Amethyst Posted June 9, 2014 Share Posted June 9, 2014 I'm looking for suggestions for a day trip to a north Jersey beach. I'm much more familiar with the beaches of south Jersey from growing up in Philadelphia. But I live in northeastern PA now. Any suggestions for a nice clean family-friendly beach? I'm planning on taking my dd and her friends. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ryan the Girl Posted June 9, 2014 Share Posted June 9, 2014 I usually lurk but this I can answer! Normandy Beach or Spring Lake are just wonderful! Spring Lake may be better for a day trip as Normandy Beach is a smaller barrier island community. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Wheres Toto Posted June 9, 2014 Share Posted June 9, 2014 Sandy Hook - the Gateway National Recreation Area - is great if you aren't looking for amusement park stuff. It has nice beaches, nature trails, lighthouse and historic areas to explore. Keansburg if you are looking for boardwalk/amusement park stuff. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Alicia64 Posted June 9, 2014 Share Posted June 9, 2014 Super great family trip site: familyvacationcritic.com Great ideas. Click on "destinations." Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Amethyst Posted June 9, 2014 Author Share Posted June 9, 2014 Thank you, all, for answering. I will be researching from among these choices and hopefully find something that works for us. We're looking at going on a Friday. Yuck. Not the day to be driving down the shore since I figure that's when everyone else will be going. I'd rather go on a Tuesday, Wed, or Thurs due to traffic issues, but my work schedule and other summer events are going to limit us. Thanks! (I haven't done much research yet, so I'm still open to suggestions if anyone else wants to jump in.) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Amethyst Posted June 9, 2014 Author Share Posted June 9, 2014 I usually lurk but this I can answer! Normandy Beach or Spring Lake are just wonderful! Spring Lake may be better for a day trip as Normandy Beach is a smaller barrier island community. Thanks for answering, Ryan the Girl!!! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
soufflegirl Posted June 9, 2014 Share Posted June 9, 2014 Theoretically you could do Sandy Hook and Keansburg amusement park in the same day (they are only 10 miles or so apart) but if I had to pick one I would definitely go to Sandy Hook. I haven't been there since Superstorm/Hurricane Sandy, though, so I'd double check that whatever you wanted to see was still there before making the trip from northern PA. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
songsparrow Posted June 9, 2014 Share Posted June 9, 2014 We enjoyed Sandy Hook last year. Parking can fill up fast on peak days, but we had no trouble finding parking on a week day. We asked at the entrance which beaches had life guards that day. It was just a beach with lifeguards and a changing/bath room. There were no commercial services, so if you go be sure to pack a cooler. The only flotation devices allowed are boogie boards and canvas surf mats. (There was a spot for a little restaurant / concessions but it looked like it had not yet reopened after Hurricane Sandy; I don't know if it is open this year.) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Amethyst Posted June 9, 2014 Author Share Posted June 9, 2014 I had forgotten about Superstorm Sandy. I wonder if we should go slightly further south... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Amethyst Posted June 10, 2014 Author Share Posted June 10, 2014 I usually lurk but this I can answer! Normandy Beach or Spring Lake are just wonderful! Spring Lake may be better for a day trip as Normandy Beach is a smaller barrier island community. Hey, Ryan, I wonder if you can answer a question (or anyone else). Looking at the map, it looks like Spring Lake is very near the ocean but not actually at the ocean. Is that correct? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
