2-Star Review for Point Pleasant Beach 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. read more

See all

I would rate this beach 3.5 stars! It was a nice and peaceful beach but with a price tag. We had to pay $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. read more

Even though many of the people around here are probably "we need a civil war" types, I'm upgrading to two stars as an olive branch. Having a private company run the beach is of questionable legality, but it seems they've mildly eased one rule. After 5:30 you can walk on the beach without a permit, but you can't go in or near the water. I'm actually glad I got barked at for inadvertently stepping onto a closed section. After the harsh rhetoric thrown at the Black girls who violated the post 5:30 rule, seemingly getting different treatment than nearby rulebreakers, my own interaction reassures that it's probably not a sundown town, just not the most welcoming place. The fishing dude who was bragging about supposedly hooking a scuba diver in the hand should become the town's official tourism ambassador. read more

The Jersey shore is my sanctuary! This is a beautiful beach to enjoy with your family! Board walk, aquarium, rides for young children, food & games! Seasonal events to celebrate holidays and have fireworks in the summer. Enjoy the gorgeous sunrise! Metered parking Or paid parking lots Season beach passes or pay for the day passes read more

See all

The Boardwalk is home to a first class aquarium, as well as rides, arcades and diverse dining experiences, ranging from the traditional sausage sandwich to sushi. We went during the summer with my one granddaughter, and she is still talking about it. A family seashore town, Point Pleasant Beach lives up to its name with a mile long boardwalk bordering the Atlantic Ocean that is home to Jenkinson's Boardwalk Amusements, a fun house, a Victorian Ice Cream Parlor, four arcades, gift shops and games of chance Badges are required for everyone older than 12. Single day badges cost $1 and can be purchased from the lifeguards. Seasonal ($15) and senior ($10) badges are available from Boro Hall. read more

See all

This beach has a lot going on and a lot you can do. There's miniature golf, an aquarium, an adventure course, rides and more. Plenty of food, gift shops and the tiki bar for adult beverages and live show or DJ. Like anywhere else, you can get a season membership or pay to go on the beach. Unfortunately there is a lot of trash on the beach and the micro plastics in the ocean were noticeable. Finding a parking spot was rough. Whoever was involved in putting the lines on the road to mark the spots is a jerk. There were so many places where they would have been able to fit 2 cars. There are also many areas that are permit only. There seemed to be a lot of young cops patrolling the town and boardwalk. It seemed like there were groups of 3-4 police on nearly every block. There also seemed to be too many rules for my taste; no dogs, no alcohol, no bikes, no smoking The boardwalk wasn't too big. There are a lot of properties right along the boardwalk and a lot of volley ball courts as well. I think this a great beach to go and enjoy the tiki bar and some adult beverages and there's plenty to do for the rest of the family and kids. read more

See all

I went to this beach off-season. Because it was of season, it was free to access the sandy beach but it was closed to swimming. There were also temporary drift fences, for the dunes, in place already. The sand is made of so many tiny shells, it moves easily but not in a huge shift that makes it difficult to keep your feet underneath you. The Atlantic Ocean is so powerful here that you can feel the roar, rather than just hear it. There is a hill to go down to the ocean's edge. The waves there are incredible. I've always enjoyed them the most here. On the boardwalk, 2 Arcades, an aquarium, 2 sweet shops are open all year. read more

This beach is a nice beach, but it's too touristy for my liking. I prefer Manasquan Beach on the other side of the Manasquan Inlet. If you want to know where to park, ask a local. You'll save yourself a couple hours. read more

Note this is a private beach and they can and do refuse entry. Was not a fan of having my bags searched like they were TSA. Dirty hands moving my kids sandwiches around looking for bottles. No hard coolers allowed however once you are on the beach you will see plenty of large coolers as well as selective enforcement of beach tents. There are soo many rules to this expensive to enter and park at beach, that it's not worth the visit. read more

