Just saying the words “Jersey Shore” evokes an image of summertime escape. Probably because it’s one of the East Coast’s most popular vacation destinations, with its 100-plus miles of sandy beaches, sheltered bays and scenic rivers. 

Part of its popularity lies in its being easy to reach. From New York City, all it takes is boarding a SeaStreak ferry. Fast ferry service seven days a week from Manhattan to Highlands and Atlantic Highlands offers spectacular views of the New York Harbor and the Sandy Hook National Recreation Area. SeaStreak enhances a trip to the shore with special excursions, including sunset cruises, sightseeing and July 4th fireworks cruises. Service to Sandy Hook beach begins the end of May.

Once there, zero in on the escape offered on the Jersey Shore, and head for the its northernmost reaches – Monmouth and Ocean counties. There is where a myriad of attractions await, from the hip, walkable Red Bank and its theaters, restaurants, shops and luxury hotels, and the fun-filled Six Flag Great Adventure; to wineries, pick-your-own farms, thoroughbred racing at Monmouth Park and the excitement of boardwalks and sparkling beaches that stretch from Sandy Hook to Long Beach Island.

Where the Shore Shines

Asbury Park boasts a newly-revived boardwalk with exciting shops, restaurants and hands-on artisans’ venues.  Stone Pony leads a collection of the area’s best clubs for catching great live music. A hip and funky downtown district with unique boutiques and eateries, centered on Cookman Avenue, features monthly First Saturday events and the Guinness Oysterfest in October.  The beautifully restored Paramount Theater and the adjoining Convention Hall are year-round entertainment venues that showcase everything from opera to roller derby. And for one exciting weekend in April, Asbury Park morphs into Hollywood East, as the Garden State Film Festival takes over the city.

Springtime also means the return of the Jersey Shore’s favorite spectator sports: baseball and thoroughbred racing.  The Lakewood BlueClaws, the Single-A affiliate of the Philadelphia Phillies, provide first-class family entertainment at FirstEnergy Park in Lakewood.  Kids eat for free on April 9, opening day against the Delmarva Shorebirds. The horses begin running at Monmouth Park Racetrack in Oceanport on May 9 for the first of 94 racing days. The racing season opener also will showcase New Jersey’s Great Destinations, giving visitors an overview of all there is to see and do in the Garden State. 

Events Make the Summer

Memorial Day weekend is the unofficial start of the summer season in the rest of the country, but on the Jersey Shore, summer starts earlier – May 15 – 17, thanks to a celebration of the arts along the coastline.  In Asbury Park, Long Branch and Red Bank, a year-round center of creative ideas, long for discovery during the TriCity Arts Tour. Offering big names such as Chris Boti at Red Bank’s Count Basie Theatre or hands-on events such as jewelry workshops, an operatic aria on a street corner, experimental music inside a historic church, a night of theater at a boardwalk carousel, performance art inside a bowling alley, a fine art exhibit on a highway or a film projected on the side of a store, the TriCity Arts Tour showcases the incredible depth and vitality of the local arts scene.

After exulting in the arts, continue the quest for fun by heading south.  Be in Belmar, May 16 -17, to fly high during the Belmar Kite Festival on the beach or take in the Town Wide Yard Sale. Then enjoy a self-guided tour of eleven Spring Lake historic inns at the Third Annual Authors and Inns Tour, featuring cookbooks by a star-studded celebrity list of chefs, restaurateurs and culinary TV/media personalities, who will be signing and selling their books.

Get going to Long Beach Island for Ocean Fun Day at Island Beach State Park on May 16. It’s a day of nature tours, children’s activities and educational displays presented by the New Jersey Marine Sciences Consortium.  Along the way, enjoy live music and dance, visual arts and fine crafts of the region at the Downtown Toms River Music and Art Festival at Huddy Park.

Tune in to the Seaside Music fest when it rolls onto the Seaside Heights boardwalk, May 14 -17, with a four-day festival bringing bands, music industry professionals and, of course, music fans. This year the festival boasts 15 stages, including two outdoor all-ages stages, featuring more than 170 local, regional, national and international performers. (It’s not all about the music, though, as there also are a volleyball tournament and surf and wakeboard clinics.)

More live music takes the stage June 5-7 during the Red Bank Jazz & Blues Festival. On the shores of the Navesink, three full days and nights of jazz, blues, food, crafts and family fun will rock the weekend.  Headliners include Sonny Kenn, the Deanna Bogart Band and the Houston Person Quartet, with performances all weekend by T.J. Wheeler.

Food is a big part of summer, and Tuckerton Seaport does its part on May 17 with its 3rd Annual Barbeque & Bluegrass Jamboree, with crafters, vendors, boat rides, family activities and demonstrations, along with the sounds of bluegrass and the sweet smell of barbecue. The taste buds will be treated again on May 30, as Toms River hosts the 20th Annual New Jersey State Chili & Salsa Cook-Off, New Jersey’s only International Chili Society-sanctioned state competition. The cook-off will be complemented by live entertainment, crafters, vendors and tastings.

The noshing doesn’t end there because Belmar is a seafood lover’s paradise during the 23rd Annual New Jersey Seafood Festival, June 13-14.  One of the largest seafood festivals in the nation, the festival features the best the ocean has to offer, as well as crafters and live entertainment.

Possibly the epicenter of summer across the country, Independence Day celebrations light up the Jersey Shore, too. The granddaddy of them all is on Friday, July 3, with KABOOM! Fireworks on the Navesink.  Thrill to more than 10,000 shells launched over the Navesink River from two barge locations in Red Bank and Rumson, all choreographed to a mix of popular and patriotic songs. The celebration continues in Long Branch on July 4, during OceanFest, which featuring vendors, bands, exhibits, food and fireworks on the Oceanfront Promenade.

In short, summer on the Jersey Shore means fun, food and memories.