July was the traditional vacation time in the 1950s and 1960s. Factories shut down for two weeks and blue collar families decided where this year’s vacation was to be spent. Do we go up north to Maine or “down the shore,” or do we do day trips?

Long ago, Long Beach Island became the destination for families from the Philadelphia area, just a few hours’ jaunt across New Jersey’s rail or burgeoning highway network. The term “shoobies” came into popular use.