THE GOOD ----------------…read more+ Spacious, beautiful beach with verrrrry, verrrrrry clean sand. + Lifeguards are on duty during beach hours and they are extremely watchful of the beach as we observed them, multiple times, giving warnings to swimmers. + There is a food stand, Shore Break Grill, DIRECTLY on the beach by the pier on Embury Ave!! They sell food (burgers fries, sandwiches, hot dogs, chicken fingers), cold drinks (flavored lemonades, iced teas), smoothies, pina coladas, acai bowls, ice cream and ice! + Town area on Main Ave is small, but charming and has plenty of restaurants, including the famed (and newly reopened) Nagle's Apothecary Cafe. + A lot of free street parking spaces along the streets and angled, BUT get here early (around 10:30 AM) on the weekend during beach season! If you don't arrive early, you'll definitely be circling for awhile. THE NOT SO GOOD ----------------------------- - Nada. MIXED THOUGHTS ---------------------------- = Nada. RANDOM OBSERVATIONS -------------------------------------- = As of July 2026, daily wrist bands cost $13 per adult with children 11 and younger being free.

The Jersey Shore has around 141 miles of shoreline and more than 40 beach towns, each with its own…read moreunique vibe. If you're looking for a quieter, peaceful, family-friendly beach day, Ocean Grove is calling your name. First, I have to make a DISCLAIMER... This one-mile town is known as "God's Square Mile" because it was founded by Methodist ministers as a seaside Christian sanctuary. You'll definitely see that history reflected throughout the town, from streets with biblical names to worship services held on the boardwalk. Ocean Grove is overseen by a religious organization and follows some Christian blue laws, including no alcohol sales. With that being said, please do NOT let the town's religious roots scare you away! I'm not religious, but I felt completely welcomed. Not once did I feel like their beliefs were being pushed onto me. Moving on... as a seasoned beach gal, here's everything you need to know to make the most of your beach day: PARKING: FREE... you read that right! There are angled spots right in front of the beach, plus street parking in the residential areas. Come extra early on weekends if you want to snag a spot. I got super lucky and found one around 11AM on a Sunday. ADMISSION: Daily beach passes are $13 and can be purchased online or in person at the beach office. It's FREE for children 11 and under & anyone who arrives after 5:30pm. I really wish they offered free or discounted admission for U.S. veterans, active-duty military, and seniors. BEACH & AMENITIES: The beach is clean, the sand is soft, and the water has gotten noticeably clearer and bluer over the years. It's also less crowded than some nearby beaches, so there's plenty of space. Amenities include: -Umbrella & chair rentals -Public bathrooms (pretty clean) -Outdoor rinse stations -A designated surfing area No showers or changing rooms. BOARDWALK: The 0.5 mile boardwalk is wide and lined with benches, street lamps, and potted flowers. Don't expect a bustling boardwalk scene--it's definitely more laidback. There's a pavilion where Christian services are open to the public, including gospel music and prayers. The beach office also sells merchandise like hats and sweatshirts. I had a wonderful stroll in the sun and really enjoyed the atmosphere. HISTORICAL SIGHTS: -Ocean Grove has the largest concentration of VICTORIAN HOMES in the COUNTRY and is listed on the National Register of Historic Places. It's so picturesque. I was in love with the pastel colors! -You can't miss THE GREAT AUDITORIUM, a massive 1894 landmark that hosts religious services, choir concerts, and community events. -Then there's TENT CITY, a historic colony of 114 canvas tents used for summer Christian retreats. Want to stay in one? You have to apply, pass an interview, and then get on a legendary waitlist that's apparently 10-15 years long! Rentals cost $4,000-$8,000. Who knows, maybe you'll want to add that to your bucket list haha... FOOD/NIGHTLIFE: -The nightlife is virtually nonexistent. No bars, clubs, lounges, or liquor sales--it's a dry town. I respect it. If you want a bar scene, Asbury Park is a short drive away. -There's a small food stand on the beach called Shore Break (see my separate review!) that servces ice cream, lemonades, smoothies, and standard beach grub like fries and hot dogs. -The downtown main street is a short walk away, with a handful of restaurants, cafes, and bakeries if you want to grab a bite. Some notable spots are Nagle's, SeaGrass, OG Bake Shoppe, and Tino's Pizza. I spent six hours here and had such a peaceful beach day. If you want a change of scenery from some of the livelier (and rowdier) Jersey Shore towns, Ocean Grove is a great place to unwind. I actually think its religious history adds to the charm and makes this little town stand out.