Our investment banker governor is quick to bristle at any suggestion that people are fleeing the Garden State to escape the pestilence of high taxation and the morbid stupidity of the state's political class. Damn the naysayers, the enviable New Jersey lifestyle is worth every penny goes the narrative. Unfortunately, Mr. Murphy (and most of his predecessors) is fond of falling back on familiar tropes rooted in ego and emotion to make his case. As cheerleader-in-chief Murphy always leads with a pitch to pride, invoking the indomitable "Jersey Strong" spirit and then follows-up quickly with the highly debatable "quality of life" bromides and finally, my personal favorite, the one-of-a-kind magic of our shoreline playgrounds to justify the paltry ROI for putting up with the stench of ineptitude and corruption wafting in from Trenton and our crazy quilt of local government fiefdoms. It's funny, when I visit Point Pleasant Beach never once does the "that's why I live here" epiphany wash over me in revelation. Honestly, PPB is nothing but a microcosm of the entire Jersey experience - loud, crowded, expensive and impossibly rude. Parking's a joke, beach access is a rip-off, the Boardwalk is an obscenity and, let's not even talk about the gruesome carnivale foodstuffs. Generally, everything at PPB is as authentic as the dying potted palm trees at Martell's Tiki Bar. So Governor, maybe it's time to find a new set of fables to populate your gauzy Jersey reverie. Fuggedaboutit. One star. read more

Literally the worst 4th of July I've ever had. No order to anything, impossible to get food because of the lack of lines and just masses of people doing whatever to get close enough to order something and then it taking over 30 min for an order to be ready if you were one of the lucky ones to even get your order. Everyone was so rude and inconsiderate that I can't imagine bringing children anywhere near this place as a hole the entire jenkinson's boardwalk has turned into a free for all. The fireworks were so horrible the word display can't even be used in describing it. For being the 4 of July and the only "fireworks" in the area actually on the 4th, im ashamed to be from this area after that show. The most pathetic fireworks ever whoever hired that fireworks company should be fired. Then the exit.... 100% complete gridlock for over an hour now and still counting. The township of point pleasant is beyond incompetent. The only fireworks on the 4th of July at the jersey shore and they said the hell with doing anything well just watch the show of 100k people leaving a beach town at the same time. The town government and the superior officers of the police department all need to be removed from there jobs immediately. What used to be a family friendly, clean, nice place to come in the summer is now a complete shithole. Jenkinson's should be forced to sell there complete monopoly of the boardwalk to someone who can make point pleasant a nice safe family friendly place to visit again. read more

I'm rating the town and beach in this review. I've been coming to PPB my whole life. It's always been more family oriented and the selection of boardwalk foods always satisfies. I have found Jenkinson's beaches clean and well guarded, staff polite enough, and New Jerseyans particularly civil on this trip. They all get 4 + stars. Now. The loss of stars: I do want to give tourists a warning: much parking in town is on street and there are no visible parking meters. A number is written somewhere near the spot, and you are expected to know this and search out the number and the centralized parking meter and pay, EVEN AFTER 6 PM and ON WEEKENDS. since we don't have this system in upstate NY, I never thought to look in the dusk on a Friday night after 6. Result: a $48.00 plus fees parking violation. But don't worry, you can easily plead guilty and pay online so you don't have to return to traffic court to object to this unjust trickery. Really, PPB? Are these the lasting memories you want us to leave with? read more

Point Pleasant Beach - In this Canadian town, you get a warning first! New Jersey, some compassion??? - Beaches Near Me

Be very careful when you park in Point pleasant Beach! I received a $100 parking ticket for not correctly parking within my designated parking space. I think my right rear tire was over the white line. Point pleasant Beach has an ordinance which reads that "vehicles must be parked within designated lines" (9-3A.2). I thought the ticket was for me not placing my parking receipt on my dashboard. After paying over $3 for a 1-hour parking slot, the parking kiosk did not give me a receipt. So how are they supposed to know that you paid for your parking slot when their parking kiosks do not print out receipts. Poor maintenance, if you ask me. They should be fine for that! read more

