The Jersey Shore - A Visitors Guide
The Jersey Shore stretches 127 miles along the northern and southern coastlines of New Jersey, embracing the Counties of Monmouth, Ocean, Atlantic, and Cape May. The locals lovingly refer to the area, complete with boardwalks, arcades, and amusement parks, as the Jersey Shore.
It's a vacation hotspot for New Jerseyans, New Yorkers, Pennsylvanians, and other Northeasterners, attracting beach lovers from as far north as Québec and Ontario.
The popularity of the Jersey Shore stems from its welcoming beaches, variety of accommodation options, and abundance of restaurants and attractions.
Notable towns hosting commercial boardwalks teeming with amusement parks, water parks, restaurants, and shops include Asbury Park, Keansburg, Point Pleasant, Seaside Heights, Atlantic City, Ocean City, and the Wildwoods:
The top vacation destinations within the Jersey Shore are celebrated for their exceptional beaches, broad range of stays, great eats, and a myriad of activities.
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The Best Monmouth County
Jersey Shore Weekend Getaway Destinations
Long Branch, NJ
Long Branch is a popular destination for fun, relaxation, recreation, restaurants, boutique shopping, and excellent overnight accommodations.
The focal point of activity is Pier Village, an upscale, trendy community along the beach front that encompasses the boardwalk, boutique shops, restaurants, and multistory luxury residences overlooking the ocean.
Long Branch is a popular vacation or weekend getaway destination for visitors from Northern New Jersey, New York City, and Northeast Pennsylvania Long Branch is about an hour away by train from New York City via New Jersey Transit trains on the North Jersey Coast Line spur.
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Asbury Park, NJ
This Jersey shore community has now become a top year round destination for music, entertainment, eclectic restaurants, and a variety of overnight accommodations.
It's famed musical heritage goes back to Asbury Park being the birthplace of Jersey Shore music with performers like Bruce Springsteen, Southside Johnny & the Asbury Jukes, and many more performing at the famed Stone Pony. Adding to it's musical heritage, performances at Paramount Theater and Convention Hall included the Rolling Stones, the Dave Clark Five, Jefferson Airplane, The Who, the Doors, and of course Bruce Springsteen.
The centers of activity are downtown along Cookman Avenue with many excellent restaurants, shops and art galleries, and along the boardwalk lined with restaurants and the crown jewel of Asbury Park, the restored Paramount Theater and Convention Hall.
Asbury Park is a popular vacation or weekend getaway destination for visitors from Northern New Jersey, New York City, and Northeast Pennsylvania It's about an hour away by train from New York City via New Jersey Transit trains on the North Jersey Coast Line spur.
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Ocean Grove, NJ
Ocean Grove is a charming New Jersey Shore town where recreation, history, and religion all prosper in "God's square mile."
Ocean Grove is a popular vacation or weekend getaway destination for visitors from Northern New Jersey, New York City, and Northeast Pennsylvania.
This Jersey Shore town is unique with its charming tree lined village, Victorian bed and breakfast inns, a beach with a rustic boardwalk, and a large, attractive historic wooden auditorium that provides an atmosphere and friendliness from a past era.
The town is steep in religious tradition and welcomes visitors who seek to stay in lovely cottages and enjoy quiet summer evenings and peaceful strolls along the boardwalk without the commercial, honky-tonk, noisy attractions found in other beach destinations.
Located next to neighboring Asbury Park, overnight guests at one of the many charming B & B's in Ocean Grove can hop over to Asbury Park to enjoy it's night life, and many fine restaurants.
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Spring Lake, NJ
Spring Lake, affectionately referred to as the "Irish Riviera", is a small beach resort town with huge Victorian houses, excellent variety of B&B's, a charming village with upscale boutique shops, cafes, and restaurants, a Theatre /Playhouse, and a well managed beach that's never been corrupted by honky-tonk.
In the mid 1800's, Spring Lake was a summer getaway for well healed leaders of industry, and up until today, this small community has retained much of the exclusive atmosphere of that era.
It is possible to wander around this beach front community, even in peak summer season, and see very few people and almost no traffic. In the fall, the town reverts to its year-round population of less than 4,000 people and becomes even more tranquil.
Spring Lake is a popular vacation or weekend getaway destination for visitors from Northern New Jersey, New York City, and Northeast Pennsylvania.
Spring Lake is about an hour and 15 minutes, away by train from New York City via New Jersey Transit trains on the North Jersey Coast Line spur.
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The Best Ocean County
Jersey Shore Weekend Getaway Destinations
Point Pleasant Beach, NJ
Point Pleasant Beach is the ultimate Jersey Shore destination for families and young adults enjoying late night dance clubs. who come for a day trip, a week end getaway, or for summer vacation destination.
