The Jersey Shore Without the Parkway - Sea Bright to Seaside

This road trip is for meanderers, for those who aren't quite ready to leave the beach after a long weekend or for those who enjoy the drive and the lunch and the shops maybe more than they enjoy laying on the beach all day. In the summer, this drive will get you in the thick of the beach life and give you a smorgasbord experience. You can check out all o the beaches and then go back to your favorite for an entire day. Of course also a great drive in the spring and the fall, when the traffic is gone but the boardwalks are still hopping. I'm going to start the trip at Sandy Hook and drive down to Seaside, but you can do it the other way too of course.

You're probably coming off the Parkway, and taking Route 36 East, through Keansburg all the way over the bridge to Sandy Hook. If you want to follow the signs to Sandy Hook, Gateway National Recreation Area you'll have a great time, but this trip is heading south instead. Instead of going towards Sandy Hook, head south towards Sea Bright. You'll be on Ocean Avenue. If you haven't been to Sea Brigwww.associatedcontent.com/article/195172/jersey_shore_vacations_best_beach_towns.htmlht, I guarantee you will be looking up Sea Bright real estate when you get home at the end of the day. It's such a gem. It's just a skinny little strip of land. You'll have to go past the private beach areas (you'll know them when you see them) to the municipal beach areas if you want to stop and stick your toes in the water. Sea Bright is worth a stop. Then keep driving along Ocean Avenue through Sea Bright and you'll come to Monmouth Beach, a really lovely area. Keep going and as you are coming to Long Branch, you'll notice that the road is now Ocean Blvd (also Route 36). Once you are in Long Branch, you will see the Ocean Place Resort and Spa on your left. If you are looking for a place to spend the night with beach front rooms, this is your place. You defiantly need to make reservations. If you stop your trip right here and spend a night or a few days, you'll have a great time. Even if you aren't going to stay, you have to make the left turn just after the Ocean Palace and go down towards the ocean to Pier Village. This place is wonderful. It's a "downtown" with really nice shops and restaurants and a boardwalk. Don't go through Long Branch without at least driving through this area. You'll want to make a mental note to come back when you have more time.

Continue on Ocean Blvd (now also known as Route 57) and you'll come to Deal, home of the big houses. This area is amazing. You probably won't bother looking for real estate here because you'll just know you can't afford it. It's really fun to drive down a side road towards the beach just to take a look at these incredible homes. Just do it, drive around one block, and just gawk. Continue on, it's now Ocean Avenue again. You're coming towards Asbury Park now and then Ocean Grove. . You can wind through Asbwww.associatedcontent.com/article/38138/asbury_park_from_bust_to_boom.htmlury, I enjoy seeing the progress as this once thriving shore town is coming back to life, or you can go around it. The Asbury and Ocean Grove areas are tricky and don't just continue along the beach so, at any point you can just go up to Route 71 (make a right and you will come to it). Take route 71 South through Asbury and Ocean Grove. Now watch for Lake Terrace (or 18) in Bradley Beach and make a left going back down to Ocean Ave. This area of Bradley Beach, Avon and then Belmar is wonderful and a beautiful drive. Ocean Avenue is a bit wider and the boardwalk is beautiful. In the summer, the area is full of people on bikes and roller blades. I'm a fan of the Belmar Beaches because I love the jetties. If you keep going, you will go through beautiful Spring Lake and then Sea Girt. The drive gets a little tricky again in Sea Girt. Ocean Ave becomes 1^st Avenue, then Second Avenue, then Washington Blvd. You have to take Washington up to Route 71 (also 7^th Ave and Parker Ave). Take Route 71 to Route 35 through Brielle. Once you are over the bridge, get back to the ocean ASAP. Best if you take the left onto Broadway down to Ocean Avenue. That brings you to the inlet on the Point Pleasant side. If you look across, you will see Manasquan. Our trip missed Manasquan. Getting to Manasquan is a little complicated to explain. You just have to pull out the map to see what I mean. Manasquan is fantastic, and I'm sure the regulars like the fact that it take a little more know how to get there. So, we are in Point Pleasant, the perfect (though pricy) place for families. Great place to stop for a snack or a stroll on the boardwalk. Point Pleasant has a tiki bar, an aquarium, rides and lots of shops. The town of Point Pleasant is also worth a look as there are lots of interesting stores. Brave New World in here, very cool and large surf and ski shop with really nice clothing as well as all the stuff you need to surf and ski.

From Point Plwww.associatedcontent.com/article/68322/best_pizza_in_ocean_county_new_jersey.htmleasant you then come to Bay Head and Mantoloking. These are beautiful homes right on the beach. Then you come to one of our family favorites, Normandy Beach and then in to Lavallette. In this area, Ocean Avenue is Route 35 and the north and south lanes are separated by a block, so you can miss some good stuff on the way down. Be sure to stop on the way back home. The B & B Clothing store on 35 North in Lavallette is worth a quick stop as it is packed with wonderful beach clothing for everyone, from teens to adults. Stop here off season and you hit some amazing sales. On 35 North in Normandy, is a really fun, little seashell shop. Aside for those two stores, the Lavallette boardwalk is a great walk, no stores, no junk, just boards. Next stop is Seaside Heights and then Sea Side Park. That's the end of our trip. You could continue and go to Island Beach State Park, but during the summer you better get there early as it does fill to capacity at times.

My family has taken this drive many times during all seasons. For us, it's what we do when we need a break and change f scenery. We stop someplace different every time, though we never drive by the B & B without checking out the sales.