Do you enjoy paying out of the nose for EVERYTHING? Do you enjoy walking 12 blocks to the beach,…read morebecause EVERY SINGLE parking space is taken; and I mean EVERY. SINGLE. ONE? Do you like being shoulder to shoulder on a gravelly beach, as quads tear down the beach in front of and behind you? If so, boy do I have a beach for you! I knew something was wrong when we were crossing the bridge INTO POINT PLEASANT, and I saw people walking with their beach stuff. I literally said to my wife, "thats a terrible sign. If people are walking from HERE, it must be PAAAAAAAAAAAACKED." Understatement of the year. Mind you, this was a SUNDAY AFTERNOON, when most people are usually heading BACK from the shore. There was ABSOLUTELY NOT A SINGLE SPOT to be had in the entirety of Point Pleasant. We parked on like St. Louis and Philadelphia, at the ABSOLUTE END of a dead end street, which is about 5 or 6 CITY blocks from the beach. (A PRIVATE beach, by the way, so we also had to walk about 3-4 blocks up to get to the peasant section where the Poors could participate.) In fact, after parking, and realizing how far of a walk it was, I drove my wife and daughter to the beach and dropped them off with all the supplies so they wouldn't have to endure the military grade road march, and drove back to where our spot was. It was taken by the time I got back. MAYBE 3 minutes total. I'm not exaggerating about the parking issue. Spots would get taken AS people were pulling out of them. I found my spot by basically stalking a family walking to their car and hopping in their spot the millisecond they left. They weren't even done the K turn in the street before I was in their abandoned spot. It's a nightmare. Once you hit the parking lottery and do find a spot, head up to the kiosk to stand in line to pay for the privilege of setting foot on PPs gravel beach. The sand here is 30 grit sand paper. It's so coarse that it doesn't even feel like SAND. The price for all this is $15 per adult. (Saving grace; kids under 12 are free, and veterans are free....a rare W for Point Pleasant.) Once onto gravel beach, good luck finding a spot, as the beach is as packed as the parking spots. Also, after setting up, keep an eye out for the life guards zooming back and forth on their 4 wheelers. There is no dedicated path, lane or area; they just zoom in and out of the beach goers. Also, for the love of god, I hope you don't get hungry, or even worse, have to use the bathroom. Your options are $47 pizza (that is not an exaggeration), and a mobile port-a-potty set up in a parking lot, with a line extending back to the boardwalk. I almost forgot to mention the waves. I'm not sure if this is a Point Pleasant problem, or if it was just a rough day, but the waves here are legit scary. I wouldn't let my 7 year old in the water past her ankles, and that was with me right by her side. Grown men were being knocked down and dragged back into the surf with every passing wave. Again, not sure if that's normal, but I saw another reviewer mentioning it, so I decided to throw my 2 cents in. If it IS a normal thing here, you are INSANE or have the parenting acumen of Casey Anthony, if you let your children go into this beaches ocean. UGH. I really, REALLY didn't feel going here was anywhere NEAR worth the time and cost it took to come here. I will not be back of my own volition. Positives are that it was very clean, the aforementioned discounts for vets and kids, and that it has that Jersey Shore, summer time beach vibe, if that is your thing. But, you better LOVE people if you're coming here. Me....I'm good.

