Ended up here on a warm March 29 because it was closest to where I was. Got a preview of the summer…read morecrowds... barely room to walk. Usually I'd never go anywhere near Point Unpleasant, just because of the parking issues...

I come to Jenkinson's once a year if only to remind me to stay away the other 364 days. What's not…read moreto love.... crowds, lousy food, ridiculous parking and pricing that would make your neighborhood shylock wince. Honestly, on a nice day going back in time for a few hours has its pleasures but if you're looking for sun, sand, sea and a meal that doesn't require an angioplasty chaser there are far better destinations on the Jersey coastline such as Stone Harbor and Cape May. Three deep fried stars.

It's got an adorable petting zoo so it's fun for the whole family. They have a working farm and…read moresell some produce in the summer and early fall. Now, that the seasons over (it was mid November when we went) it's mainly just decorative pumpkins and gourds. We really enjoyed our visit and can't wait to return. The animals were all well cared for and mostly social. You can feed them carrots. It's also very reasonable. I highly recommend checking them out.

So happy we went! My babies first time at the petting zoo & he had a blast!l. The workers were so…read moresweet & the animals are happy and well taken care of. I can't wait to come back when he's bigger! We also purchased a little donkey that they make from their Alpaca fur which I thought was the coolest thing! He loves it

Finally went to the Horse Park of NJ & the place was really beautiful. There are acres of land to…read moreexplore as well as several arenas where horses are trained, compete & shown. A friend & I went there for the wine fest which had been moved from previous years at Allaire State Park. Despite the threatening weather, we had a fabulous time. There were perhaps 20 wineries, each with several types of wine to try. The area is large enough that you are not 6 deep waiting to taste wines. It seemed even our favorite wineries had a nice turnover going with patrons & we had very short waits. Some of my favorite NJ wineries were on hand including Plagido, Cava, DiMatteo, & Wagonhouse, just to name a few. They had plenty of food trucks to choose from with a great variety of food. I chose one I had never seen, Mexiflip. I ordered mango tacos that were delicious! 2 tacos for $6, very reasonable for this type of venue. Admission price was the same as Allaire had been, a very reasonable $25-$30 depending when you bought your ticket. There were also plenty of port-a-johns on site. Parking is extensive & with being a spread out as the park is, there was room for an additional 2 bands to play, alternatively, on opposite sides of the area. I wish had had gotten the names of some of the entertainers as all was very good. If was a fabulous day & I will definitely be returning for the next one. Next time however, I will bring lawn chairs, as seating is not provided.

Outstanding must see attraction for those into the outdoors, nature and animals. This place is…read morelike Horse heaven - absolutely beautiful. Given that there is no admission fee and no parking fee, was shocked to see how well maintained and beautiful the overall park was. Huge ground with several arenas for various events. The day that we went they had a horse shoe going on - saw equestrian event that one would normally see on TV live. It was really breathtaking to see the animals in action. Was amazed and in awe of how disciplined the horses were and the riders were. They have a really wonderful and huge outdoor canopy where you sit under the shade and can watch events occur. They have stables, refreshments and various Everyone was really friendly as well. Would HIGHLY recommend to take kids and families here - great way to spend a portion of the afternoon. Great experience and something totally different. PROS - Free admission, free parking ( huge parking lot ), nice outdoor seating under canopy, indoor warehouse like stadium, horse rinks are adjacent wide range of horses, events every other weekend, beautiful landscape & well kept field given it is free, food vendors during events, very nice & welcoming staff CONS - Walking areas along the rinks are not clearly marked ( need to be very careful, especially with kids, when walking alongside horses ), shabby stalls, watch out for horse manure TIPS - Visit their website and see calendar of events (i.e. barrel racing, horse shows) so that you can see full range of activities - park towards the canopy - Can visit here before heading towards great adventure or Assunpink Wildlife area ( located very close to to both )

Great little place!! So much fun!!! My kids enjoyed it so…read moremuch and can't wait to come back!!!

Came here during the summer and had a wonderful time. My family did not want to leave, especially…read moremy son. He had so much fun and loved the slides. There's plenty of seating here and water activities for kids. The bathrooms were also very clean and spacious. I wish all staff were a bit friendlier. Some were very nice while others were not.

Lots of Parking space when we arrived around 11-12nn but…read moredoes have entrance fee of $10 per car and $10 per adult as of June 2026. Area is very well kempt and beach is clean. Restrooms are available as well as a shower/rinsing area. There is a limited food option from the concession area and there isnt a "boardwalk" so you just enjoy the beach and playground within the vicinity. the playground though is amazing! its quite clean and i love that they have shaded areas to sit and relax. The play areas itself has no shade at all though so can get quite hot. Some porta potties available.

