by Dorothy Kulisek
In the Summer of 2024, the Sea Gull Motel proudly celebrated their 60th anniversary of providing Wildwood lovers with a sweet, salt-scented home away from home.
Ginny Nichols and her daughter Juliet are the 2nd & 3rd generations running the family business. Their Wildwood story begins courtesy of Ginny’s parents, pictured above, Bill & Betty Lou, who met at the University of Miami. Following graduation, they both taught briefly at Wildwood Catholic High School before purchasing the Sea Gull Motel in 1964 from Harry Marin who built the Sea Gull Lodge in 1952.
“The original office had a gull-wing roof-that was our living quarters for about eight years. It was two rooms — my brother and I had a room with bunk beds, and my parents had a sofa that folded out. What was strange about the original living quarters was that they had heating coils on the floor, so when it was cold, we used to lie on the floor and watch TV,” says Ginny Nichols, their daughter. Being located one block from the beach on Cresse Ave., Ginny still remembers those cold winters, with the ocean wind blowing through the jalousie windows and doors.
As was the life of many mom-and-pop motel owners, they worked very hard welcoming their summer guests, helping families have the best experience during their Wildwood vacation. Happily, many would return year after year, reserving the same week or two.
One such loyal, longtime guest (and motel’s former teenage babysitter) is Patti Davis who has fond memories of the Sea Gull Motel dating back to the 1970s. Patti spent her summers in her grandparents’ beach house, which was located across the street from the Sea Gull.
Her grandparents, Pat & Dorothy Hinkle, bought their summer house in 1943 and sold it in 1969. As a young girl, Patti vividly remembers her industrious grandmother renting all five rooms in the house for income while the family slept in the backyard garage lined with roll-away cots and used the outdoor shower (another wonderful memory in her treasure trove). Such sweet, simple times, and a true family affair, where everyone chipped in to help keep their summer guests happy while playing their part in the history of hardworking Wildwood by-the-Sea.
Fast forward to the Summer of ’24, when Patti brought her son Ryan, her 12 yr. old granddaughter Ayslin, along with her treasured photographs, bringing the 6th generation for their first visit to the Sea Gull Motel, happily sharing a part of her Wildwood story.
Ginny, meanwhile, works tirelessly, keeping her parents’ legacy in business and looks forward to many more years of seaside memories to come. . .