New Jersey Shore Beaches from Sandy Hook to Cape May

Until recently you didn't hear much about the Jersey Shore in New York. But skyrocketing prices in Long Island have made the Jersey Shore an appealing option. We think the Jersey Shore has had a bad rap for too long. With beautiful beaches, and loads of fun activities for kids and families, you’ll truly be surprised at all the great choices you’ll find. We've got the inside scoop on the best beaches on the Jersey Shore from nearby Sandy Hook all the way south to Cape May.  But if you’re thinking about spreading the word far and wide, fuhgeddaboutit. Let ‘em have their Hamptons–this’ll be our little secret, capisce?

SANDY HOOK/HIGHLANDS
Dip your toe in the beauty of the Jersey Shore with a trip to nearby Sandy Hook. Just a forty-minute ferry ride from the Wall Street area (SeaStreak.com), the seven-mile stretch of spectacular ocean and bay beaches are excellent for surf casting, swimming, and relaxing on the sand. Since Sandy Hook is actually a National Park, there is no beach town or commercial community–so pack a picnic lunch and be prepared for an old-fashioned day in the sun (the Inlet side/western shore is sans lifeguards, rest rooms, food or beverages), or drive down to Sandy Hook, then spend the night in Highlands, a quiet town with loads of great restaurants and outdoor activities, as well as hotels and cottages with gorgeous views of Sandy Hook. Kids may get a kick out of touring the Highlands’ Twin Lighthouses and maritime museum as well.
Sandy Hook
Atlantic Highlands

POINT PLEASANT
Further down the shore you’ll find Point Pleasant, a favorite of kids all over New Jersey. Parents enjoy the nice, clean beach, but the kids will dig Jenkinson's Beach Pavilion. There's the Jenkinson's Aquarium–a great spot for a break from the sun–you can grab a list of feeding times for sharks, alligators etc. prior to your visit. The boardwalk has rides, games and great places to eat burgers, seafood and more. Every Tuesday is wristband day and you can ride all you want for $15. Your older kids will enjoy this locale, too, since later in the evening it becomes a tween/teen hangout! www.jenkinsons.com. If you tire of beach and boardwalk, downtown Point Pleasant boasts great boutiques and antique shops. Wandering encouraged. NJPointPleasant

LONG BEACH ISLAND (LBI)
Seventy-five miles south of NYC lies the Southampton of the Shore: Long Beach Island (LBI). There is no public transportation to LBI; visitors drive the causeway over Barnegat Bay to reach it. Northern coasts (specifically Beach Haven and Barnegat Light) offer celebrity-studded stretches of lightly populated beachfront. Only one town on the island has an amusement area, and there is no boardwalk, but your kids will find plenty to keep them amused: the Amusement Park in Beachhaven, the historic 165-ft tall Barnegat Lighthouse and the Surflight Theater - which offers awesome kid shows changing out every week or so with character appearances afterward for pictures and autographs. Additionally, there are hundreds of boutiques and fine restaurants. And if your kids refuse to leave the water, you can inform them the movie Jaws was based on a series of Jersey Shore shark attacks in 1916 which began on LBI. LBI.net

ATLANTIC CITY
Want bright lights, big city AND beach? Hit Atlantic City!   ACES (Atlantic City Express Service, www.acestrain.com), the direct express train service between New York City's Penn Station and Atlantic City's Rail Terminal takes a little more than two hours with one quick stop in Newark, NJ, and runs Friday through Sunday. With casino gaming, spas, concerts, great restaurants, ocean, a seven-mile Boardwalk, golf, water sports and shopping–this is truly a Shore spot with something for everyone in the family. Our family hit a haunted house, rock-climbed, went bungee-jumping and spent hours racking up tickets in the arcade, in addition to the great time we had just hanging out on the beach. Foodies may want to take part in the 2009 TD Bank Atlantic City Food & Wine Festival July 30 through August 2, 2009–replete with chefs from Food Network and BRAVO. (Harrahs) Casino lodging prices have dropped dramatically in recent years, and often include full breakfast buffets, so give your favorite online travel agency a shot before booking a hotel/motel. Atlantic City

CAPE MAY/WILDWOOD
Furthest from NYC, but hands-down the favorite Shore spot of all of my friends, is Cape May. Many families make Cape May a tradition, going to Cape May Point summer after summer due to the affordable rentals, the quiet beaches, calm waves, beautiful rocks, outdoor malls, bike rentals and even a lighthouse with whale watching. Nearby Wildwood makes for a wonderful day trip for the boardwalk experience (intrinsic to the Shore.) Cape May West offers weekly free family movies at the beach with additional kids activities for children not quite ready to settle down quietly–although with all the great outdoors they’ll be experiencing, you’ll probably be carrying home some snoring, sandy bundles at days’ end.
CapeMayTimes
Wildwood

WORDS TO THE WISE
- If you’re being referred to as a “shoobie” or a “benny” by a Shore local, it’s not a compliment. It means, quiet down the out-of-town act.
- Expect Hamptons-like driving delays. Exhibit the same timing sense you’d use for that drive–do not drive out on a Friday afternoon or Saturday morning, or drive in on a late Sunday afternoon, without expecting heavy, heavy traffic.
–Many Bed & Breakfasts have a strict no-child policy. Be sure to ask before booking.
--Never book lodging without photos. Having visuals of potential hotels/motels has saved our family from disastrous stays, while booking on verbal descriptions alone has left us in moldy, small, unclean quarters.
--Leave Fido at home. Although some beaches allow dogs on leashes, areas vary greatly, and most hotels/cottages/motels do not.

More information on the Shore in general, and other, smaller stops in between the above-mentioned locales, available at NewJerseyShore.com