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New Jersey Shore Boardwalks, Beaches and Businesses Will Be Ready for Summer 2013

Posted by Mary Turner on February 23, 2013 Comments Off

Feb 232013

The Jersey Shore is coming back. After taking a pounding from Hurricane Sandy, the New Jersey Shore’s barrier islands and beach towns have been quickly reopening year-round businesses and are pulling out all the stops to make sure the boardwalks, arcades, rides, and beaches are ready to welcome visitors for Summer 2013. Here’s a quick run down of how some of our favorite haunts are doing with the recovery effort.

The rides are returning to Jenkinson’s Boardwalk in Point Pleasant Beach, NJ

Jenkinson’s Boardwalk, in Point Pleasant Beach has already reopened the aquarium, as well as some of the arcades, bars, restaurants and shops. The $2 million boardwalk repair effort is under construction and is expected to be ready for summer. The rides, many of which had been taken off the boardwalk for winter storage prior to the storm, are already being installed and tested. The beach, even in winter, still looks amazing.

New pilings for Jenkinson’s Boardwalk in Point Pleasant Beach, NJ are in place

Seaside Heights has begun the first stage of an $6+ million project (funded in part by the MTV Restore the Shore fundraiser) to rebuild its mile long boardwalk and amusement piers while adding a seawall under the boardwalk to protect the town from future storms. In the next few weeks, the owners of Casino Pier will begin the process of removing the Jet Star roller coaster from the Atlantic Ocean, where it has sat since it and three other amusement rides went off the end of the 630-foot long pier when part of it collapsed. The boardwalk and beach and at least some of the rides and arcades should be ready for summer.

Belmar broke ground in early January on a $6.6 million project to replace its 1.3 mile boardwalk in time for Memorial Day. Asbury Park and Avon are both about to begin their own boardwalk restoration processes although many of Asbury’s boardwalk restaurants and stores have been open during the winter using street-side entrances. Atlantic City, which experienced flooding but missed the worst of the storm, has been back in business for some time.

The beach at Jenkinson’s Boardwalk in Point Pleasant Beach looks great on a winter’s day

The road back to pre-Sandy conditions will take several years for the hardest hit communities. In Mantoloking, where just about every one of the 500 homes in town sustained some level of damage, residents were just permitted to return in early February. Towns like Union Beach and Sea Bright are also struggling with extensive damage to schools, homes and infrastructure.

If you are working on planning summer family vacations, make sure the Jersey Shore is on your list, the beaches, boardwalks, arcades, restaurants and shops are looking forward to seeing you in summer 2013.

Photos courtesy Jenkinson’s Boardwalk

“Jersey Strong” Travel Blogger Link-Up

Posted by Mary Turner on November 12, 2012 3 Responses »

Nov 122012

In the wake of Superstorm Sandy, we’ve spent the last two weeks in constant contact with family and friends in New Jersey’s hard hit coastal counties. As of today, the lights and heat are back on for the majority of homes. Gas rationing is being canceled and most students will return to school after missing two weeks of classes. Unfortunately, for thousands of families that had permanent or vacation homes in Shore communities such as Sea Bright, Belmar, Seaside, and Mantaloking, as well as those who saw serious damage in Northwest counties and the Raritan Bay, the hardest part of the storm recovery process is just beginning. It will take time, but, we know the people of the state are “Jersey Strong” and they will recover with help from across the country.

Stay Strong New Jersey!

In the short run, you can help by making a donation to the American Red Cross or the Hurricane Sandy New Jersey Relief Fund, started by Gov. Christie and his wife Mary Pat.

Longer term, tourism is a major force driving the economy of the entire State of New Jersey. In fact, in recent years, the leisure, hospitality and retail sector accounted for more then $43 billion dollars and 8.9 percent of the state’s Gross Domestic Product. Beach erosion, combined with the loss of so many vacation homes and coastal tourist attractions, will hurt many small businesses and communities across the state.

As the recovery takes hold, and it will — sooner than you think, don’t give up on the Jersey Shore or other hard hit parts of the state. Restaurants, artists, and small businesses that are able to re-open in the next few weeks and months will all need customers to keep them afloat. New Jersey will recover and be stronger than ever.

