What the Jersey Shore was like in the 1970s

If you grew up anywhere in New Jersey, there was a pretty good chance you had at least one magical week each summer at one of Jersey's many great shore towns.

For us, it was Atlantic City during my very early years, then it was Wildwood.

I recently took a ride along Beach Avenue and Ocean Avenue in Wildwood Crest to see how many of those kitschy motels from the 1960s are still there.

Sadly, many of them are gone, but thankfully, quite a few remain and still look the same as they did in 1970.

Returning to where you went on vacation as a kid is an emotional and amazing feeling, especially at the Jersey Shore. If you went in the late 1960s and 1970s, you almost feel bad for the people who missed that era. It was truly a special time, or was it because it was our 'coming of age'?

The 1970s saw significant changes and events at the Shore, including the legalization of gambling in Atlantic City, the rise of the "Jersey Shore sound" in Asbury Park, and the ongoing development of the Jersey Shore as a major destination.

Whether it was Seaside, Belmar, Manasquan, Stone Harbor, Cape May, Lavalette, Point Pleasant, Sea Isle City, or Asbury Park, our childhood memories of the Jersey Shore in the 1970s are a magical memory. We did some digging and found a few videos of the Jersey Shore in the 1970s, and I thought you might enjoy the trip down memory lane.