This year, I have made it my mission to expand the beaches to which I (and my boys) have been. Growing up, we went went to 44th Street Beach in Long Beach Township (at Wida's!) every time. My mom still goes there.
This week, we ventured to Sandy Hook. I'd been there once before, on a field trip in High School. We didn't go to the beach but rather to the Twin Lights and probably something for bio class. Otherwise, I don't think I've ever been there. I chose this because it is the northern most ocean beach, and so is closest to our central NJ home.
For $15, the whole car-ful gets access to the National Park. This is a great deal if you'd be paying for your whole family's beach badges, but for just me and my two little (free on most beaches) boys, it really wasn't worth it. If my husband was with us, though, it would be a day that would make everyone happy, since he'd have plenty of trails to ride on his bike and there's more than just the beach to see (he's not a fan of the beach at all).
A friend mentioned that the beach at the Sea Gull's Nest restaurant was nice, so that's where we went. As soon as we arrived, we hit the bathrooms; they are plentiful and clean. I saw many outdoor (and not private) showers, and found online that there are indoor showers available (I couldn't confirm that by spending many minutes searching and calling the visitor's center). We walked to the beach and it's really wide. Luckily for those of us towing a heavy Wonder Wheeler, it's fairly flat (though still difficult going back up with said Wonder Wheeler and two tired kiddos who aren't interested in carrying anything). We chose the lifeguard protected side; it was nice because you don't have to worry about swimming "between the flags" like on many other beaches. Here, as long as you go to the lifeguarded side, it's ALL "between the flags."
It didn't seem like such a clear day, but yet:
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| Manhattan; you can see the Freedom Tower on the left. |
The waves were pretty gentle here. My almost 5 year old got knocked down a few times, standing at the water's edge, but it is definitely not a place to go surfing. It didn't even seem like really a good place to go boogie boarding; the waves were crashing maybe 10 feet from the water's edge. The nice thing about this, though, is that you can get out pretty far just by walking, or be in up to your hips and yet you're out past the breaks.
One complaint, and you'll see it on any review of the beach here, is that there are no trash receptacles anywhere. It's a carry in, carry out place, which makes sense, except that many people DON'T. There was trash around us, which I picked up and carried out, only to find there was NO WHERE to throw out what I picked up (and sorry, I'm not carrying other people's garbage and beer bottles home in my car with me).
We then went for a little drive to see what we could see. We passed the famous Gunnison Beach (that would be the nude beach to which my high school boyfriend always said he was going to take me), and drove around the lighthouse and Fort Hancock barracks area. My son was thrilled to see missiles and canons... not so impressed by the lighthouse.
In short, we had a great time, but it's not going to be a regular beach destination for us; the price is prohibitive... at least until I have to pay for each of my sons to join me. We will definitely be back, though, with my husband and his bike in tow. Maybe we'll even combine a beach and bike tour one day!
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