Growing up in Monmouth County, New Jersey meant many things. You were always an hours drive and train ride away from New York City, you were pretty much never more than 30 minutes away from a beach, and surely, you could identify a benny from a mile away.

When I chose to go away to college, it never occurred to me how much I was going to miss the familiarity of Monmouth County, let alone the beaches and towns that surround them. So, as my finals week beings, I want to remind myself, and everyone who’s away from Monmouth County for school, what’s waiting for us at the end of the tunnel

1. Inkwell

Let’s start off easy. If you live within an hour drive of the Shore, I am absolutely positive you know the treasure that is Inkwell Coffeehouse. Open from 7 pm- 2:30 am, it’s the perfect place for you to see old friends and live your grunge dreams out

2. The Twinlights

A true staple of living near the ocean, being able to go to a lighthouse and explore is one of my favorite things to do at home. It’s even better when you get to see the lighthouse actually turned on, calling boats in from the water, like I used to do growing up from my Grandma’s window

3. Parks

Growing up, if there was ever a nice day on the weekend, we packed ourselves up, stopped to get subs from Jersey Mikes, and made our way to Holmdel Park. And if you were lucky, you got to stop at Longstreet Farms and see all of the animals-- aka the free-range peacock that roams the farm terrorizing small children. Now, there's the Monmouth County Park System and hundred's of historical places like Fort Hancock and the Monmouth Battlefield that you can explore

4. Red Bank

As someone who went to Red Bank Regional, it was a staple to stay after school and walk into Red Bank. Main Street itself became a hub for restaurants, businesses, and bars that people all over Monmouth County like to come for.

5. The Beach Towns

To name a few, Keyport, Union Beach, Bradley Beach, Belmar, Highlands, Asbury Park, Sea Bright, all surround the water and have made small, bustling towns to attract tourists to come and visit their town and beach. Getting to ‘hangout’ and spend the summer days wasting away was half the fun of getting licenses and cars. You could spend half of your day in Red Bank exploring all of the shops and businesses and then drive to Asbury Park to try and eat a Coney Waffle shake. Monmouth County is really at your disposal.

6. Keansburg Boardwalk and Runaway Rapids

While it still seems like it’s the lesser version on Six Flaggs Great Adventure, I still spend most Easter's here with my family, playing games and watching my little cousins experience the same fun I did growing up. Even better, on the last day of the summer season. Runaway Rapids had a “dog day” and let people bring their friend, vaccinated dogs to play.

7. The Water

I still can’t believe that I went away to a school that isn’t within a 30-minute drive of a beach. Just being able to walk to the beach, getting to see the New York City skyline, even just getting to see where the water meets the sand, makes me feel at home.