courtesy: Ocean Grove Chamber of Commerce
Ocean Grove is a charming New Jersey Shore town where recreation, history, and religion all prosper in "God's square mile"
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 21 st century commercial, honky-tonk, noisy attractions found in other beach destinations.
The town has maintained its communal and religious ties with the original Methodist Camp Meeting ground. It is a dry town with a ban on alcohol and restricted use of the beach on Sunday until after noon. The wooden boardwalk along the beach has maintained its natural beauty with no commercial amusements or concession stands.
Ocean Grove is entered in both the National Register of Historic Places and the New Jersey State Register of Historic Places.
For years, Ocean Grove has been known as "God’s Square Mile". It is unique with its community of historic tents owned by the Methodist Camp Meeting Association and rented out. In 1878 there were 506 tents in Ocean Grove.
Today, over 100 tents remain to the north of the Great Auditorium. The tents are made with canvas with a striped canvas-covered porch, a plain canvas-covered sleeping and living area in the front. It has a wooden shed behind the tent that contains the kitchen, bath and dining area. The size of the tents, including the rear wooden structure, is a little over 300 square feet.
You don’t have to belong to the church to rent a tent, but if you are interested in renting, there is a long waiting list, up to twenty years.
It’s a wonderful place for a a day trip or a weekend getaway with plenty of charming, Victorian bed and breakfast inns to choose from. There is plenty of free street parking with no meters.
Downtown Main Avenue
Looking to do a little shopping or browsing, stroll along tree lined Main Avenue with many small eateries and interesting shops.
Ocean Grove Pier
Stroll the pier overloong the beach with up close water views, or just grap a bench & relax