Point Pleasant Beach - My parking ticket for not 'parking within designated space". - Beaches Near Me

Thought I wrote a review for the beach but realized it was for the boardwalk. ok. This is one of my favorite beaches, clean and so peaceful. My only gripe is which can't be helped, is the swarming of constant birds. As you try to walk the beach or just stand there to ponder life and take in the scenery you are unindated with birds above and below. I dont usually swim in this ocean although it's decently clean. It usually can get pretty rambunctious tides and rip currents.So swimmers beware. on a clear day like today was the view is breathtaking and the water so peaceful. It is one of my many happy places. You also have to pay to get on this beach during the season, off season obviously not. The length of this beach is quite extensive, you could walk for quite a way on either end. No dogs allowed. Definitely worth a check in if you're in the area. To me, as a Jersey girl born and raised this is one of our many best beaches. read more

See all

I am never returning to Point Pleasant beach. We enter the beach around 6 pm with the staff letting us know it closes at 7 pm. We had our feet in the wet sand at the shore when 3 lifeguards came to yell at our area that everyone had to be on the dry sand. Threatening us with a $300 ticket?! The same lifeguards did laps around the beach block yelling at everyone counting down the minutes they were going to get off "beach closes in 5 minutes gather your things" "I want to eat my dinner by 7:10 so all of you start packing up!" They then started to point at specific people letting them know, "you're looking way too comfortable there sweetie. Start packing up." "You guys need to start speeding it up with your packing." Honestly the rudest experience I think I've ever had! Men on trucks working for the Jenkinson Boardwalk ever went out of their way to stop by specific families at the beach to tell them to leave. Completely separate of the lifeguards! Just some white men wanting to boss beach goers around in my opinion. Any town can uphold any rule they please, even if that means closing the beach off to everyone past 7 even though it's ridiculous. But additionally having very rude lifeguards to kick you off wet sand and kick you off the beach makes me make sure I never come back to this place. Any other beach is better than this one! read more

I have never been to a beach with so much trash! You have to pay to access the beach, and if you're brave enough to go walking through the garbage, you are not allowed in the water past your ankles. There's planes with ad banners flying overhead every ten or so minutes, and boats coming by with electronic billboards all day too. Such a disappointment of a beach trip. read more

Point Pleasant is one of my favorite beaches in Jersey. Water is pretty clean and love that they have a nice boardwalk that allows you to have a great family filled day. They have a parking lot in front which is a few dollars an hour. Beach prices during the weekend is $10 per adult and $3 per child from the age of 5. I like setting up between the water and boardwalk to give myself space from the crowd by the water and allow my son to play on and off the boardwalk. Parking can be scarce during the weekend so I recommend arriving early. I recommend this beach for families over other ones because it doesn't get as crowded as others ones with a boardwalk do and that makes me feel safer when I come with the kids. Also great places to eat within a few miles after a long day on the beach. read more

this is the worst beach, they charge $14 for adults NO SENIOR discount..then they think they can tell you when you have to leave the beach..at 5:30 pm whattt? the boardwalk is just cotton candy and stuffed animals..no good food, rude people ..really tacky food signs like Vegas or something..there's absolutely no reason to come here..next time asbury MUCH better. There are TOO MANY RULES here..and honestly once they bulldozed jenkinsons beautiful salt water pool it has zero appeal. The boardwalk looks cheap and unappealing. Oh and if you can't swim in the ocean? Tell us BEFORE we pay to get on the beach! read more

We loved going down on Thursdays to have dinner, walk the beach, and watch the fireworks, but the 'new rules' of closing the beach at 7 pm were just too ridiculous. So on a hot summer evening we all stand on the overcrowded boardwalk like cattle waiting for them to reopen the beach to watch the fireworks. You can keep it! read more