Only a one-and a half hour drive from New York City, or an hour and a half ride on New Jersey Transit, with a 15 minute walk to the boardwalk, this small town on the Jersey shore is a popular vacation spot for North New Jersey and NYC tourists, or “benny’s” as the locals call them.
For overnight guests there is a good variety of B&B's and motels, and restaurants to accommodate all budgets and tastes.
The Boardwalk is packed with many attractions for all ages including an amusement park, night clubs, restaurants, shops, and a bathhouse. with showers and lockers,
The Downtown area boasts a shopping district with many unique shops and antique establishments. And if shopping builds up an appetite, the many fine restaurants, coffee shops and cafes are there to satisfy whatever your taste is.
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Long Beach Island (LBI), NJ
LBI is a barrier island and a popular summer Jersey Shore beach community with many majestic summer vacation homes with a few charming B & B's and moderately priced motels.
People come to LBI for it's excellent 18 miles of beaches, ocean, and bay attractions with fishing, boating, para sailing, and a good variety of restaurants.
LBI is also the home of the the Barnegat Light House "Old Barney", a very popular attraction located on the northern tip of LBI.
Long Beach Island is a popular vacation or weekend getaway destination for visitors from New Jersey, New York City, and the Philadelphia area.
While it does have a small amusement park, unlike some of the other popular Jersey Shore destinations, LBI does not have a board walk and honky tonk attractions
The length of the island is approximately 20 miles long. In the summer it can take as long as 40 minutes to drive from one end to the other and in the off season this can drop off to 20 minutes.
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The Best Atlantic County
Jersey Shore Weekend Getaway Destinations
Atlantic City, NJ
Atlantic City is a fun filled destination, with ritzy casinos. world class entertainment, a world class boardwalk, a good variety of activities, excellent hotels & restaurants, shopping, relaxing on the beach, and more.
While casino gambling continues to be the main Atlantic City attraction, this Jersey Shore resort destination is becoming increasingly popular as multi-night getaway for visitors looking for a weekend getaway, or a vacation.
Atlantic City is a popular vacation or weekend getaway destination for visitors from New Jersey, New York City, and the Philadelphia area.
While there is year round activity, with the summer being the peak season, the more budget minded visitors might consider coming in the winter from January – April, when almost all hotel casinos offer outstanding deals and the facilities are less crowded.
For overnight visitors, there is a wide variety of accommodations from the pricey glitzy, high end casinos on the boardwalk, to the less pricey B&B's and motels scattered blocks from the beach and as far as twenty minutes away.
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The Best Cape May County County
Jersey Shore Weekend Getaway Destinations
Ocean City, NJ
Ocean City is a Jersey Shore beach resort that sets itself apart from other beach front towns in going all out to insure that its reputation as “ America’s Greatest Family Resort” is true to its motto.
It's heritage is deep rooted in Christian values. Alcohol sales are prohibited and there are no bars or nightclubs. The attractions along the boardwalk are controlled by the city to insure they are safe, secure, and provide wholesome family fun.
Located 65 miles from Philadelphia, and 125 miles from New York City, it attracts family vacationers from the tri-state area looking for a family destination with lots of wholesome fun, at a modest cost.
This family resort destination has many attractions and accommodations that are family oriented and reasonably priced.
Being a family destination, it is not surprising that there is a wide variety of moderately priced family restaurants that are child friendly.
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Wildwood, NJ
Wildwood is a popular south Jersey beach destination for families looking for a reasonably priced summer vacation with plenty to do.
The Wildwood's are a Jersey Shore treasure with free, wide, white, powdery sandy beaches, a world class boardwalk with amusement piers, restaurants, and an excellent variety of moderately priced hotels and motels, most of which are located on the beach.
The Wildwood's are popular with visitors mostly from the Philadelphia area, as well as New Jersey and New York City.
Wildwood also draws on it's "Doo Wop", 50's and 60's themed architecture, music and history of that era.
The beaches cannot be topped! This shore destination has one of the most beautiful beaches on the east coast. The sand is amazingly soft, powdery-white, and very wide with plenty of room to spread out and enjoy. It is also free --- a rarity with New Jersey beaches. The warm water lasts longer than the northern stretch of the Jersey Shore and offers an extended summer season that thrives until the end of September and begins to wind down in October.
During the spring, summer, and fall, The Wildwood's are host to a number of events including championship volleyball tournaments, monster truck races, concerts, movies on the beach, ethnic festivals, fireworks displays, crafts, and antique car shows.
The boardwalk, two miles or 38 blocks long, along the North Wildwood and Wildwood stretch of shore line, claims to have more rides than Disneyland.
