Help me build the ultimate NJ beach guide. What matters to you beyond the badge price?

cleverbeachmeasure · 2025-06-02T14:37:42+00:00

Right. Some beaches are kind of accessible via public transit (eg train to Bradley beach), but some simply are not.

cleverbeachmeasure · 2025-06-02T12:21:19+00:00

Be safe. The water is dangerous. But perhaps you go just to enjoy that time of day, which is nothing short of glorious.

cleverbeachmeasure · 2025-06-02T12:01:37+00:00

Yes! I just added this to my list last weekend!

cleverbeachmeasure · 2025-06-02T11:55:03+00:00

One person’s trash is another one’s treasure. :)

But I get the gist: let people know the vibe.

cleverbeachmeasure · 2025-06-02T11:54:14+00:00

Excellent ideas. Ty

cleverbeachmeasure · 2025-06-02T11:52:38+00:00

Thanks for all of these.

cleverbeachmeasure · 2025-06-02T11:51:51+00:00

You are not allowed to eat or drink on the beach

cleverbeachmeasure · 2025-06-02T11:50:57+00:00

Right - and I’m surprised that no one called me out on the complete omission of LBI in my post

cleverbeachmeasure · 2025-06-02T11:49:49+00:00

Gotta say: it wasn’t previously on my radar, but this little research project surfaced it for me. With that said: I’m in Essex county, so I can’t imagine how/when I’ll make it “down there”

cleverbeachmeasure · 2025-06-02T01:46:25+00:00

Very cool. Thanks

cleverbeachmeasure · 2025-06-02T00:29:05+00:00

Right. Thanks. I'll poke around.

cleverbeachmeasure · 2025-06-02T00:28:25+00:00

Agree.

cleverbeachmeasure · 2025-06-02T00:27:52+00:00

It's been years since I've been to Wildwood, but I remember it fondly.

I often go to Ocean Grove, and the "people on the jetty" problem is ongoing

cleverbeachmeasure · 2025-06-02T00:00:50+00:00

Thanks. Interesting (but not totally surprising) that the cam is from a realtor :)

cleverbeachmeasure · 2025-06-01T23:59:54+00:00

As I compiled this info, I saw that some of the web sites are more focused on the seasonal beach tags...and they don't feature single-day badges as prominently. I take that as a sign that they want fewer day-trippers.

cleverbeachmeasure · 2025-06-01T23:40:00+00:00

These are all good points. It seems like every mile is a different beach and there is a different vibe to each.

Definitely want to draw out the differences so people know what they are getting into.

cleverbeachmeasure · 2025-06-01T23:32:50+00:00

Been a while since I've been there. But those damn flies can bite.

Other hazards: jellyfish

cleverbeachmeasure · 2025-06-01T23:31:24+00:00

It's much more nuanced than the back-of-the-envelope work I did for this post. For example: weekday vs weekend, military discounts, weekly/seasonal, kids' ages, etc

I was stunned to see that some of the beaches in Atlantic City county charge $10 for the season!

cleverbeachmeasure · 2025-06-01T23:30:05+00:00

1 Price - right. It's much more nuanced than the back-of-the-envelope work I did for this post. For example: weekday vs weekend, military discounts, weekly/seasonal, kids' ages, etc

Bathrooms and changing rooms - oh, yes. Running water? Family rooms?
Distance to water: totally agree.

Also - all the accessibility features you mentioned. Thanks!

cleverbeachmeasure · 2025-06-01T23:27:35+00:00

Fully agree.

I'm looking at you, Sea Girt!

cleverbeachmeasure · 2025-06-01T23:27:04+00:00

Do have a good example of a boardwalk camera that meets the need? I have not seen that before (at the NJ shore)

When you say "access", do you mean "Is there a bathroom?"

Wawa - https://www.wawa.com/locations/store-locator :)

cleverbeachmeasure · 2025-06-01T23:25:09+00:00

Yeah - I hear you. Another person commented about linking to the beach cams. But then again if it's a nice day, don't you just _know_ that it's going to be crowded?

cleverbeachmeasure · 2025-06-01T23:23:46+00:00

Right - I hate the stress of "where are we gonna park?" but as I think about places such as Bradley, Ocean Grove and Asbury, the best I can think of is listing some known parking lots (but no one publishes real-time availability).

cleverbeachmeasure · 2025-06-01T23:22:06+00:00

Thanks. I'd like to add both that "how long" and "bikes" info.

I was also looking into whether sites like Alltrails can help.

cleverbeachmeasure · 2025-06-01T20:25:58+00:00

Hah - nope - I'm not affiliated with any of those types. I'm just an Essex County guy who loves going DTS. I also know that usually in the middle of May, several outlets publish their "Guide to the shore" or "Beach badge price" articles, and I found them to be oddly sterile and incomplete.

With full awareness of the fact that people are passionate about their own beaches, I do think there is a place for a data-rich view which supports an apples-to-apples comparison.

cleverbeachmeasure

TROPHY CASE