Came here because I wanted to eat my breakfast! Such a beautiful relaxing park!…read more It has two playgrounds which look very new and in Greta condition! It has benches , picnic tables and a nice little path around the park. It also has a basketball court with 4 basketball hoops! Along with a nice lake with plenty of space to play in the sand ! Definitely a nice hidden park !

Lake Riviera Park and the lake are well taken care of, but my complaint is by the shoreline on the…read moreadjacent lake behind the retention pond. It is littered with beer cans, empty cases, litter and broken glass. I am an avid fisherman and an environmentalist and conservationist, and I have picked up over ten Home Depot buckets worth of garbage. Would be fantastic if attention would be given to this matter by the Parks and Recreation Department. Thank you

JACKSON: Brie and her family have been enjoying visiting more parks lately and we love walking…read morearound the beauty of NJ! A cute spot we came across is located in the Lake Enno residential neighborhood and features Bennetts Pond. It is a very pretty spot to sit at a picnic table and relax with your dog. It's also open to fishing and boating. There's a very small area to view the pond and we could not find any trails and there are no bathrooms.

LAKEWOOD: a beautiful park, Lake Shenandoh County Park is part of the Ocean County Parks &…read moreRecreation system. There is a dog friendly walking path/bike trail that goes around the lake with some truly stunning lookout points. Some parts of the trail have vehicles, so be careful. Zoey the maltichon was a good sport to join us for a walk on a very steamy day, and we ended up taking a short route to see a man-made waterfall and some wooded areas. If you walk around the whole lake, there is a section where you have to walk on the road (Clover St.) since the trail seems to end, but picks up again a short ways down. FYI, as of 6/10/20, "Due to construction the main bathrooms at Lake Shenandoah County Park in Lakewood will be closed for the remainder of 2020. Bathrooms are available at the Soccer Complex in the park. "Go Before You Go...""

LAKEWOOD: is such an interesting town. It is congested like NYC, but you still get the feel of…read moresuburbia. We have been very curious about Lake Carasaljo and decided to take a ride and see what we could find at this park. We parked in one of the lots off of South Lake Drive and found an opening into the woods. There is a very narrow, but easy dirt path that winds through the woods, with the bustle of Lakewood not too far away. It was very pretty and peaceful. We didn't go too far and turned around to head back to walk around the path near the road.

I wish there were longer trails to walk along the water and the lake, but it's nice for a short…read morewalk to get out with the dogs

Love, Love Love this pretty little lake. The park is located on the edge of Lake Horicon in…read moreLakehurst. A primo spot for a picnic, laying out, or watching the sunset. There are benches for two around the lake area to have a conversation, fish, or share some ice cream. The views of the lake and the ducks & geese provide wonderful scenery. The sand and cool water make for a refreshing respite. A previous review has outlined all the things you can do here so I won't repeat them. Except for on holidays, when it is quite busy, it is a tranquil place if you want some relaxation from a busy world

My family and I had a wonderful weekend camping at Turkey Swamp. This park offers well maintained…read morehiking trails, an archery area, playgrounds, and affordable boat rentals. The campground is quiet and also well maintained. The bathrooms are spacious and clean. There is no camp store, but they do sell firewood and ice at the office. There is a Walmart in town about 10 minutes away if you need any supplies. This may become one of our regular getaways.

REVIEW IS FOR CABIN CAMPING…read more Whenever we need a little glamping getaway, we rent a cabin here. It's an easy drive, the staff are all very helpful, and the cabins are well maintained. Our cabin came with two rooms. The front room came with a full? maybe queen sized bed with a mattress. The back room had two bunk beds to accommodate a total of four people. Plenty of electrical sockets if you want to add an extra heater or fan. The front room has an AC unit. No bathroom, no kitchen. You get a nice sized spot facing mostly forest with a fire pit and a picnic table, which is great for cooking and eating. They also provide an outdoor spigot for non-potable water and a garbage bin. Easy walk to the very clean bathrooms where you can grab a hot shower if you want. Definitely book ahead.

The beach at Spring Lake is easy to access (depending on parking) from the boardwalk to the ocean…read more It makes Spring Lake less of a hassle in the sand. Beach tags are required and are $12 for a daily pass. While there is a boardwalk, it is limited to bathrooms, snack stand and not much else. One note is that I did notice some trash in the sand on the last time I went.

Spring Lake Beach is one of the Jersey Shore's true gems. The beach is clean, peaceful, and…read morebeautifully maintained, making it perfect for a relaxing day by the ocean. The boardwalk is charming--more tranquil than some of the more commercialized shore towns--and ideal for a scenic stroll or a quiet moment by the water. There are plenty of great spots nearby to grab a bite or a drink, whether you're in the mood for a casual sandwich, seafood with a view, or a refreshing coffee or cocktail. It's a perfect destination for couples, families, or solo visitors looking for a laid-back beach day with easy access to good food and beautiful surroundings.

