By John Hall for Blue Mountain Town & Country Gazette
Whether you live in Whitehall, Palmerton, Bath or anywhere else in our readership area, you are under two-and-a-half hours from Point Pleasant Beach on the Jersey Shore – our “Short Getaway…” focus in this issue. One of the great things about Point Pleasant Beach is that you also have the town of Point Pleasant – a charming Jersey Shore beach town – right next door.
As you probably know, there are a good number of beach destinations to be found along the Jersey Shore, but if you’re looking for a beach destination that is quieter and more family friendly, Point Pleasant Beach could be your ticket. The town and beach are located at the northern end of the Shore. As a matter of fact, Point Pleasant Beach is actually the Shore’s northernmost coastal community directly facing the Atlantic Ocean.
Routing and Accommodations
Another advantage of it being at the northernmost end of the Shore is that you won’t have to fight your way through an endless amount of beach-bound summer traffic as you would traveling further south. There seem to be at least two good routes for getting there from our readership area.
A trip to the Point Pleasant Beach / Point Pleasant area is very doable as a daytrip. It could also work to plan it as a one- or two-night beach weekend. A quick search on Expedia or another travel site for Point Pleasant Beach will indicate there are many accommodation options at the Beach, as well as in the town of Point Pleasant and within another 2-3 miles.
The Atmosphere of the Place
The atmosphere is mainly “beach town on the Jersey Shore.” That said the town of Point Pleasant has a sizable residential community, so overall the area has a quieter, more stable community feel than other beach destinations. You can find plenty of beach craziness at the Shore, but you’ll need to go further south to get into the thick of it.
According to information on Wikipedia, this is the difference between the beach and the town: Point Pleasant Beach is home to the beach, the Boardwalk and an old fashioned downtown that dates back to the 19th Century, while Point Pleasant Borough is more of a bedroom community with sizable neighborhoods and a strong fishing industry.
The Point Pleasant Beach community is considered to be a vibrant, year-round town with thriving restaurants, clean beaches and an incredibly family-friendly atmosphere. In the summer months, the beach is generally packed – as are most along the Shore – so the advice is to get there very early if you want a spot near the water.
Public and Private Beach Access
According to info. from pointpleasantbeach.com, Point Pleasant Beach has both public access and private beaches. You will find the public access beach at the southern end of town, and depending on local conditions, you might see surfers in the water.
Be sure to note there is an age-based beach access fee at Point Pleasant Beach, and lifeguards are present from 9-5 each day. The fees at Point Pleasant Beach are reportedly smaller than fees at other beaches on the Shore.
For a wealth of information on Point Pleasant Beach, visit: www.pointpleasantbeach.com.
