THE GOOD ----------------…read more+ Very clean beach (like most of the pristine, top Jersey Shore beaches) with no trash anywhere. Lots of shells though for you collectors out there. + Water was surprisingly somewhat clear! A real rarity for U.S. beaches. Was actually able to see through the water at times while standing on the edge of the beach. + Not extremely crowded like the mainland Jersey Shore beaches. + Beach entrance on every street perpendicular to the beach. + Plenty of parking on streets surrounding the beach - Bay Ave and streets with beach entrances have angled parking spaces. + LOTS .. and I mean LOTS of restaurants and stores line Bay Ave, which is only 2 blocks west of the beach. THE NOT SO GOOD ---------------------------- - Too many biting flies hovering around due to the recent westerly winds ... AND biting people! Although not an issue in prior years, it apparently was an issue for the latter part of the 2026 summer season. MIXED THOUGHTS --------------------------- = Nada. RANDOM OBSERVATIONS -------------------------------------- = Visited on Labor Day weekend and, surprisingly, the area wasn't overly crowded - probably due to the size of the island (and possibly the flies). Definitely seen a lot more crowded beaches and towns on the Jersey Shore. Beach Haven is definitely the "happening" town of the island, but the island is huge (45 min drive one way). = Beach badges can be purchased online ($10 as of summer 2026) or at the Beach Badge office on Centre St

Living in Philly we always just head to South Jersey beaches. They're just right there, under an…read morehour away from the city. I've always wanted to head north to visit some of the beach towns I've heard so much about and revisit the ones that I haven't been to since I was a teen so we decided to give it a go before summer's end. I'm so glad we made the journey north! It's drastically different than the majority of South Jersey beaches, but it did remind me of our favorite this way, Strathmere. It's very quiet, peaceful and serene. It's a little farther away from center city, about 30 minutes longer, but well worth the drive! The beach itself was very clean and and has an extremely short walk to the water! The beach is free and parking is as well! It was also very easy to find street parking just a few feet from the entrance to the sand! There was no congestion or crowds, at all! You would never have thought it was just before a holiday weekend! The bay is stunning and provides for excellent sunset viewing! The town is sweet and doesn't have any typical shore stores which is sometimes nice! Many seafood restaurants as you imagine and those cute little icecream spots as well as bike rentals. We personally loved the vegan restaurant "Living On The Veg" and I did see a few yoga studios which looked awesome as well. Even some SUP yoga too! I can't wait to visit again next summer! Nice change of pace from the usual South Jersey spots most Philadelphians go to. We were big fans!

BEACH HAVEN/LBI: at the end of Taylor Avenue and very close to Bay Village and Thundering Surf…read moreWater Park is a cute little dog beach behind the pastel colored buildings. It is just enough to have fun and get your dog to romp around and enjoy the calm waters of the bay. Dogs can be off-leash and be sure to pickup after them. There is conflicting information about whether dogs are allowed here all-year-round or just between 9/16-5/14. We can only say that we saw a lot of happy dogs there at the end of July and there were no posted signs about the rules.

Cute little dog beach! Perfect for pups who love water! Everyone is also very nice and respectful!read more

There's something very special about this place. I hope it doesn't get crowded like other shore…read moretowns

- Very nice beach where you don't have to walk a mile through the sand just to get to the water;…read morethere's also plenty of nearby street parking throughout town, and most of it is free - Beach Haven wasn't super crowded on the Saturday before Labor Day 2026, so it was pretty pleasant in terms of crowd levels - $10 admission for adults; kids under 12 are free; can purchase beach badges online or at the office on Centre street - SUPER PRO TIP (and something we REALLY wish we knew before trekking out to LBI): check the forecast for wind direction before you go! During our visit, the winds were blowing west, which brought over tons of greenhead biting flies from the nearby marshes. It completely ruined our experience because it literally felt like we were being eaten alive. We heard from other beachgoers that the flies had been particularly bad for a few weeks already. Apparently, this isn't a common occurrence, but when the conditions are right, it can be a REAL B. Definitely check the wind direction before making the trip!

It's a few miles long with multiple beach access points to our for swimming and the other ones have…read moreno lifeguard so they say that you're not allowed to swim. There is a nature center with a museum that's free to walk-through to get a break from the sun if you need as well as a café and some restrooms that are right at the front gate as well as Porta potties that are along the beach route. They are not common though so if you drive by one when you first get there, I would use it, I did see people bring surfboards and go out in the other sections where people were fishing and you have to have a permit to drive onto the beach, which is done by lottery I heard loads of people coming to Swim but there's more than enough space on the beach that everyone spreads out and you get more than enough room in privacy that you don't even feel all the people that are there. Great spot look forward to coming back.

I think this may be my favorite beach, not just on the NJ Shore, but anywhere. We take our dog…read morewith us so are restricted to the dog allowed areas where others drive on the sand to fish and there aren't any life guards so you can't swim, but even with all of those restrictions this is still my favorite beach. It is not crowded at all and easy to forget that you are not the only person on the beach. Most people in this section of the beach have dogs with them but everyone follows the leash rules and I've never seen anyone not pick-up after their dog. One or two of the parking lots have port-a-potty's and the main two beaches (where you can swim but dogs aren't allowed) have pavilions with restrooms, a cafe, and a beach store.