THE GOOD ----------------…read more+ Very clean beach + LOTS of beach to set up on + Boardwalk has plenttttty of restaurants, ice cream vendors, entertainment, amusement park rides, arcades and carnival-style games to play + A LOT of FREE street parking spots within the surrounding area of the beach (BUT see below) THE NOT SO GOOD ---------------------------- - $15 per daily beach badge on weekends for ages 12 and over! (as of July 2025) Unfortunately, it's the going rate to set foot on the sand - Street parking spots get occupied verrrrrry early. Get here before 10:30 AM on the weekends or you'll be circling for awhile or have to pay $35 to park in a lot

The Deal Casino is an amazing beach club. The beach is well maintained, as is the pool. The lockers…read moreand cabanas are well maintained. The club serves all ages from the kids to the card players and seniors.

I love the huge pool and I can swim hours in this gorgeous one of a kind pool. The best in the…read moreuniverse. This is home. The place is huge, gorgeous and grwat

We love coming to belmar beach it's not overly crowded, it's clean, the boardwalk is clean and…read moreenjoyable. It would be nice if they had changing stations because then you have sand all the way home and I'm about 1hr and 30 mins You cannot use the bathrooms for changing and if you take long in the stall some woman start talking loudly about oh she's probably changing. But because I won't succumb to Karens I just keep walking. But I do enjoy belmar over all. I definitely recommend you visit. I've got a idea for changing tent which I'll post the picture once I make it lol. Enjoy the summer at the Jersey shore!!

I love Belmar Beach!! It's only an 1 hour 15 minute ride from my house. It is very clean and the…read morewater (dare I say) almost looked blue (ish). It's early in the season so the water was way too cold for me to enjoy. It was $12 to enter. Parking was atrocious, but it wasn't too long of a walk to get to the beach. Nice boardwalk, however it would be better with a store or game or two a long the way. Will absolutely be back.

Took our puppy to the beach for his first time at Fisherman's Cove and he loved it. It was like…read moregoing to doggy beach heaven. Fisherman's Cove is one of the few dog friendly beaches in New Jersey. Dogs are permitted to be off-leashed before 10AM and after 4PM. All the dogs had a great time playing with each other. The beach was clean and there are two portapotties on site, which were also very clean. There aren't too many restaurants nearby like in Point Pleasant or Asbury Park, so you might want to eat beforehand or bring food with you to the beach.

First time for my family to hit this nook of the Jersey Shore and we dug it.  The beach/ocean is…read morejust a stone's throw away (there was a junior surfboarding competition we got to catch a bit of), the inlet had a slew of people fishing (nothing biting though) and the 'cove' with a small (unprotected) sand/beach-area (dog-friendly!) and some trails and whatnot (not dog-friendly!). Overlooking that almost no one was wearing a mask (in any of the surrounding areas that we ventured to and from) the cove itself was absolutely stunning and peaceful during the sunset.  For a few moments you could zen out and not have to worry about all the rotten things happening throughout the world. "Every sunset brings the promise of a new dawn." - Emerson

Great beach! Spend the day here with friends and family. Lifeguards on duty and it is $10.00 per…read moreperson. Beach is super clean, sand is soft waves are cool. I highly recommend!

This is a great family beach!!! Far enough away from the boardwalk that it's not overrun with…read morepedestrian traffic. The season pass prices are very reasonable. Everyone is very friendly, and the beach is also kept very clean. I love being able to see my toes in the water while standing in front the ocean. :) The beach is one of my favorite places.

PROS: This town is very nice. The beach is for residents only and is gated with a lock that only…read morethe homeowners have a key to. Nice homes, good restaurants CONS: Major flooding area. The homes here are in great danger of a major flood since there so close to the water OVERALL: Great to visit the place but I wouldn't move here due to the risk

MANTOLOKING: it's local summer and soon most beaches and boardwalks will allow dogs again!!…read more Look at this gorgeous view of the ocean from the top of a dune! Mantoloking beaches allow leashed dogs in-season from Sunrise-8am and 6pm-Sunset. In the off-season (10/1-5/14), leashed dogs are allowed anytime!

There are no bathrooms and no boardwalk at Midway Beach....and that's one reason we love it - it…read morekeeps some of the large day-trip crowds down. Friends of ours have a house a 1/2 block from the beach so it works out really well for us. The beach itself is clean, the lifeguards are always friendly. Social distancing during the pandemic was easy on the beach, however in the water (swimming only between the flags) was much harder.