My favorite Jersey vacation destination allows me to get away from city living for a week and just hang out on the beach, catch up on my summer reading and spend quality time with my darling Chris. People are friendly, the air is clean and there is something to do for everyone.

Ocean Grove is a charming beach town that’s one square mile between Neptune, Asbury Park and Bradley Beach on the Jersey shore. It’s about an hour and a half from NYC (Exit 100B off the GSP or take an Academy bus from the Port Authority). Main Street is filled with delightful shops, cafes and art galleries. The Victorian style homes and B&B’s are close together and the open porches with wooden rocking chairs add to the quaintness of the environment. In the center of town is the Great Auditorium with music greats like Davy Jones performing on Saturday evenings and church services on Sundays. Surrounding the auditorium is a “tent city” with more than 100 tent style homes that are owned by the United Methodist Camp Association and leased to families.

The town is refreshingly not commercialized (there’s not a cell phone store or fast food chain to be found). The old-fashioned wooden boardwalk is undeveloped and is great for early morning bike rides and after-dinner romantic walks. The price of a daily beach pass is $7 this year but well worth it for the clean, spacious beach. After the lifeguards leave at 5:30, it’s fun to watch the surfers. If you come on a Sunday, be aware that the beach doesn’t open until 12:30.

During the week, the town is quiet and draws a lot of moms with small children. The weekend picks up and it can be hard to find parking. The diversity mirrors that of NJ with people from different ethnic and socio-economic backgrounds and ranging from families with small or teen-aged children, to 20- and 30-something singles to senior citizens. I’ve also noticed a number of rainbow flags in recent years.

What you don’t find in Ocean Grove is a party. Because it is a seriously dry town (you can bring in your own alcohol but there are no bars or liquor stores), things wind down around 11:00. If there is a night or two that I need a little more excitement, we usually take a 15-minute walk into Asbury Park and go to The Saint on Main Street, which features local musicians. Usually, however, I am content to sit on the front porch with a bottle of Sam Adams, hanging out with friends.

As tradition dictates, our last night we go out for a cup of the best ice cream in town. We pass the obvious Nagle’s (a pharmacy turned kitschy restaurant on a prominent corner of Main Avenue) where the line at the ice cream window stretches down the block. Instead we head around the corner and off the beaten path to Day’s ice cream parlor. Besides serving the best ice cream I’ve ever tasted, they allow you to order a small ice cream but get two flavors. While the most popular flavor “It’s a Goody” (vanilla ice cream, swirled peanut butter and chocolate chips), is well worth trying, my favorites are the chocolate espresso and butter pecan.

Ahhh. . . after a week in Ocean Grove, I’m ready to face my real life again.

— by Melissa H.
Melissa has lived in Hudson County for 16 years. She is passionate about issues of faith and social justice, politics, and creative wholesome vegetarian cooking.

If you enjoyed this post, make sure you subscribe to our RSS feed!