travel | Her Philly

June 16, 2021

Staying at North Wildwood’s Shore House: The Swim Club

Summer is “officially” less than a week away, and shore season is here. While some are #blessed with homes they can escape to at the Jersey shore, for the majority, finding a good place to hang your hat during your beach trip is as important of a step as packing your SPF. And while a lot of weeklong rentals are popping up with an “updated” look and feel, many options can feel a little… dated. Enter: The Shore House & Swim Club.

Back in 2018, I was invited to stay at Philly resident, ex-yoga instructor, and all-around great guy Kevin Reardon‘s first property, The Shore House (422 East 16th Avenue, North Wildwood, NJ). I stayed with my mom, sister, and their two dogs, because yes – The Shore House is fully pup-friendly. We were so impressed and had such a fun time (if you’re interested in staying, make sure to go back and read that post, too!), so I was thrilled when TSH invited me back again (on my birthday weekend, no less!) to check out their newest property, right next door, The Swim Club (1600 Ocean Avenue, North Wildwood, NJ).

April 28, 2021

A Day Trip to Isla Mujeres

If you’ve been following on Instagram, you likely saw that Jim & I just returned from Mexico! We spent 5 days and nights at Secrets Playa Mujeres and we truly can’t get over it. (PS: This was my second Secrets Resort – I visited Secrets Akumal Riveria Maya a few years ago!)

We only ventured outside of our resort for one day. We had heard from many people that, after multiple trips to the area, they now skip Playa Mujeres altogether and head straight to this tiny island off the coast, called Isla Mujeres (aka the Island of Women). We knew we had to check it out.

September 20, 2020

The Best Places to go Down the Jersey Shore

My mom grew up in Ocean City, NJ, living the beach life you may imagine one would live. She and my dad raised us in Upper Township, NJ, just over the 34th Street Bridge. Saying I was “from the Jersey Shore (but not that Jersey Shore!)” was a fun talking point during sorority recruitment I once participated in (/endured). But I don’t think I really realized how wonderful of a place the South Jersey shore was to grow up until recent years. I went through a pretty long period after college where I didn’t appreciate going back home and taking in all this magical area had to offer.

But now that I’m dating a shoobie who really loves the shore, and had many different experiences in different towns than I did, we go down every chance we can. People say we should invest in a timeshare resort when they see how much we love traveling. At first, it might seem like a good idea, but you get to see so people investors trying to get rid of wyndham timeshare because of its high maintenance fees. Normal hotels are great anyway when we’re always discovering new places and showing each other our old faves. I am so thankful I was raised in a place that brings people joy, and I’m excited to share some of the places that have brought me the most joy at the shore.

List of best things to do at the Jersey Shore

Thanks to COVID, a few of you have shared you’re looking to do a fall shore vacation. With schools being virtual, many shore spots are staying open to accomodate more flexible schedules. What started as a question from my friend Neil on Twitter has transformed to a loooong list of faves, with editing and contributions from my sister, my mom, and of course, Jim. It’s pretty Ocean City heavy because that’s my town, but we tried to share the love. 🙂

I hope this list gives you a starting point on the best shore bops, hidden gems, and places you really should add into your next Cape May County trip. Enjoy!

July 5, 2019

My first trip to LBI with Fearless Restaurants

I had never been to Long Beach Island (or LBI, as we will henceforth be referring to this pretty island of beach towns) before. As you may remember, I grew up at another beach, so we didn’t really venture to other shore towns when I was younger (I have since started to expand my locales, including exploring North Wildwood at The Shore House last summer).

You probably know Fearless Restaurants, they’re a restaurant group with spots in Philly (Moshulu, Louie Louie, and White Dog Cafe), the Main Line (Autograph Brasserie and the other White Dog locations), and of course, on LBI! They invited some ~influencers~ to check out what the summer life is like at their beachy home, and I was thrilled to see what they had in store!

August 31, 2018

A Beginner’s Guide to Musikfest: Bethlehem’s Annual Free Concert Festival

I’m not really a “concert festival” goer. The idea of sleeping in a tent in a field and being without a modernly updated bathroom and my daily essentials is not really on my list of faves. But I am here to say, after experiencing Musikfest, the largest free, non-gated music fesitval in the nation, right down the road in Bethlehem, PA, I think my mind may have been changed.

Turns out, there are some music festivals I can do, with the proper support system of lodging, appropriate clothing, activities, and food choices. And as a first time Musikfest-goer, I think I’ve learned QUITE a bit about how to make your first time as great as mine.

July 9, 2018

A Look Inside The Shore House

Growing up “down the shore” (though, I never started calling it that until I was a few years into my Philly life), outside of quick shopping trips to Cape May, dinners in Stone Harbor, and, naturally, nights at the Princeton in Avalon, we really never spent a ton of time at beaches that weren’t “ours.”

Since living in the city, I’ve discovered that everyone here has a different shore town they love, and for really great reasons. So when I was invited to check out The Shore House, North Wildwood’s hottest new motel, I could not wait to spend some time on a new (to me) little shore getaway!

May 3, 2017

5 Tips for Solo Travelers at their first All-Inclusive

Earlier this year, I was #blessed with a trip to Mexico. Secrets Akumal Riviera Maya was a dream, and while I was going to be spending some of my time with the other amazing bloggers on the trip, I knew I’d be tackling some of it as a solo traveler. And actually, for one of the first times in my adult life, I was really excited about that. But as this trip also happened to be the first time I was staying at an all-inclusive, I wanted to share some things I learned that could help you, should the travel bug hit you for a solo vacay.

March 31, 2017

A Philly Blogger takes Mexico!

Earlier this month, when Philadelphia’s temperatures were in the “freakin freezing” range and it seemed there was absolutely no hope in sight, my winter blues were suddenly cured by a little jaunt to Mexico. It was my first time vacationing in Mexico. My first time traveling solo, too. And, as all vacations in Mexico should be, my first all-inclusive resort.
Continue Reading…

September 10, 2015

{Her Philly Travels} Visiting the Bay Area

We sure were traveling on our recent Bay Area California trip. I actually didn’t mind the traveling too much, because every drive was so incredibly beautiful, gazing out the windows took on a whole new meaning. I thought I’d share some fun things to do in a few places we stopped (other than San Francisco and Napa – coming soon!) on our trip.

August 7, 2015

{Her Philly Travels} San Francisco

When my parents said they were heading to California for a wedding, my sister and I didn’t really hesitate in asking to tag along. We were gone for a very magical ten days, and got to see San Francisco, Palo Alto, Napa, and Walnut Creek. I thought for a bit about if I wanted to share all the fun things we did (and, let’s be real, delicious things we ate) with you, as Her Philly is a Philadelphia-based blog, but as a very wise friend told me: “people can’t really expect that you never leave the city, right?” And that’s true (unless you’re referring to the suburbs, of course), so, here we are. If you’re only here for the Philly goods: I promise there will be more of that very soon!