Jersey Shore question

beeg123

beeg123

Cathlete
Hi everyone,
I am thinking about making the August road trip a family affair by having DH and the kids head to a beach on the Jersey shore for the weekend and then I would meet up with them on Sunday. I have never been to the Jersey shore and I have no clue as to which beaches are "family friendly". Since my son has a severe food allergy, I also need to find an area where there are fast food places available (unfortunately, the only restaurants that are "known" entities as far as food allergies are concerned) as well as hotels that have suite accommodations so that I could cook meals for us. TIA for any help you can give me.


Beth http://www.rykat.org/forums/style_emoticons/default/arrowhead.png
 
Beth-I grew up (and am now raising my kids) in Eastern PA an every single year as a kid, my mom would take me and my 2 sisters to Seaside Heights, NJ! As a parent myself now, that's where I take my kids and we ABSOLUTELY LOVE IT! I've never had a problem with any kind of problems from a "rough crowd" (language, drunkenness, etc). We stay either 1 block off the beach or right on the beach. I can't give you names of specific hotels, because I like to make it an impromptu outing. I pack us up one night and off we drive...when I get there, we just go from hotel to hotel looking for a room. We've never had a problem getting a room either.

I don't know, without looking at a map, where Seaside is in relation to Cathe's gym in Glassboro, though.

I hope that helps some.

Gayle
 
Hey!
I grew up on that beach as well.. it's about an hour and a half from Cathe's gym.. you have to head north on the parkway but it would DEFFITINLY be worth it!
There's even a water park opposite the shore with lots of flumes and slides.. (little $$ though if you ask me) ;)
You can do a search online and find some efficiencies and hotels with kitchen accomodations.. you will save 50%+ if you can stay on a weeknight.
 
Beth,

Ocean City has been a longtime favorite, and it's perfect for families. It's got a nice, clean boardwalk with some cute shops, an arcade, and a few rides geared more toward younger kids. Wildwood has also regained popularity in recent years, but OC isn't as far of a drive from this area (about an hour). It's very easy to hop on the Expressway coming from your hotel in Deptford. From there, you get on the Parkway South for just a short bit. Here's a link with places to stay: http://www.ocnj.us/stay-listings.asp

-Cathy

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"Do you want to feel my spatula?" Run, Fat Boy, Run
 
We love the Point Pleasant Beach boardwalk for family fun. They have a small amusement park for the kiddies.
 
Jerry (aka Eaglobo) works at the Jersey shore. Hopefully he will see this thread and give you some advice. Where along the Jersey shore are you planning on going? North? South? I guess he won't be much help if you're going to stay on the opposite end of the state :)
 
Wildwood is my personal fave. The boardwalk is huge as is the beach. Tons of places to stay and I know many of them have efficiency rooms which means they have a full kitchen in them. There are lots of places to eat both on and off the boardwalk as well.
 
Hi, I second the vote for Ocean City, NJ. Family friendly. The boardwalk is the cleanest (in more ways than one). You won't be disappointed.
 
Ocean City is a great choice for families. In fact so is Cape May (Jerry's town) if boardwalks & amusements aren't #1 on your list. The most beautiful beaches on the Jersey shore & relatively inexpensive. Both are closer to Glassboro and much more family friendly than the northern beaches like Pt. Pleasant or Seaside Heights. In fact, Seaside Heights and Wildwood are definitely NOT good choices for families. We Jerseyites (Jerseyans?) avoid those beaches like the plague. They're filthy, crime-ridden & somewhat ghetto-ish. Point Pleasant is OK--a great boardwalk--but it has a lot of public facilities so it gets ridiculously crowded with a lot of NY day-trippers (funny how the New Yawkers make fun of NJ until they want a day at the beach! :p ).

Long Beach Island is also really nice & has a fair amount of activities, but their beaches are kind of disappearing & it can be expensive. Avalon is beautiful, somewhat pricey & no boardwalk, but one of my favorites.

But your best choice is probably still Ocean City. Just be advised that it's a dry town so if you want any alcohol, even a bottle of wine, be prepared to buy it on the way. ;-)
 
Another vote for Ocean City, NJ. My family spent almost every summer there when I was growing up. Even though it is a dry town, there is a liquor store right outside of town so you won't have to go far (my family is Irish and never brought enough for the week).
 
My vote is Ocean City and Long Island. My MIL lives right outside Long Island. So, we go there when we visit. Normally, we go to Sea Isle City since it's NOT a dry town.}( We just avoid staying near the first two roads closest to the promenade where the younger, rowdier crowd hang. Another reason we go to Sea Isle is because we feel like it's more laid back than Ocean City. It's between Stone Harbor and Ocean City. We'll take the kids to the Ocean City's boardwalk one day and drive to Stone Harbor's Salt Water marshes and wildlife center on another day.

Wendy
 
Girl, you'd better call & make reservations TODAY! If you can even find a hotel w/vacancies.........this is a tough time of year to find a decent place to stay, & you're only 2 weeks away........good luck! :)
 
Beth,

Although I live and work in Cape May, for your needs, I would go with Ocean City in a second!!!! I grew up as a child in Wildwood, when it was safe, and now....I wouldn't advise my worst enemy to go there...Laura nailed this pretty well already.

Cape May is far more geared towards adults.

Ocean City reminds me of what Wildwood USED to be like, if I had children of my own, that's where I'd go.
 
Ocean City is still my first recommendation, but I have to respectfully disagree about Wildwood. I have several friends, including those with young children (like our Wendy! :)), who love it there. It did earn a bad rap there for a number of years, but I think it's mostly shaken that negativity and seen quite a resurgence in popularity.

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"Do you want to feel my spatula?" Run, Fat Boy, Run
 
Beth, I think Sea Isle City is the place for you! It's a great family place. The beaches are clean and there aren't a ton of crazy teens. There is a small boardwalk. We actually call it a cement walk. It's not very exciting for older kids but it has the requisite pizza, candym icecream, and arcade. There is miniature golf and eveing concerts on the boardwalk.Wildwood and Ocean City are not far away - 20 mins or so. I've been going to SeaIsle for years and I'm there right now! There aren't many motels. LaCosta and the SeaIsleInn arethe only ones in the city. Email me if you need more info.
Phyllis

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I have to exercise early in the morning before my brain figures out what I'm doing :)

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Another vote for Ocean City, NJ! We just came back from our summer vacation there. It's a wonderful family beach, with a fun boardwalk, lots of great eats and rides, and public bathrooms :)

ETA: There is a McDonald's in Ocean City also, on 9th Street as you're coming into town.
 
I live in the shore area and have to cast my vote for Ocean City as well. While I personally spend my time in Sea Isle (we have a condo there), for someone looking for an overall ideal vacation spot, especially with kids, Ocean City can't be beat.

I agree with the above poster about Wildwood, as well. I think the town has worked very hard to overcome the bad rap it got a few years back and is really starting to come into its own again. A few of my friends have vacation homes there and really love the area.

Have fun and good luck with finding a place to stay!
 
No one would be happier than me to see Wildwood return to its glory days, I used to get major goose bumps just be hearing the word Wildwood. I applaud the people who are helping to turn the place around, it's alot more family friendly than it was 3 years ago, but there's still work to be done, IMHO.
 
I just came back from spending a day in Ocean City. My 10 year old loved it. The boardwalk clean. Bathroom was clean. It does have a small waterpark and it looks like it has rides at both ends of the boardwalk. We only hung out at the beach, which was also clean and full of families. The only problem I had was the water was COLD!! But we definetly enjoyed are day at the beach.

Jenn
 
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