Must be nice in the summer the beach area was closed off with park fencing. I didn't realize their…read morewas a golf course and a driving range in the park Their are walking trail tennis courts and the NJ police training facility

LAKEWOOD: is home to Ocean County Park Dog Park which is part of Ocean County Parks & Recreation!…read moreThe dog park is a fully fenced-in, off-leash area with 2 options: 1 for small dogs and 1 for all dogs. There are water bowls provided and sometimes staffed with an attendant. All dogs are welcome, but they need to register to use the park. There are details in the link below. Once you enter the main entrance of Ocean County Park, follow the gorgeous tree-lined road all the way down until you see a sign that says dog park on the left. Brie loved taking laps through a small path within the dog park. There is plenty of room to run around and trees to provide some shade. Picnic tables too, but food is not permitted. 659 Ocean Avenue, Lakewood, NJ 08701

2-Star Review for Point Pleasant Beach…read more Point Pleasant Beach used to be our go-to summer spot about 4-5 years ago, but sadly, it's gone downhill--big time. What was once a relaxing beach day has turned into an over-policed, overpriced headache. There are more cops patrolling than actual lifeguards, and getting onto the beach feels like you're going through airport security. Not exactly the vibe you want on a chill summer day. Also it's so annoying that they turn off the showers after 7 pm .. Ridiculous!! The water was murky and dirty--definitely didn't feel like going in. Food is ridiculously overpriced, and finding parking is a battle in itself. Honestly, the place has lost its charm. It ain't Point Pleasant anymore... more like Point Unpleasant. Gave it 2 stars only out of nostalgia--otherwise, it would've been a 1.

I would rate this beach 3.5 stars! It was a nice and peaceful beach but with a price tag. We had to…read morepay $3.50 an hour for parking and then we had to pay $15 pp to get on the beach which I felt is so steep. I live on Long Island and most beaches you just pay for per car for the admission. The water was peaceful and the beach was pretty quiet. The boardwalk was nice and had a lot of food options. They also had an amusement park which was nice. Our daughter enjoyed it. The bathrooms were clean and not a lot of garbage on the beach. I would return but expect to spend a lot of money for a beach day.

I've been coming here my entire life, as did my parents and grandparents. (I have a picture of my…read moregrandfather with my father as a young boy, standing on the beach with a bamboo fishing pole and metal bucket. The back of the photo reads "Lavallette 1929") I love it here and aside from the nostalgia, it is a treasure of the Jersey Shore. The beautiful oceanfront boardwalk is absolutely spectacular any time of year and is a valuable amenity to the entire area, as well the entire State. The whitest, most powdery sand in New Jersey. And certainly one the the best maintained beaches anywhere. As a kid, going "down the shore" always meant Lavallette to me. Remarkably nothing much has changed: there are larger houses and perhaps more people, but the character and vibe remains unchanged. Happy families, laughing and running children, coming of age teens. First kisses, summer loves. Growing up. Surfboards, beach bikes, crabbing. It's that kind of place. But note: if you're looking for the Seaside Heights crowd here, keep driving. Lavallette is all-American clean-cut family fun.

One of my noblest chums rented a beach house about two blocks from the Lavallette Beach. Last year,…read morewe stayed a little further south and went to the Ortley Brach, but this one was definitely more warmly received by the crew. We ended up coming to the beach twice as a group, ranging from a solid half day to maybe an hour or two, and then I took a solitary walk in the early morning at sunrise once - definitely got a lot of time in here, which I feel is the number one objective of a shore excursion, regardless of whether you go into the water or not. This is definitely more of a local beach in the sense that it's not teeming with tons of people, and if you want a drink or a snack, you need to bring it with you. While there were lifeguards stationed nearby during our visits, whistling from time to time at wayward swimmers floating outside of the designated flag areas, there really aren't a lot of rules. Beach badges are required but I don't recall the kids at the entrance to the beach ever looking for them. The cleanest beach I've ever been to is Spring Lake, I'd guess 35 to 40 minutes north of here. Absolutely pristine, but it's also very restrictive with TONS of rules about what you can and mostly can't bring onto the beach. I definitely saw a few random pieces of garbage but nothing crazy and honestly it's possible that most of it was just swept in from the sea overnight. When I took my morning stroll I saw some employees cleaning the beach with an intimidating looking machine, so they're on top of it. As an aside, all of us noticed some super aggressive seagulls on the premises that absolutely knew how to recognize which bags had food in them. One particular seagull (which I captured in the accompanying photo so you can easily identify him in the future) physically dragged a bag several feet to intentionally tip over and scrounge around in. It was a very sophisticated operation. Keep your eyes on your shizzle. One area where I do think Ortley beats out Lavallette is access to additional snacks and whatnot. I love to embrace the power of advertising when I'm on the beach, so it's not unusual for me to make an impulse decision on a food or drink item based on one of the famous banners flying by along the coastline. One of those banners boasted an intriguing-looking spiked iced tea, but I never ended up sampling it because we were nowhere near a convenience store. Ortley had several within a block or two of the beach where you could quickly run over, grab a few items and return to your towel within five or 10 minutes. My recommendation would be to stock up and take a few extra minutes before going to the beach to make sure you have adequate provisions for your visit. In terms of the fellow beachgoers, it was a pretty laidback crew. I'd by and large agree with other characterizations that this is pretty family friendly. We saw a lot of content children frolicking around in the sand and on the water. There was one bad apple, a high maintenance teenager screaming and belittling her mother for a solid chunk of the afternoon with no obvious consequences, but I think we can just blame the parenting there and not the Lavallette Beach. Unless you're literally on a deserted island, expect a whole spectrum of people - makes it more interesting anyway. Definitely a chill, welcome vibe. But if you're looking for more action, I'd direct your attention a few miles south to the insanity that Seaside offers.