The Wildwood's Encompass Three Popular Tourist Municipalities: North Wildwood, Wildwood, and Wildwood Crest
North Wildwood
Features a quarter mile wide beach, motels, restaurants, and beds & breakfasts. This northern most municipality of the Wildwoods is a popular destination for family fun and entertainment with ten blocks of the northern end of the Boardwalk filled with roller coaster rides, food and ice cream stands, and saltwater taffy. It has a tram which transports vacationers throughout the length of the boardwalk. It is also host to many ethnic festivals including the Italian and Irish festivals.
Wildwood
Located in between North Wildwood and Wildwood Crest, this is the center of activity with the Convention Center, the business district, and 28 blocks or 1 1/2 miles of the two mile of the Boardwalk running through it.
Wildwood Crest
More of a residential area than either of it's two northern neighbors but still shares the Doo Wop motel architecture. The setting of this town is more natural, especially with the town’s beach conservation efforts to protect sand dunes and dune grass.
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Cape May, NJ
Cape May is more than a charming summer beach resort destination. It is not the type of resort that you visit just once. There is a charm and special warmth about the town that pulls you back again an again.
Cape May is not just a summer resort, the fall season is very popular with many theme weekends and the water is still warm enough to visit the beach. Not a beach enthusiast? There are many activities that are in full swing right up until New Years Day.
It's charm lies in it's tree-lined, gas lamp streets, it's quaint shops, excellent restaurants, authentic Victorian homes and it's large variety of charming Victorian Bed and Breakfasts. One of it's claims is that it possesses the largest collection of authentic Victorian homes in the nation.
Cape May is the oldest seaside resort town in the United States, located below the Mason-Dixon line at the southern most point of NJ.
You can park your car and bike or walk around town. In fact, If you're coming to Cape May for the first time, make a stop at the Welcome Area of the Transportation Center (where the buses go) off Lafayette Street across from the Acme shopping center and pick up a guide map on a "Car Free/Care Free" vacation.
Cape May is also the home of one of the largest commercial fishing ports in the United States, and as a result you will find a good variety of seafood restaurants that serve up locally caught fresh sea food.
If relaxing on the beach is not your thing, there are plenty of other activities that can occupy your day time leisure hours.
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The Best Places To Stay in Each Jersey Shore Destination
Long Branch, NJ
This 24 room boutique hotel is located in Pier Village, just steps from the Atlantic Ocean and a short walk to a variety of restaurants and the boardwalk. All rooms have oversized king beds, flat screen TVs, fireplaces, wet bar with refrigerators, and original art.
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Asbury Park, NJ
This chic, 110 room boutique hotel with unique amenities includes an outdoor swimming pool, a rooftop garden with ocean views, a beer garden, a bar, and a lounge area for performances by local DJ's and celebrity artists.
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Ocean Grove, NJ
A B & B with a great location one block from the beach with a view of the ocean from the front porch.
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Spring Lake, NJ
Charming B & B with Whispers, an excellent fine dining restaurant, on the premises. The Atlantic Ocean is a 6-minute walk from the property. A refrigerator and flat-screen cable TV are included in the rooms at The Hewitt Wellington Hotel. Guests at the Inn can enjoy the seasonal outdoor pool and complimentary passes to Spring Lake beach.
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Point Pleasant Beach, NJ
Located in two buildings, one on a private beach, the other building is across the street. Has a full service spa, a fitness center, a heated indoor pool, and a conference room for business meetings.
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Long Beach Island, NJ
Romantic B & B with an excellent fine dining on-site Reviews/booking
Atlantic City, NJ
This is an Atlantic City destination hotel. It is one of the most expensive and elegant hotels in Atlantic City.
At the Borgata you can choose among six styles, from classic rooms, featuring marbled baths and a shower for two, to studio suites, complete with 42" plasma screens, to piatto suites, which include a separate wet bar and entertainment center. Borgata rooms are reminiscent of finely appointed guest quarters in the home of a close friend.
Even for non-gamblers, there is enough to do here for everyone. it is a great place for a night or two.
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Ocean City, NJ
Located on the scenic boardwalk, this hotel is is ideal for leisure,and business getaways. They offer, modern meeting rooms that can accommodate a variety of groups for meetings.
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Wlidwood Crest/Diamond Beach, NJ
Located, just below Wildcrest on one of the only private beaches in New Jersey. Open year-round, this elegant, beach resort features luxurious suites, a sundeck, outdoor heated pool and a beach bar
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Cape May, NJ
An elegant, 27 room, Victorian B & B located in the quieter northern area of Cape May, 1/2 block from the ocean with the most beautiful and least crowded beach in Cape May. All guest rooms have private baths, some with the original claw-foot tubs.
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Tickets to The Top Jersey Shore Entertainment Venues
Asbury Lanes - Asbury Park
Stone Pony - Asbury Park
Wonder Bar - Asbury Park
PNC Arts Center-Holmdel
Atlantic City Venues
Count Basie Theatre
- Red Bank
Cape May Convention Hall - Cape May
