Sandy Hook, NJ
Every Summer
NJ has many beautiful beaches down the shore. There is a beach for every taste, there are party beaches, quiet beaches, beaches with roller coaster rides, aquariums, water parks, hiking, habitats and so much more fun.
I love the beach. Real beach. Ocean with big waves and miles of sand. I’ve tried many of them on the Jersey shore. My favorites are Belmar and Sandy Hook. I enjoyed Seven Presidents. Point Pleasant has many rides, and restaurants and the Jackson Aquarium. It is a fun place to take the kids to spend a day, but if you are looking to just enjoy the water there are many quieter spots.
Out of all the beaches Sandy Hook is definitely a favorite! Maybe it’s that it is just the sand and the ocean, or maybe it’s that I am in good company there, or maybe it’s the music and the sunsets. I don’t know what it is, but I fell in love with that particular beach over the last few years.
This was the second year that we joined some friends on the Sandy Hook Beach every Wednesday night. Every night there is a free concert there at 5 pm and until sundown on beach E. Entrance to the beach is free after 5 pm, and before 5 pm it is only $15.00 per car. Keep in mind though, that if you show up at 4:58 pm, you will still have to pay the entrance fee, so if you mean to come after 5 pm, better make sure it is actually after 5 pm. Depending on the band playing, the parking fills up quickly, so if you are there to see the concert, be prepared for a bit of a walk to beach E. It is really a very lovely walk. The concerts are run by The Sandy Hook Foundation every year. HERE is their website. They do a lot for this beautiful park! You can also find the schedule for the concerts on their website every year.
I do consider us to be very lucky to be able to do that every week. It is beautiful. We stay off to the side, a bit away from the concert crowd. The kids get to play with their friends and enjoy some fresh ocean air. We watch the sunset, and a few times even the moon rise, and make more friends along the way. Good friends make everything more fun!!! It is like a small vacation and something we look forward to every year!
Sandy Hook is a National State Park: HERE is more information about this wonderful place.
The bay side is a fun place to explore. There are classes and programs you can sign up for, or just go for a stroll. One of the most wonderful and fun things that we have done there is the canoe tour. It was free (there was a nominal registration fee of $3.00 or so). We got there on the designated time, and were accompanied by two fantastic and knowledgeable rangers. The canoe tour is about 2 hours long and goes around the bay side. We made it to an island, where we got to collect plenty of seashells and glass. The rangers told us about wild life, and vegetation, as well as answering a million questions from the kids. Then we got to canoe back. All in all, the program was excellent, like a wonderful little adventure. The kids and the adults enjoyed themselves the entire time. I would do it again this year, and the next, as long as my kids are interested! You can reserve your tour on their website right here.
Few more older photos of our days on the beach! It has been quite a few years of a weekly beach time for this family.
