Point Pleasant, NJ beckons families with teens and tweens to spend a day or a week at its family friendly boardwalk and stunning beaches. Like Belmar to the north, Point Pleasant’s beaches are wide and well cared for with life guards, bathhouses, rentals and lots of food and diversions available. Or, you can pack a cooler, bring your own chairs, umbrella, sun hats, a good book and a boogie board and settle in for the day!
A day at the beach in Point Pleasant
The Jenkinson’s Boardwalk family friendly emporium of arcades, rides, mini golf and games of chance adds the classic boardwalk experience, supplemented by a lovely aquarium and a few sit down restuarants with ocean views. It isn’t unusual to see dolphins playing in the surf and the beach level Martell’s Tiki Bar serves up some great burgers and drinks on a hot afternoon. Bring your suit and towel and spend the day on their private beach with waitress service.
Rides on the Point Pleasant Boardwalk
The selection of rides is much smaller than Wildwood, and more geared to the younger set. But, a solid core of teen and tween oriented rides such as the Fun House, a Swing Ride, the Himalaya, and Moby Dick let the big kids get some ride time too. Our teen and tween always seem to spend an hour on rides as part of their visit to Point Pleasant. Discount wristbands that allow unlimited rides are usually available Tuesday afternoons and Friday night. Weekly fireworks are also an attraction.
It isn't a day at the boardwalk without mini golf
The boardwalk level arcade games, as well as the three-story mini golf complex overlooking the beach, are “must dos” for our teen and tween every time we go. And, finally, when you need a break from the sun and fun you can cool off a bit in the Jenkinson’s Aquarium which offers an unexpectedly engaging, air conditioned respite from the boardwalk scene. Fully accredited by the national Association of Zoos & Aquariums (AZA), Jenkinson’s is home to several injured seals as well as sharks, penguins, alligators, a petting pool and exhibits of many exotic fish, reptiles and birds. It is another one of those Shore favorites that call our teen and tween back year after year.
Clowning around in Point Pleasant
Point Pleasant has plenty of parking at municipal lots and a valet lot right at the boardwalk entrance. It is also home to a number of family friendly motels within walking distance to the beach and marina, as well as a solid stock of private rental houses. Like many of the Shore towns there is a charge to use the beach. Whether you stay in town, or make it a daytrip from nearby locations like Belmar or Spring Lake, Point Pleasant offers more than enough to keep teens and tweens busy and happy for as long as you are in town.
We think about the Jersey Shore all year, even in winter, so we’ve included a link to this post in the Mondays are for Dreaming page on Mother of All Trips. Check it out for more great travel ideas.
This one of a series about our Top 10 teen and tween family vacation adventures at the Jersey Shore, we hope you get to try the all.
I spent a fair bit of time at the shore when I was in high school, but we always went to Wildwood – nice to see a review of someplace else!
This looks like so much fun for those tweens! My five year old would love it as well I think!
looks like plenty of fun in the sun for all the family