What comes to your mind when you think of New Jersey? Other than not pumping your own gas and being really crowded, it is usually the "Jersey Shore". A staple for New Jersey culture, beaches go from exit 105 to exit 0, all down the coast of the state. People come from all different parts of the country to visit these beaches and take their week-long vacations off one of these exit markers.
With there being over 100 exits to get to the shore, spanning about 130 miles in total, it might be hard to pick which ones are the best to travel to. People who come to New Jersey might ask themselves, but which one is the best? While it is hard to say which is the best, since it is up to the opinion of the visitor, there are few that rank. Even with the coronavirus, beaches in this beautiful state are opening, if not already opened, back up again and these are 10 beaches you shouldn't miss out on.
1. Wildwood
From Exits 7 to 4B, Wildwood beaches are a very popular tourist destination, even for my own family. Wildwood is so large that there are different sections: North Wildwood, Wildwood, Wildwood Crest, and Diamond Beach. Don't let the names confuse you, they are all under the name "Wildwood", though the safest area and nicest parts are the Crest and Diamond Beach. No one ever goes to Wildwood and says "there's nothing to do", with the 3 pier Boardwalk, amazing restaurants, iconic ice cream, and mile-long beaches.
2. Cape May
Coming right under Wildwood, listwise and in geography, is Cape May. Arguably, most known for being Exit 0 off the Garden State Parkway (GSP) Cape May is the furthest south anyone can get in New Jersey, even seeing Delaware from the beach. Cape May has zoos, Washington Street shopping, a sunken concrete boat, and even a World War II lookout tower on the beach.
3. Long Beach Island
"When you go over the bridge, all your worries go away," a true statement said by my dad every time we go to Long Beach Island, LBI for short. The name doesn't lie, it is a physical island off the bay in New Jersey, and there is a huge bridge to get there. LBI is a typical beach town with shore houses down the whole town, unlike other beaches that have hotels, with people riding bikes instead of cars. Fantasy Island, the amusement park, is a major attraction for LBI and the restaurant "Chicken or the Egg", which was featured on "Man vs. Food"! If that isn't enough, the original Ron Jon's is located there.
4. Long Branch
So, maybe you're not the type of person to layout on a beach for 5+ hours, or maybe you are. Either way, Long Branch has the best of both worlds for these beachgoers. One end of the beach has the Pier Village shopping center with high-end shopping and dining, while the other side is more lowkey. While there isn't much to do other than shop, eat, or lay out in the sun, the beach is peaceful and relaxing.
5. Point Pleasant
Need somewhere to take young children for a beach day? Well, Point Pleasant is one of the most family-friendly beaches to visit. While the beaches are of course nice, the real treasure of this beach town is the boardwalk, which is friendly to people of all ages. Okay so maybe you aren't the boardwalk type, well there is also a very large aquarium, a water park, and the sweet shop, which you have to try if you go. Jenkinson's Boardwalk is a huge part of the culture of Point Pleasant.
6. Barnegat
Barnegat Beach is probably one of the nicest beaches and towns to visit in the Jersey Shore. This is not because of the cleanliness of the beaches, I mean they are, but the town is extremely rich and expensive to have houses there. Ever seen the Netflix show "Outer Banks"? Well, this is like the "kooks" of the New Jersey beaches. While the beaches and bay in Barnegat are both great, they are known for the lighthouse. The Barnegat Lighthouse, while not technically in Barnegat but the tip of LBI is what makes the town so well known across the state.
7. Sandy Hook
Sandy Hook is one of the most overlooked beaches in the state of New Jersey. This is because it is the most northern beach in the state, with not much to do once you are at the actual beach. Half of the fun of going down the shore in New Jersey is the 2+ hours in the car on the parkway, and that isn't usually the case for the northernmost beach. Other than laying out and going to cute restaurants, but what beach aren't those options available, there isn't a lot of beach-related activities to do.
8. Atlantic City
Being from New Jersey, one of the most annoying questions to get is "don't you go to A.C. a lot?". The answer is no, people cannot gamble until they are 21 in the United States. Atlantic City is not a "beach" type of beach, meaning it is really built up and filled with casinos. People go there to party, or to have teacher conventions, when they are old enough, so it is not a very "family-friendly" beach. While there is a boardwalk and of course a beach, it is not somewhere families first think of to go to for a beach day.
9. Belmar
Being one of the strictest beaches in New Jersey, Belmar has caught a bad reputation throughout the state. Well, until the devastation of Hurricane Sandy, Belmar was one of the biggest party beaches to go to. Even though Sandy hit the state in 2012, people still see Belmar as a "party beach". This is probably because Belmar still has places like D'Jais Bar and Grill, which is a very popular place to visit in this beach town
10. Seaside Heights
So, THE most annoying question to be asked if you are from New Jersey is "do you know Snooki". Thank you "Jersey Shore" and MTV for literally putting the New Jersey beaches on the map. Seaside Heights is where the show took place, (fun fact: I am in the background in one of their episodes), and it has brought so many people there. While the show was a false reality on the actual beaches as a whole, it is pretty accurate to Seaside. If you are from New Jersey, Memorial Day Weekend is the equivalent to State Patty's Day in State College. High school students go down to Seaside Heights for this extended weekend every single year, giving the beach an even worse reputation, but they do have good cheesesteaks.
While there are so many beaches in New Jersey, these 10 beaches are really the most iconic ones throughout the state, in my expert New Jersey resident opinion. So, before you hate on New Jersey, go get yourself a plain bagel (with Taylor Ham, egg, and cheese), wake up super early to miss the traffic, watch the sunrise over the Atlantic Ocean, and go experience the best of New Jersey.