Besides the lack of bathrooms, this beach is pretty supreme…read more I ran around for hours playing frisbee, a luxury at the jersey shore (as many of y'all are probably well-aware). This beach is decidedly sleepier than Ocean City, Sea Isle, and many non-LBI beaches, and most of its charm is from its inherent "coziness." The lifeguards were very kind and vigilant, making sure that the no-swimming zones were properly demarcated and that we could enjoy the offings of the beach. Free street parking and some mini golf and ice cream nearby. What more can I say? :)

Gorgeous beach, beautiful at sunset. A residential paradise, peaceful and recommended by all the…read morelocals!

Beautiful Too pretty , really don't want to share -…read more Best place for sunsets and to sit and relax , place the road to get here is do pretty as well.

Untouchable beautiful point of island. Fishing, parking, meditation and limited parking. Must visit…read moreat least once.

AVON-BY-THE-SEA: a peaceful town with a great big beach, leashed dogs and pets are allowed on the…read morebeach between October 1st through May 1st. Dogs are not allowed on the boardwalk, but you can cross over to the beach. There is a parallel sidewalk path to take a nice stroll. The town is also home to the Beach Christmas Tree.

Wow. I LOVE IT HERE. I'm a gal who prefers a more quiet, peaceful beach experience. I spent the…read moreday at Avon By the Sea on a weekday in September and it was perfect. All parking is FREE. Can't complain about that! There's plenty of street parking right in front of the boardwalk as well as residential parking nearby. Since I visited after the summer season ended, I had no problem finding a spot at 12pm. If you're going during the season, I would suggest coming much earlier if you want to get a good spot closer to the beach. During the summer season (Memorial Day through Labor Day), beach badges are required from 9am-5pm on weekdays and 9am-5:30pm on weekends/holidays. It's $13 per person. Children ages 11 and under + active military and their dependents are free of charge. They don't accept credit/debit cards, so remember to bring CASH. The beach is beautiful - clear, blue water and clean, soft sand. The crowd is more mature and family-oriented. They do have a lot of rules (no alcohol/smoking/cannabis/canopies/tents/sound systems), but I don't mind. It's not rowdy here, so you'll have a peaceful experience. There are bathrooms, a playground area for children, and a boardwalk. The boardwalk is small, but charming. There are benches for you to sit, relax, and enjoy the ocean view. There aren't many restaurants, bars, games, or entertainment around. They have a snack/food pavilion, but I'd suggest driving a few miles away to Asbury Park or Long Branch for a better dining and night life scene. Seeeeee yaaaaaaaa at the shore!

BRIGANTINE: just north of Atlantic City is the town of Brigantine, a quiet beach resort and they…read morehave an all-year-round dog beach! Go all the way to the North end when you cannot go anymore and you are at the spot where leashed dogs are encouraged to play and enjoy the sand, ocean, and natural flora and fauna every day! In April, it was a very peaceful spot to dig some holes and admire the waves and stormy clouds. Dogs are also allowed on the other beach areas, but there are seasonal restrictions: "From October 1st to May 29th, dogs are allowed on the beach provided they are on a leash, not longer than 6 ft. Dog feces must be removed."

I had not been to Brigantine Beach since I was 15 years old (crabbing)…read more This trip was the first for me and Joey as a couple of 3 1/2 years. Just like the other Yelp reviewers stated, this beach is expansive and beautiful! They have bathrooms, versus nasty port-o-potties - yay! We used the ones off of Roosevelt. We love the white sand and long stretch of beach - wow - so glad I picked here!!! 8/12/22

Manasquan Beach is great for families or anyone looking to come to a beach that's not filled with…read moreriffraff. The beach is large, and very clean and regularly maintained. Lifeguards go on duty the middle of June. People can play volleyball and games on the beach and there's room to spread out. In certain areas there is surfing and fishing. Each beach is surrounded by jetties. If you come early, you can find parking on the street. Beach badges will be required on weekends beginning on Saturday, May 29th. Badges will be required daily beginning Saturday, June 19th through Monday, September 6th. You can check the status of the crowds on the following, Manasquan Beach Inlet webcam. Season Badge: Adult (ages 17-64) - $85.00 Junior (ages 12-16) - $40.00 Senior badges (ages 65 and up) - $30.00 (Handicap season badges are half price) In order to purchase 2021 Manasquan Beach season badges and parking passes, a Community Pass account is required. Parking Passes are $100 each. Only one pass per registered user will be available for online purchase only. Season badges will not be sold at the office. Manasquan Beach Office located at 205 Beachfront (next to Gee Gee's). For anyone who purchases a season beach badge, they're offering a complementary Manasquan Beach Christmas card. They're limiting it to 1 per badge. If your into fitness, there's a blacktop paved path that's pretty wide for riding bikes, jogging, or taking a stroll. There are public bathrooms right off the beach. The people here are all very nice and friendly. Belmar is only 10 minutes away. There's no smoking,vaping, or drinking on the beach. I really enjoy my time here and look forward to returning.

Came to the beach for the first time since pre-COVID! (mainly due to wild crowds, lack of time on…read morethe weekends, etc.). Was originally planning to go to Point Pleasant, but some expensive street parking led us to Manasquan where we found some free parking. We got here before 9am. If you do so, you can typically enter without paying for a beach pass (granted you don't leave the beach premises and return). It helps getting early for that, beating traffic, and enjoying the beach before it gets unbearably hot. Admittingly, it might not be the best beach for swimming, but it's pretty clean and quiet. It's more a surfers beach with the waves, but I had a fun time. I like the quiet nature of the beach and the boardwalk. It's a nice area to walk around. I also enjoyed the swingset which brought back memories of my childhood. Overall, I'd consider coming back here again.