A day trip to the shore.... ?
 

OK, this will probably cement my reputation as a complete & total wet blanket. But I don't like the beach... never have.. all that sand.

Besides that I grew up over in the mountains, and so I don't have experience of there being a beach within relatively easy driving distance.

However the kidlets are eager to go. So, give me some hints about a day trip to the Jersey Shore. Where are good places to go? Any shortcuts? How long whould I allow to get there? etc. etc.

I don't know the Jersey Shore too well. The only place I've been is Long Beach Island. I though it was a dump, but then I like to go to wilderness areas on the ocean.

Why do you/they want to go to the beach? For the nature/sun/surf/sand? Or for the human stuff like carnivals/ t-shirt stands/ cotton candy/ ice cream/ or at Atlantic City, the gambling?

OC NJ is very family oriented. It's dry, has a boardwalk with kiddie rides etc. One year we went overnight and that worked well. Arrived in time for check-in, hit the beach then boardwalk for a while. Woke up, checked out, hit the beach again, and then came back to the hotel (which had outdoor shower facilities and a locker room) to clean up before getting in the jeep to come home.

Thanks, jinx, I'll check it out.

Glatt, knowing my kids, they'll find something completely inane that they could get just as easily here, like a McDonald's play gym or something like that, and glom onto it. But me personally, if we're going, I want to actually hang out at the beach, otherwise what's the point?

I second the suggestion for Ocean City ... plenty of nice beach (they've reclaimed a lot of it since I was a kid, hardly recognized it when I was there a couple years ago), good boardwalk, and Gillians Wonderland.

I don't know if you can still see bits of the Sindia. I'm gonna guess no, although you could up through the mid 80s.

Oh, and make sure that you take a side trip to Margate to see Lucy.

Long Beach Island is great as well as Point Pleasant. Lots to do in both places. takin the kiddies to LBI for a week in august

Point Pleasant has my vote, it has a boardwalk if that's your thing.

I remember beach tags being an issue in OC now that I think about it. Not sure how many other places that applies. I think it was a $25 deposit to get them thru the hotel, but day trippers just have to fork out the money themselves. Not sure how much is costs but it's something you might want to check into before going.

what the hell is a beach tag? Aren't beaches public property in the US or did they get sold off too?

Some are public, some are private, and some public property has an entry or parking fee.

I'd be curious to see what the beaches up there are like. Pictures should be posted once you're back, SteveDallas!

http://fox.org/~vince/out/shore.jpg

Steve, you're a Wildwood guy...definitely.

Seriously...Belmar. Beach tags are easy to get and cheap, from what I recall. There's not really any touristy things, but they have a great beach, and there's a playground for the kids.

If you're looking for something more kid-oriented, you might want to go with AC, OC or Sea Isle.

Boy, Kitsune, you are just a funny man today. First, you bag on our ribs (I'd say they're grilled far more than they're boiled or parboiled)...now, you're taking shots at our beaches. Yep...you've got an ass-whipping coming to you. :) I've taken some photos of Cape May, AC and Belmar over the past few years...now if I would just get them developed...

now, you're taking shots at our beaches. Yep...you've got an ass-whipping coming to you.

Actually, I'm really curious to see what the beaches up there are like -- I only know them from pictures of Coney Island and I know that isn't valid. Closet I've been is to the beaches in VA and I remember that they were really wide and walking to the water was more of a run. Hot feet!

The image? Just a bizarre reference. :)

As a whole, most of the beaches I've visited in this part of the country are rather nice. The only one I've been to that is just flat out horrible is Asbury Park, NJ.*

*--Let me qualify myself here...I did not hang out on the beach there, just in the town. And let me tell you, it sucks big time.

i actually took a drive through there last year. the town itself looked as though stuck in a time warp somewhere.

Lady Syc and I drove through there earlier in the year, and I agree with you. It's like nothing has been fixed up there since the 1950s.

Beaches here in central FL tend to be really short due to beach erosion and the walk through the grass is covered in sand spurs. The sand at most beaches has a lot of iron in it -- drag a magnet across it and you can collect stuff that looks similar to the iron filings in kids toys. You can still find some white sand quartz beaches around and the sand "barks" when you kick it hard enough. Shuffling your feet through it on a really dark, moonless night will also create sparkles based on the piezo effect.

The bad beaches? Lots of those, too. I have no idea why, but there are still public beaches along the Northern part of Tampa Bay and people still pull off the causeway to let their kids splash around and build sandastles out of the somewhat slimy, dark-grey sand. I think if people knew what the first three feet of the bottom of the bay was made up of, they wouldn't be walking around or swimming in that water. :dead:

Other fun aspect of beaches down here: red tide. All the fertilizer and warm summer waters makes a bad mix at least three times a year and when it hits and the wind blows inland, the toxic smell will burn your lungs. Spicy!

From what I can recall, there were issues with medical waste washing up on Jersey beaches in the 80s. People that have been in the area longer than me probably know more or know better.

I think that they cracked down on NYC just sailing the barges out to sea and dumping the waste ...

I alway thought Wildwood was too trashy/low rent/nasty.

Ocean City is the nice family beach.

(there is a long tradition of ranking people from Philadelphia based on where they go to the shore. I come from a long line of Ocean City People).

Margate and Sea Isle are also quite lovely, but Shriver's Salt Water Taffy and Fudge is in Ocean City.

Oh, and there isn't any Salt Water in Salt Water Taffy. Make sure you get some.