East Coast Help! (NJ/DE/MD)

[Ivaness]

My son had surgery last Friday and once he's all healed up, he told us he wants to go to the ocean/beach.  We live by Harrisburg, PA so there aren't actual beaches near us.  This will be the first time I've ever done a day trip - anywhere on my own with my son and his dad. I'm kind of overwhelmed with information here. Haha.  We aren't going until mid-July (he should get the okay beginning of July.)  To those who live by east coast beaches, what would you recommend?

All beaches are about 3 hours away from us, so I'm going to be mapquesting and seeing what is closest.  We hear a lot of good things about Rehoboth and Ocean City NJ. I know Wildwood is a free beach, don't have to pay for parking there.  We would also be interested in walking the boardwalk.

Any and all help would be super appreciated!  Please help me out here! 

[ringwraith10]

Hmm, I've only been to some of the beaches in NJ, but they were really, really disappointing. I think that the Ocean City boardwalk was one of the places I visited that I was really disappointed in. Of course, I'm used to all of the beaches in FL, so maybe it was just me. I feel like at the time that I went they were having funding problems or something, though (and this was several years ago).

Also, I lived in MD for a while and I don't think there are any beaches there? But that doesn't seem right. I seriously don't remember ever going to the beach in MD. I do remember that I loved the Inner Harbor, though! Not a beach, but a fun place to visit. It does smell like fish, though. I guess that's because it's technically a fishing port.

Edit: BTW, when I went to the NJ beach I was actually visiting someone who lives pretty close to you: in Quakertown, PA.

[Ivaness]

Hmm, I've only been to some of the beaches in NJ, but they were really, really disappointing. I think that the Ocean City boardwalk was one of the places I visited that I was really disappointed in. Of course, I'm used to all of the beaches in FL, so maybe it was just me. I feel like at the time that I went they were having funding problems or something, though (and this was several years ago).

Also, I lived in MD for a while and I don't think there are any beaches there? But that doesn't seem right. I seriously don't remember ever going to the beach in MD. I do remember that I loved the Inner Harbor, though! Not a beach, but a fun place to visit. It does smell like fish, though. I guess that's because it's technically a fishing port.

Edit: BTW, when I went to the NJ beach I was actually visiting someone who lives pretty close to you: in Quakertown, PA.

nice! I sort of know where that is!  And MD has an Ocean City too! But, I think MD is a little further away than NJ. I've been to Wildwood 2-3 times, we had a blast there. I just don't know if my son's dad wants to drive 3 hours there. Any place we go is going to be about a 3 hour drive.  This is just overwhelming, haha.

I'm banging my head against the desk here.

[flyawayraven]

There is indeed an Ocean City, Maryland. I grew up near Baltimore so my family would go there constantly. From where you are it would be around a four hour drive so I'm not sure if that's a deal breaker for you or not.

If you think you can all sit through the car, I do recommend it! It is for the most part a typical East Coast beach town so it doesn't inherently look like much but there is tons of stuff to do. There's a small nice amusement park on the boardwalk, tons of arcades and food too! You can also take a twenty minute drive over to Assateague Island for the beaches there and a chance to see the semi-feral ponies!

Rehoboth is quite nice too! I don't know if they have an amusement park but there's still plenty of stuff to do on the boardwalk. And if you feel like swinging south of the beach a little bit you can hit up the outlet mall for some tax free shopping.

I do want to caution you on a couple things for wherever you ultimately choose. The time you're planning to go is busy season so be prepared for LOTS of people everywhere you go. Parking is going to be super tight and most businesses tend to jack up their prices. The beaches will be kind of crowded but usually there's still enough space for people to spread out and not be intruded on by their neighbors.

And I would definitely warn your kiddo that that water is going to be chilly! Even on a hot day the Atlantic doesn't get very warm. It tends to be in the 70's or 80's and the surf can be pretty rough.

[melodys_angel]

I cant help you out, but im sure youll find the perfect one for your son

[kaoskat]

I hope you find a good place! I'll give this a bump!

[Ivaness]

Thanks, guys! I keep hearing that Wildwood is fairly dirty, though I don't remember that the last time I went, which was like... 5-6 years ago.

Rehoboth is the furthest away, I believe.

[Sukey]

We go to Ocean City, MD every few years. We like it, but I've never been to another beach to compare it with. We take a bus trip- you don't have to worry about driving or booking a hotel or any of that. I think the hotel price is discounted when we go on the bus trip. It takes us about 5 or so hours to get there.

[kellyponyfeathers]

I lived in New Jersey for about 5 years and found some nice beach areas.  My favorite was Spring Lake, which isn't too crowded, and also had a quaint little downtown shopping area (lots of places to get candies and ice cream) and a lovely inland lake (not far from the shore) with ducks and swans.  Point Pleasant (a few miles to the south) had a nice family-friendly boardwalk area with carnival games and foods.  If you want to take a break from the carnival atmosphere and do something educational, there's a smallish but really awesome and well-maintained aquarium (Jenkinson's Aquarium) on the boardwalk too.  My advice would be to make the trip worthwhile and turn it into a weekend getaway; there's lots to see and do.