soufflegirl Posted June 10, 2014 Share Posted June 10, 2014 I had forgotten about Superstorm Sandy. I wonder if we should go slightly further south... Further south probably has the same problems, unless you're going all the way down to Cape May or something. If you're going to bring your own food/drinks or don't particularly care what pizza place/deli/ice cream shop you hit along the way, you should be fine. If you find something online that looks awesome, just call them to make sure they still exist. :) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Amethyst Posted June 13, 2014 Author Share Posted June 13, 2014 Ok. I've been doing research. I recognize that websites like Tripadvisor and Yelp are not the beginning and end. But the general consensus on those sites seems to that Keansburg and Sandy Hook are dirty and have lots of drinking. So that leaves Normandy Beach and Spring Lake. The only negative on Spring Lake seems to be the $10 per person beach tag. I'll be taking 7 teenage girls! I could have them pay for themselves but I prefer to pay for things when I do the inviting. And that would make $80 including myself! Plus gas! And that leaves Normandy Beach. For some reason I can't find a single thing on Normandy Beach on TripAdvisor or Yelp. When I do a web search I get lots of articles about cleanup after Sandy and lots of real estate listings. Hmmm. Anybody been to Normandy Beach recently that can give me a review? Thanks!!! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Amethyst Posted June 15, 2014 Author Share Posted June 15, 2014 Ok. Now I'm considering Sea Bright Beach. Anybody heard of it or have any experience with it? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kim in Appalachia Posted June 15, 2014 Share Posted June 15, 2014 I love Sandy Hook. It is such a beautiful place. That would be my pick. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RegularMom Posted June 15, 2014 Share Posted June 15, 2014 We love Point Pleasant, which is pretty close to Spring Lake, I think. It's got a great boardwalk, but I'm not sure what the price of badges is this year. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Alessandra Posted June 16, 2014 Share Posted June 16, 2014 I also love Sandy Hook. It is part of the Gateway National Recreation area. The beach parking lots are A, B, C etc. You will probably want to avoid the nude beach way up at the northern end. Beach C is lovely, with two sides, a calm bay side and an ocean side. The bay side is lovely to walk along, lots of tidal pools. Beach D has the most amenities, including the Ranger station and a small museum. You can get national park passports, patches, and educational materials. Further north there is a lighthouse, well worth a visit. Also a holly forest. Check out the website for the American Littoral Society, which has family programs. The park rangers also have programs. A small camping area is near the ALS towards the north of Sandy Hook. Just before the bridge to SH is an entrance to Hartshorn State Park, with nice walks and frontage on the Navesink River. After your day at SH, think about stopping at Moby's for dinner. Burgers, lobster, etc on paper plates on a big deck overlooking the bay. And there are some good ice cream stands on the way home. We skip the first few and stop at Napoli Brothers, I think it's called, usually a line outside. The beaches are not crowded, because the parking lots are rather small. Get there early on on weekends or go on a weekday. My other favorite beach is Island Beach State Park, in central NJ. Now, if you like noisy crowded beaches with Jersey Shore -- is that the name of the show Snooki is in -- types of people, ignore everything I've written, lol. SH is fine after Sandy. It took almost 6 months to clear up enough so that it reopened in late spring 2013. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Amethyst Posted June 16, 2014 Author Share Posted June 16, 2014 Okay, I think we've decided on Point Pleasant. I was really leaning toward Sandy Hook for a while but it's not open during weekdays until next week and we're going this Friday. So hubby discovered Point Pleasant and that seems to be the best bet right now and the boardwalk might be appealing to the 7 (!) teenage girls I'm taking along. Beach tags are $8.50 each. Now I'm just going to keep my fingers crossed for nice weather! Thank you so much every one of you for weighing in on this. I really appreciate that I can come here for advice and opinions on absolutely EVERYTHING ! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Amethyst Posted June 16, 2014 Author Share Posted June 16, 2014 You will probably want to avoid the nude beach way up at the northern end. :laugh: Yeah. Probably!!! :lol: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Amethyst Posted June 25, 2014 Author Share Posted June 25, 2014 Just thought I'd let you all know that we survived our day trip to Point Pleasant. It was a beautiful day. The parking was RIGHT AT the boardwalk. Beach was clean. Boardwalk was everything you would expect from a boardwalk. I was very pleased with our selection and the 6 girls and I all had a great time. Thanks, everyone, for your input!! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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