In the spirit of “Jersey Strong” we invite fellow travel bloggers to share links to favorite posts about New Jersey vacations, attractions and memories. Together we can make a difference.

Donate to Help the Jersey Shore Recover from Hurricane Sandy

Posted by Mary Turner on October 30, 2012 Comments Off

Oct 302012

Hurricane Sandy devastated the Jersey Shore. Boardwalks and amusement piers in Belmar, Seaside Heights and other towns are gone. Beaches almost disappeared or been heavily eroded. Some train lines and bridges will be out of action for days or even weeks. Schools are closed. The power companies cannot even provide a timetable for when the lights will come back on for well over a million people.

Hardest hit have been the barrier island towns such as Seaside Heights, Long Beach Island and Atlantic City. Most residents evacuated before the storm arrived but when they return many will find extensive damage to homes and businesses as is shown by this Air National Guard video of their flight over Seaside today to assess the damage and look for any remaining survivors.

We know it will take months, and in some cases years, for the Shore to return to its former glory. Today, however, the immediate need is to provide food and shelter to those who need it. The American Red Cross is already on the ground at the Jersey Shore staffing shelters and coordinating care, as it is in many of the states that were hit by the storm.

We’d like to encourage our readers to support the Jersey Shore recovery effort by donating to the American Red Cross disaster relief effort as soon as possible. Then, as the area recovers, plan to support the local businesses and communities by spending some of next summer’s vacation money down the Shore.

The Boardwalk at Seaside Heights, NJ – All This and Snookie Too!

Posted by Mary Turner on July 9, 2012 Comments Off

Jul 092012

The teens are big fans of the Jersey Shore boardwalks having spent much time over the years strolling the boards on the way to the beach in Belmar, shopping in Asbury Park and Atlantic City and hitting the arcade games and rides in Pt. Pleasant and Wildwood. This year, we added a new Jersey Shore boardwalk to the bucket list with a visit to the infamous mile long Seaside Heights, NJ boardwalk, where, in recent years, the rides, shops and games on the boardwalk have been a bit overshadowed by MTV’s reality show headliners including Snookie, Pauly D, the Situation and the rest.

The teens enjoy the roller coaster on Casino Pier at the Seaside Heights, NJ Boardwalk

Like any good tourists we made a point to ride the classics including the roller coaster, the merry-go-round, the tilt-a-whirl, the go karts, bumper cards, a death defying vertical round-up type ride called the Enterprise, and the chair-lift style Sky Ride which happens to glide right past the now famous Shore House and the Shore Store where the Jersey Shore cast members sometime show up for work selling tee shirts.

The Seaside Heights Sky Ride is a great way to check out the Boardwalk scene

During our Sky Ride we noticed a fair amount of activity in front of the Shore House and decided to walk back up the boardwalk by way of the house. It is well protected by a security detail but we managed to walk by just in time to see Snookie and best friend Deena coming out the front door. Later we saw Pauly D, Vinnie and The Situation being filmed while hanging out on the roof deck at sunset. A few minuted later, we saw NJ Governor Christie out with his family! He made the news and You Tube that evening for have a rather loud disagreement with a heckler.

The Shore House roof deck and Shore Store made famous by Snookie and the MTV Jersey Shore crew

For the record, the teens totally enjoyed the rides, arcade games, pizza, and ice cream at the Seaside Height, NJ Boardwalk. With more thrill rides and a wider selection of games than Pt. Pleasant, Seaside is a good afternoon or early evening destination for families with teens and tweens, although we recommend staying outside of town and away from the late night craziness that tends to take over when the bars let out.

Try your luck at the Seaside Heights Boardwalk

The Seaside boardwalk definitely has its rough edges but it is actually much more family friendly than MTV would lead you to believe. We visited from 5 pm to about 10 pm on a hot summer Thursday evening and found it to be a great night out for the teens – we certainly covered a lot of ground in just a few hours. If you visit Seaside let us know what you think.