PROS: This is my second favorite beach in the state, right behind Wildwood. I love it here. Tiki bar and neighboring restaurants are great, the boardwalk is a mile long with fun rides, games, and snacks. The beach is always clean and the security here makes me feel safe. Many good places to stay and there's also an aquarium to check out CONS: The unfortunate part about this beach is that there's hardly any parking. OVERALL: Come to this beach! it is a must! There are many things to do here. Wildwood is unfortunately at the other end of the state so if you don't want to drive that far this is a solid option read more

Family friendly for everything except $$$ - spent almost $300. We went with 2 adults and 3 kids under 5. $25 for parking, $28 beach tags for 2 adults, $75 for 18 kiddie rides, $80 for boardwalk food/beverages (2 slices of pizza, 1 cheeseburger, 1 hot dog, 1 large fries, 3 waters and 2 sodas) that weren't good, $15 to play 1 game for the 3 little kids, and $60 for ice cream. If the kids were over 5, it would have cost more. Beach was extremely crowded on a very hot Friday, but that's to be expected. Beach and restrooms were clean. read more

Brianna bartender @ Jenkinsons on the boardwalk was awesome. She was so personable. It's always nice to post the positive. We had a fantastic time. Thanks Brianna!!!! read more

Louis R graced this beach with his presence from the 8th grade to college...and way after. This jerz beach is the most iconic. Jenks, Tiki Bar, Patio Bar. Nuff sed. read more

To understand Point Pleasant Beach and Boardwalk in 2020, I reflected upon my long history with this New Jersey shore landmark. In my youth admission to the beach was free. Today, the cost is $9 on week days and $10 on weekends, Pre- COVID-19, had no restrictions on the amount of people. Beware that today, admission to the beach is restricted to a certain number. Bracelets are given out on a first come first serve basis until capacity is reached. Parking has gone up over the years as expected. Now parking will cost you $20 per day. If you try to park a few blocks from the beach, you need to get there early or get lucky. Do you like to see the sunset on the beach? The beach closes at 5:30 and the lifeguards leave. When I first came to Point Pleasant, Jenkinson ran the aquarium. Today, Jenkinson owns much of the boardwalk. Rents are high and restaurants and other attractions reflect that in there pricing. What is still great about Point Pleasant is the beautiful white sand beach, the palm trees, the arcades and various shops on the boardwalk. Frankly, I enjoy the New Jersey shore the most in the Fall and Winter. I like taking walks, fishing from the beach or deep sea fishing. Lately I have become a better paddle boarder. Sun bathing has never been my thing unless you consider sitting at Martells' Tiki Bar sun bathing. read more

See all

We used to be able to go on the beach without charge around 5 p.m. No one in my family wants to sit in the summer heat on the beach for endless hours. Now, you are kept off the beach beyond 8 p.m. It felt more like a prisoner camp with wooden barriers than a relaxing beach visit. The Thursday night fireworks were shifted south of their usual place and people had limited access to the beach to sit and relax before the show. It sucked and now we have to figure where we will go because our experience was so shitty. Now I know why it was so easy to find a parking spot near the beach. We spent plenty of money in the arcades, aquarium and restaurants when we visited. No mas! read more

Man, it's been a few years since I last reviewed PPB, and the only thing that comes to mind is the quote from Godfather, "Look how they massacred my boy..". Point Pleasant Beach & Boardwalk used to be my go-to shore location. Hey, it's only a few minutes away from me, and generally (even in the dead of summer) had a chill, more family-ish atmosphere. Well, sadly, that's all changed in the past few years. It seems like all the trashy folks who used to get absolutely wasted and cause havoc at Seaside have found a new home in Point Pleasant. Hurray. On top of that, now that Jenkinson's owns pretty much the entire strip, they've taken to absolutely gouging anybody they can for beach entry, hiring some of the rudest kids around. What used to be a pleasant town / beach to hang out in, has become a machine designed exclusively to milk money from anybody they can - be it the tourists or the locals. Want to walk on the beach past 5pm? Not anymore - prepared to be yelled at by rude employees of greedy owners trying to milk every last cent out of you that they can. Let's not even get started about how absurd the parking rates have gotten. I'm going to echo what others here have said: the beach should not allowed to be privatized, and should be public property (or in the very least, free after certain hours). The greed that exists here is quite frankly astounding, and the town itself has transitioned away from the family-friendly beach town it once was, into an incredibly corporate experience. Despite it being extremely local for me, in my opinion - there's better beaches / boardwalks in the area; go there instead. I know I will be. read more

