The Wildwoods is known as the birthplace of rock ‘n’ roll, and the Wildwoods By the Sea Doo Wop Experience Museum – dedicated to all things doo wop – has once again been named a top museum in the country.
For the fourth year in a row, the museum was voted one of the country’s Best Pop Culture Museums in USA Today’s 2026 10Best Readers’ Choice Travel Awards. This year it ranked 7th, down one spot from last year.
The museum itself is inside the old Surfside restaurant from Wildwood Crest, which was saved and relocated by the Doo Wop Preservation League in the early 2000s. It’s hard to miss the landmark, since the Neon Sign Garden out front catches your attention during the day, and especially at night.
Once inside, take a trip down memory lane by seeing the menu from Zaberer’s, Tiffany lamps, a Jetsons-esque Super Wawa sign, the Casbah and Playpen signs, stylish ashtrays, a Wurlitzer jukebox, hanging bicycles, caricatures, and old-time kitchen appliances. There’s also a malt shop that look like an old-fashioned candy counter.
The Wildwoods itself has the largest collection of mid-20th century architecture in the country. You can see it all during the Back to the ’50s Neon Night and Mid-Century Architecture Tours that are held throughout the summer starting at the museum.
The Doo Wop Experience Museum is located at 4500 Ocean Ave. in Wildwood. Hours are 6-9:30 pm Fridays and Saturdays in the spring and fall; and 4-9:30 pm Tuesdays to Thursdays, and from 6-9:30 pm Fridays, Saturdays and Sundays, in the summer. The museum is currently closed and will reopen Mother’s Day weekend. Admission is free, but the neon lights tours are ticketed.
The 10 Best Pop Culture Museums for 2026, according to USA Today’s 10 Best Readers’ Choice Awards:
1. National Comedy Center, Jamestown, NY
2. American Sign Museum, Cincinnati, Ohio
3. Charles M. Schultz Museum, Santa Rosa, California
4. World of Coca-Cola, Atlanta, Georgia
5. The Strong National Museum of Play, Rochester, NY
6. OZ Museum, Wamego, Kansas
7. Doo Wop Experience Museum, Wildwood, New Jersey
8. National Mustard Museum, Middleton, Wisconsin
9. Comic-Con Museum, San Diego, California
10. National Bobblehead Hall of Fame and Museum, Milwaukee, Wisconsin
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Check out the museum on our Instagram page.
Read More:
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