friendly staff as well. Leaving the Port Royal I ran into a familiar face, Greg who previously worked at the Pan American is now the GM of the Port Royal. Our family had known him from years of staying at the Pan Am and it was great to catch up. They replaced 2/3 of the railings at the Port Royal with new ones with wood tops, I think they look great. They still have to do the north side rooms.
2 Gregs!
We will be back again later this summer for the big family trip at the Pan American. The magic of Wildwood never fails and every time returning I’m reminded of why this is my favorite place on Earth. I’ll end this report with one of the sounds of the Wildwoods…
great report! looks like you guys had a blast. the Fresh Fruit truck, oh man does that make me happy. I love hearing it, and it's one of my earliest Wildwood memories.