Beach is clean and quite pleasant (at least on a Monday). However the constant loud pounding bass music emanating from the boardwalk clubs or perhaps the Tiki Bar is so annoying and disruptive to a decent enjoyable day on the beach (And...... Even being quite a distance away from all that activity the bass pounding was intense) read more

The price to access the beach is absurd! I could see $5 a person but not $15. At this price they souls serve you lunch on the beach!

soothing day... less crowd... and nice Eateries around you..." - i visited this place in this month (Apr'16). i guess in summer it would be crowded for sure but i was fortunate enough to explore this place in peace... wat i really liked is eateries around you. Tasty options. :P lot of game parlours to have fun with your kid.. amusement park is also there to amuse you.benches are there so having a seat and feel the peaceful sunrise... read more

See all

I'm going to be honestly harsh -- You have to pay for the parking ($20), and you have to pay for the beach!? After you pay for the above two, you will find yourself among the most populated beach and you can't wait to get the hell out. read more

Point Pleasant Beach - Beaches Near Me

Grr. Clearest, most beautiful day of the summer, and we get in the car to meet family at Point Pleasant Beach. After parking for $3 an hour at the nearest lot, we trudge to the water's edge, only to be told that the water is closed due to "rough conditions". Having spent considerable time in places with 20-30 foot waves, rocky shores, no lifeguards for miles, it was like some horrible joke! The water couldn't have been calmer. Best part: no signs anywhere visible at the parking area to indicate that the beach is closed, AND they STILL had the gall to charge full price to beach access when the water was off limits!! The toilet facilities were disgusting. The arcades are all owned by the some organization and yet you can't go from one to another with the same cards or tickets. Meal at the shrimp bar was pricey but fine. Mini golf offered the one highlight. But the day was ruined from the start, thanks to the nanny state that apparently is New Jersey!! Listen up, New Jersey, I don't need you to tell me when the water is safe enough for me to dip my toe in. That should be up to me to decide, especially when I've driven 2 hours to get there! You ruined my day, you ruined the day for my kids and it still cost us a fortune to visit. HOW DARE YOU. I will lobby hard against a visit in the future. read more

The beach itself is nice but let me tell all the issues you will experience: 1) Barely enough parking 2) Cops are extremely annoying 3) Again Cops are extremely annoying!!! 4) You can't bring beer on the beach even if it's concealed and cops will harass you Positives: 1) Clean Beach 2) Tiki Bar is fun and awesome 3) Boardwalk pretty nice to 4) Train station within walking distance of beach read more

It's a lovely beach to come with your friends and family. Clean beaches. You will sure to have a great time. The biggest drawback was if you come during the weekend, you have to pay $9.50 just to get into the beach. SMH!!! What the heck!!! The boardwalk is fun to be at. You have rides, seafood, pizzeria, desserts, fried food, lots of arcades, and "rigged" games. I won 3 minions at the claw arcade games. Certainly a good and fun place to come to, but $9.50 to go to the beach. Man oh man!! Talk about rip off. I want a free beaches. read more

Point Pleasant Beach - Beach - Beaches Near Me

This beach closes at 7. We asked some locals and they said "because the black people were playing their music too loud at night." As well as this, on the beach the life guards seemed to only yell at the darker skinned people around us, not us (the only white people on the beach at the time) read more