Photo Friday: The Last Sunset of Summer

Posted by Mary Turner on September 8, 2011 3 Responses »

Sep 082011

In our neighborhood, autumn came early this year when Hurricane Irene washed out the last weekend of summer and school started before Labor Day. Just a few days before the hurricane barrelled across New Jersey, New York and Vermont we enjoyed one last summer sunset in Long Branch, NJ. #1 Son caught this image which pretty much sums it all up for us.

: The last summer sunset of 2011

The lifeguards are all off duty and the bathing suits and suntan lotion have been put away. The backpacks are full of newly purchased school supplies and a new season of Travel with Teens and Tweens adventures awaits. Happy Fall!

Note: we shared this post with the Delicious Baby photo friday roundup which is a great place to discover lots of fun family travel bloggers.

NJ’s Americana Diner: A Classic

Posted by Mary Turner on September 15, 2010 Comments Off

Sep 152010

According to the American Diner Museum web site, the word “diner” is a derivative of “dining car” and diner designs originally reflected the styling that manufacturers borrowed from railroad dining cars. The first diners were simple prefab affairs with a counter, stools and a cooking area along the back wall.

The Americana Diner, Shrewsbury NJ - a classic!

Of course over a number of decades, diners got bigger, tables and booths were added and the decor got a whole lot flashier with stainless steel, neon and chrome being featured prominently. We are always on the lookout for particularly good examples of classic diners and found one in the Americana on Route 35 in Shrewsbury, NJ, just a few miles from the beach and near an upscale mall. We stopped in for lunch (and paid our own tab). The teens thought the burgers, fries and deli sandwiches were tasty. The menu is enormous so even the pickiest eater will be happy. The diner is open from early morning to late night 7 days a week. If you are in the area check it out and let us know what you think.

Asbury Park, NJ Making a Comeback

Posted by Mary Turner on September 9, 2010 Comments Off

Sep 092010

Welcome to Asbury Park

The beaches and boardwalk of Asbury Park, NJ were once jewels of the shore, featuring a mile of rides, mini-golf, shops, sand, beautiful people and happy families. However, for the last 25 years or more it has been tough times in Asbury, as the boardwalk and shopping district were largely abandoned. Thankfully, the tide is beginning to turn in Asbury and for the first time in many years the summer crowds are coming back.

Our recent visit to Asbury Park shows that times are indeed changing for the better. On a beautiful hot Sunday afternoon the beach and boardwalk were mobbed and a new generation of trendy restaurants and shops were doing a brisk business. In addition, the town’s performance venues such as the Stone Pony, the Wonder Bar, the Paramount Theater and Convention Hall, have beefed up their calendars and been successful in attracting many visitors to a wide range of events as well.

Jazz Brunch on the Asbury Park Boarkwalk

For teens and tweens who are too young for the nightclubs, the boardwalk offers some fun and funky shopping at the likes of Posh Den, Style Rocket, and Cielo. Its a refreshing mix of independent craftspeople and entrepreneurs here – no national chain stores or restaurants to be seen. We enjoyed lunch at the Langosta Lounge; they even had a jazz band playing outside. Several other sit down restaurants also offered full service indoor and outdoor dining along the boardwalk.

Shopping at Posh Den on the Boardwalk

The Silverball Pinball Museum was worth the trip to Asbury Park all by itself. Dad and #1 Son really enjoyed playing vintage pinball machines from the 1930s to the 1990s eras while the girls went shopping. For a flat rate half-hour, hourly or daily fee you can play any machine – no quarters required. Nearby Hot Sand offers a unique opportunity to blow your own glass – and they sell some really lovely pieces that are made right there in their boardwalk studio.

Admiring the hand blown glasswork at Hot Sand

Don’t get us wrong, there is still a lot of work to do in Asbury. A few new condo buildings have opened, but many vacant lots remain on the streets behind the Boardwalk and the southern end of the Boardwalk still has a pretty empty feel to it. Nonetheless, the beach is beautiful and there is definitely more energy and positive vibes along the Asbury Park Boardwalk than there have been for many years. We are hoping that the comeback continues.

Looking for more ideas for fun with teens and tweens at the Jersey Shore? Check out our Jersey Shore Top 10 list.

We want to thank Jersey Shore Jen for letting us know that Asbury is back in action and encouraging us to check it out. Visit her blog for all the latest on Jersey Shore happenings throughout the year.

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