Spring Lake shore:
http://www.city-data.com/picfilesv/picv19302.php

Spring Lake downtown:
http://www.newjerseyspringlake.com/slideshow/slides/Spring%20Lake%20NJ%20-%20Spring%20Lake%20Pizzeria-orig.shtml

Spring Lake with swan:
http://www.ronsaari.com/stockImages/newJersey/SpringLakePondFootbridgeAndSwan.php

Point Pleasant - Jenkinson's Boardwalk
http://jenkinsons.com/
http://www.nj.com/shore/blogs/slphotos/index.ssf/2007/06/jenkinsons_at_point_pleasant_b.html

Point Pleasant - Jenkinson's Aquarium
http://jenkinsons.com/aquarium/
https://www.fema.gov/media-library/assets/images/69146

Hmm, come to think of it, I moved away about a year before Superstorm Sandy hit, so I'm not sure how much the area was/still is affected.  You might want to research a bit.  But I really liked it.

[Ivaness]

I lived in New Jersey for about 5 years and found some nice beach areas.  My favorite was Spring Lake, which isn't too crowded, and also had a quaint little downtown shopping area (lots of places to get candies and ice cream) and a lovely inland lake (not far from the shore) with ducks and swans.  Point Pleasant (a few miles to the south) had a nice family-friendly boardwalk area with carnival games and foods.  If you want to take a break from the carnival atmosphere and do something educational, there's a smallish but really awesome and well-maintained aquarium (Jenkinson's Aquarium) on the boardwalk too.  My advice would be to make the trip worthwhile and turn it into a weekend getaway; there's lots to see and do.

Spring Lake shore:
http://www.city-data.com/picfilesv/picv19302.php

Spring Lake downtown:
http://www.newjerseyspringlake.com/slideshow/slides/Spring%20Lake%20NJ%20-%20Spring%20Lake%20Pizzeria-orig.shtml

Spring Lake with swan:
http://www.ronsaari.com/stockImages/newJersey/SpringLakePondFootbridgeAndSwan.php

Point Pleasant - Jenkinson's Boardwalk
http://jenkinsons.com/
http://www.nj.com/shore/blogs/slphotos/index.ssf/2007/06/jenkinsons_at_point_pleasant_b.html

Point Pleasant - Jenkinson's Aquarium
http://jenkinsons.com/aquarium/
https://www.fema.gov/media-library/assets/images/69146

Hmm, come to think of it, I moved away about a year before Superstorm Sandy hit, so I'm not sure how much the area was/still is affected.  You might want to research a bit.  But I really liked it.

Thanks for all the links! A weekend trip would be awesome, but his dad is a supervisor for a security guard firm and a day trip is really all he'd be able to do.  Unfortunately, we may get called away early if he has to go in.

Post Merge: June 18, 2015, 05:36:13 AM

Point Pleasant looks REALLY nice! And it's only 2 hours and 30 minutes away!

[kellyponyfeathers]

It IS nice!  Go!  Have fun!    Take a quick tour of the aquarium; it's awesome!

OK, I couldn't remember/find this before, but here's another suggestion:  There's another little town just north of Point Pleasant called Sea Girt.  It's actually between Point Pleasant and Spring lake.  There's a FABULOUS restaurant to go to for dinner; nice but not too expensive; great atmosphere, and you can eat on the porch.  It's called the Parker House.  Here's the website:

http://parkerhousenj.com/
Another pic:  https://www.flickr.com/photos/34937556@N05/7385853600

The Parker House is a block or two inland from the shore.  And just down the street, on the shore, is a cute little lighthouse, Sea Girt Lighthouse.  I don't know if it's open for tours; I don't think I ever actually got to take one.  But if you go to the Parker House Restaurant, it's definitely worth at least a quick walk down the street to have a quick look before you go home.

Sea Girt Lighthouse:  http://www.njlhs.org/njlight/seagirt.html

Enjoy! 

[Roccoriel]

I go to Ocean City, MD every year. It is a fun, family-oriented, traditional beach with boardwalk rides and mini golf and such. Driving distance from Ocean City is Assateague Island, which has wild ponies (Misty of Chincoteague was from the Virginia side of the island, but the Maryland side is lovely and closer). We also enjoy Rehoboth and nearby Lewes (on Delaware Bay) and Cape Henlopen state park, which is just gorgeous. Lewes has a lot of history, and Cape Henlopen is a lovely natural area with World War II bunkers and look-out towers, if that's your thing. Delaware has a few other beach related state parks down that way, too.

[Ivaness]

OC, MD is 3.5 hours from me, so that will probably be too long of a drive for Dad. I think, right now, Point Pleasant is looking pretty darn good.  The kiddo would love to go to an aquarium, he's never been!

Kelly, what can you remember about the parking in Point Pleasant?

[kellyponyfeathers]

Ummm, I remember parking on a residential street a few blocks away and walking, ha ha! I don't think there was a fee for beach access either, from any of the points I mentioned, though that could have changed by now (lived in NJ about 8 yrs ago). Point Pleasant probably collects enough taxes from Jenkinson's Boardwalk that they don't need to charge for beach access, and they probably want to encourage as many people to come as possible. So I doubt that fees have changed, but check.

[Ivaness]

Ummm, I remember parking on a residential street a few blocks away and walking, ha ha! I don't think there was a fee for beach acces either, from any of the points I mentioned, though that could have changed by now (lived in NJ about 8 yrs ago). Point Pleasant probably collects enough taxes from Jenkinson's Boardwalk that they don't need to charge for beach access, and they probably want to encourage as many people to come as possible. So I doubt that fees have changed, but check.

On the PP website, it says there is a fee for beach access.  I just hope its a one time fee. I'd hate to have to pay like 30 bucks every time we leave the beach to get back on it.