I have spent many a weekend at Point Pleasant beach. Mainly drinking heavily at Martells Tiki Bar or Jenkinsons during the day, and then listening to great bands and dancing the night away. Always a good time here, and not that far of a drive from NYC. Fist pumping like a champ! Big Orange Cone! The Nerds! The Benjamins! What I like about Point Pleasant is that the beach is clean, the boardwalk is well maintained with lots of stores to shop at and arcades to play games at, places to eat, custard stands and Hoffman's ice cream, and there is still an old fashioned family environment kind of feel to it. Not as rowdy or thuggish as Seaside Heights, but more of a mix of young and old. At night it definitly turns into more of a younger party scene as Jenks is the place to be. When the weekend comes and the bands play it is a big party here. Yes, it is a bit of a meat market, and can resemble the cast of Jersey Shore at times. I've seen lots of drunk hook-ups going on. Hotels and motels dot the area and are within walking distance of the boardwalk. There are enough choices to find one to fit your budget. A fun choice for a couples weekend getaway, or to get a summer weekend house share with friends to party! GTL! read more

Ok so I have been going to the Jersey shore for many years. Yesterday I was in the beach it was about 4 pm. Thinking that I should find the rest of the people I was with soon to go home ( they were walking the boards). I decided to get a drink and some down to enjoy my last 30 or so minutes. Go to the bar get my drink go to sit back down at the water edge on my chair and I'm getting followed by 2 employees who ask me for I'd. Umm what? I'm way older than 21, and I was not provided at the bar. Since it's been forever since I've been proofed I left my id in the car and only grabbed cash. Ok so I tell them I don't have my id with me and they tell me I can't stay where I am I have to go on the other side of this fence. Ok so I pick up my stuff and move like 10 feet sit down and within minutes im harassed again! After reading other reviews it seems as if they try to clear it the beach by 5 so they can fleece people got more??? Unbelievable read more

Years ago, this used to be my go-to beach, but the cost for parking, the cost for getting on the beach, and the cost of food on the boardwalk have made this a less likely destination...unless of course it's a beautiful day and I'm not vacationing down in LBI. Actually, I like Point Pleasant as it gives the kids something to do when they want to get away from Mom and Dad and do their own thing for a while. The beach itself IS usually crowded so we tend to head away from the lifeguards to lay out. The water is pretty clean here and you don't get as many meatheads as you do in Seaside or Belmar. Yeah, this is still my Go-to beach for day trips...I know what to expect and it's a short drive for us... read more

I come to this beach to clear my head. It's always clean and pleasant. Paking is $3/hr and the machine takes cash and credit cards. Just pay for the parking and put the ticket in the dashboard window. To get on the beach it'll cost an adult $9. There is also an amusement park and lots of places to eat here. read more

My family and I went to this beach this past Saturday. We has a blast. The beach was clean and there was a lot for the kids to do. The water was pretty clean and the sand was well maintained. The parking is a bit of a hassle, but hey it is a beach in the summer. We had a great time walking up and down the boadwalk as well. There weren't too many rowdy people there which was VERY nice. I was "pleasantly" surprised. LOL We plan on coming back next year and rent a house for the week. read more

Solid beach to come to with friends, family, or alone. They have Jenkinson's boardwalk which is a fun one. There's a bunch of food, drinks, games, kids rides, and overall a good atmosphere. The funnel cake is my favorite and always a must have when I come to point pleasant. The beach itself is average. It's not too dirty but not clean either. There's plenty of room on the beach itself from boardwalk to the water. No dogs allowed on the boardwalk, already got in trouble for that. For me, the boardwalk adds to the beach experience and if the water is crummy or you've had enough of the sand, you can go to the boardwalk. It can get crowded in the summer and limited parking which you have to pay for. read more

Point Pleasant Beach - Foggy when I came - Beaches Near Me