If you know anything about me, you know that I love the beaches in New Jersey. I love the color and the feel of the sand, the blue hues of the ocean and the size of the waves. I enjoy going to the beach from early spring to late fall, and enjoy the uniqueness of each beach I visit.
My latest obsession with the beaches in New Jersey is finding which ones are the best.
New Jersey has some of the most beautiful beaches you will ever see. There are beautiful seashells and sea glass, not to mention some of the prettiest blue water to surf, swim, and boogie board on.
Now that you know that New Jersey has some amazing beaches, you may be wondering, where are they and which ones are the best for me?
New Jersey has a variety of different beaches that appeal to many. You may be looking to bring your family and want food and ride options, or maybe you want a beautiful secluded beach where it’s peaceful and quiet. There are also great beach towns with laid back vibes and some great local restaurants that appeal to you.
Best beaches in New Jersey with boardwalk and rides
Point Pleasant Beach
Point Pleasant Beach is located about an hour south of New York City. The beach is really pretty and offers great views of the Manasquan Inlet. It’s a nice beach for families and couples who want the convenience of having everything right on the boardwalk.
The mile long boardwalk has rides, arcades, restaurants, an aquarium and miniature golf. In the evening, Martell’s and Jenks usually have live bands that are really popular and very entertaining.
It can be quite crowded on the weekends, so it’s good to arrive early.
During the week, there is often beach entertainment in the evening such as family movies or live music. Jenkinson’s is a good source for planning your trip.
Seaside Heights
About 20 minutes south of Point Pleasant Beach is Seaside Heights. This is another great town with a two mile boardwalk filled with tons of arcades, restaurants, rides and ice cream. The boardwalk and beach is larger than Point Pleasant and has more of everything.
Make sure you try the sausage and peppers sandwich at Midway, pizza from Three Brothers and the amazing ice cream from Kohr’s.
In addition to the beach and boardwalk, Seaside Heights also has a nice waterpark to enjoy.
Wildwood
What I love most about the beach in Wildwood is how big and wide the beach is. It’s great for young families as the waves are gentle and not as rough as some of the other beaches in New Jersey. It’s a great beach for boogie boarding, sitting by the water in your beach chair, and taking long walks.
While Wildwood does not have a roller coaster like Seaside Heights, they do have a water park, go karts, and plenty of stands and arcades.
Best Beach Towns
Cape May
Cape May is a beautiful seaside destination that has a charming Victorian flare. The pristine architecture makes it a very picturesque area with some pretty fabulous beaches. Located at the southernmost tip of New Jersey, Cape May is one of the most beautiful coastal towns you will ever come across. There are fun things to do, great shopping, delicious food, and of course, fabulous beaches.
With over two miles of beautiful beaches and amazing views, you are sure to be delighted. The beach runs parallel to Beach Avenue and is within walking distance to just about everything.
Be sure to rent some bikes or take a trolley tour throughout the town. Cape May also has a great zoo, and some fabulous wineries as well!
There are some really nice beaches just outside the center of Cape May. Tucked away at the end of Higbees Beach Road is Higbees Beach. A quiet secluded beach that is dog friendly, great for bird watching and plenty of trails to explore. Sunset Beach, which is next to Higbee Beach, is as you might have guessed, a particularly lovely place to watch the sunsets. There’s also Cape May Point which is a little less crowded.
https://www.capemaycity.com/departments/beachtag
Long Beach Island
Long Beach Island has pretty much remained unchanged throughout the years. It’s a wonderful area with cute restaurants, ice cream shops, and eighteen miles of beach.
There are six fabulous beaches on Long Beach Island: Barnegat Light, Beach Haven, Harvey Cedars, Long Beach Township, Ship Bottom, and Surf City.
LBI is busy in the summer, but it’s not overwhelming. They have great attractions such as the Barnegat Lighthouse State Park and Fantasy Island Amusement Park.
With only one way on and off the island, traffic tends to build up. If you’re planning on visiting LBI on the weekend, plan to get there early to avoid the traffic on Rt. 72.
Lavallette
Most roads in Lavallette will lead you directly to the beach. The ocean beach on the east side, and the bay beach on the west side. The ocean beach has nice wide beaches, lots of families and plenty of things to do for the day. It has a mile long boardwalk which offers great views of the lovely homes that line up to it.
You need to buy a badge for Lavallette, as you do for the majority of the beaches in New Jersey. At Lavallette, you’ll find wide beaches, lots of families and plenty of things to do for the day.
The bay beach has a nice playground, plenty of room to walk or ride bikes, as well as basketball and pickleball courts. Be sure to stay to catch the beautiful sunsets.
Asbury Park
Asbury Park has some pretty incredible beaches. What’s nice about Asbury is that you have everything at your fingertips along with a beautiful beach. You’ll find less families here and more adults.
Asbury has some high end restaurants, such as Moonstruck and very casual places like Porta. There are great restaurants on the boardwalk too, as well as some awesome shops.
The most quiet and least crowded beaches
Mantoloking
Mantoloking has to be one of the best kept secrets in New Jersey. Every time I go to Mantoloking I feel like I’m on vacation in some far away destination. The beach is absolutely beautiful and the sand is so soft and white. Street parking is limited to 4 hours on East Ave. and you do need a badge as well. It’s very secluded and quiet, and most times you feel like you have the beach to yourself. There are no bathrooms here, just porta-potties on the sidewalk before you walk on the beach.
Island Beach State Park
Island Beach State Park is a barrier island located south of Seaside Park in Ocean County. Here they charge you by the car between Memorial Day and Labor Day. IBSP has over 3,000 acres of coastal dunes and has the largest osprey colony. They have great beaches and the further down you go, the less crowded it is.
You can easily find a spot on the beach where you are practically the only one there. Trucks are allowed on certain parts of the beach, as well as beach camping. There are plenty of spots where you can go fishing and biking as well.
Island Beach State Park is a family-friendly beach where you can spend the entire day. It’s very affordable at $10 a car for in-state residents and slightly higher for those out of state.
Island beach is one of the best kept secrets in New Jersey.
Pearl Beach
Pearl Beach is located next to Sunset Beach in Cape May. You will find it to be a lovely and secretive beach. It doesn’t have any utilities or boardwalks and is one of the least crowded beaches and one of the most beautiful in New Jersey.
Final Thoughts
As we’ve discussed throughout this article, there are many beautiful beaches in New Jersey. As with any beach, you’re going to want to pick the beach that appeals to you most. If you are curious about other things to do in the New Jersey area, you may want to take a look at our other posts of things to do around the great Garden State.
Here is a Pinterest friendly photo so that you can pin to your travel board for later reference!