It's that time of the year again! The Garden State Parkway is flooded with cars driving down to the…read moreJersey Shore all summer long. Seven Presidents Oceanfront Park is one of my favorite destinations for an enjoyable beach day. If you prefer a quieter and more peaceful type of beach experience, this is the right place for you. Hours are from 8AM-9:30PM. Guarded swimming is from 10AM-5PM. Admission is $10 per person and parking is $10 per vehicle. While this price may seem hefty for some, I think it's worth it. They have a huge parking lot with immediate walking access to the beach. You won't have to worry about finding street parking like many other Jersey beaches. Anyone ages 17 and under get free entry. Military and veterans (including their spouse and children) get free admission and parking. I wish they provided a discount for senior citizens. After 5pm, it's free for all individuals. What I love the most about this beach is how clean and quiet it is. You can tell that the park rangers take very good care of it. There isn't any trash laying around and the sand is clean. It's never overly crowded, so there's plenty of space to lay around. Most patrons are respectful and well behaved. They don't provide chair or umbrella service, so you have to bring your own. No, the water isn't completely crystal clear..... lol but as of lately, it's been looking a lot more blue, clearer, and prettier :-) There are designated areas for surfing. Waves can be rough and high tide is no joke, so don't sink okayyyyy. There are bathrooms and showers available. Other than the beach, there's a large playground, skateplex, and volleyball areas. The only major con is that there's not much else to do. There isn't a boardwalk, so you won't have access to a lot of food, bars, shops, and entertainment. They have one food/snack pavilion that offers your traditional greasy American fare - burgers, hot dogs, chicken tenders, etc. Breakfast bagels and sandwiches are served until 11AM. There are plenty of picnic tables and umbrellas around to enjoy your food. If you want more of a food scene, the Long Branch Pier Village is literally a 3-5 minute drive away. See yaaaaaaaaaa at the shore!

BEACHWOOD: it is love at first sight at Jakes Branch County Park! The woods along the trails are…read moreso pretty and just has a different feel than other parks we have been to. There are multiple hiking/walking/bike trails spanning from 0.2 to 3.8 miles, so something for every ability. Walk along berry bushes & plants, and "Jakes Branch" stream and over bridges and past picnic and play areas. Our photos do not do the park justice. The park borders Double Trouble State Park and we'll have to visit that another day. Be sure to grab a trail map or pull it up on your phone to have an idea of where you are going. Dogs must be leashed and cleaned up after.

Jakes Branch County Park is located on the other side of the parkway in Beachwood. It is a very…read morefamily oriented park and is good for general recreation. They have all different things to do, including fields for all types of sports fields up front and good playgrounds for kids. They have different length trails, too, so that you can get exercise walking through the woods. People walk on them, and I have also seen dirt bikers. There's no admission to enter. One thing that is creative about it is that they have these "play pockets". Most parks just have playgrounds up front near the entrance, but here you have to go down the trail to get to them. It's really suitable for children. The park in general has a safe feel. The woods are just basically pine forest. It's obviously not on the level of Yosemite. But it is a nice place to have locally. One cool thing they have there is a big mural done by a local artist over 30 years ago of the Hindenburg landing in Lakehurst. If you go up to the watchtower, you can even see the hangar all the way on the base in Lakehurst.

LAKEWOOD: Brie's mission to find more fun parks is going well and that includes finding Lakewood…read morePine Park! There is a multi-use paved path that meanders through the property with views of the Lakewood Historical museum (not dog friendly), sports fields/courts, and a lot of picnic areas! This path is also used for vehicles, so be careful. A portion of the Metedeconk river flows through and it's very picturesque. In nicer weather, you can enjoy a meal at Maggie's Bar & Grill's outdoor tiki bar!

Was here recently for the Brick House Softball Tournament with my daughter. Let me start with a…read morefull disclosure statement-the fields were an absolute mess because of some significant rainfall on the friday before the tournament so we weren't able to use all of the fields we were supposed ot use, we weren't happy that the fields hadn't been prepared for play, and we even had teams drop out from the tourney because of the mess. That said, you can't fight Mother Nature and we made due with what we had. This is a VERY nice park, located in Lakewood, NJ with multiple ballfields (baseball and softball); walking trails; basketball, handball, and tennis courts; camping and picnic areas; playgrounds; and HUGE open and wooded areas. I love that in a state that gets killed for it's urban areas and dirtiness by comediens and jackasses who don't know better we have so many beautiful parks, recreational areas, forests and open areas throughout the state (for those that don't know, NJ is more than 40% forested). Off my soapbox and back to Pine Park...This park is really quite beautiful, and I was here when there were no leaves on the trees. Located adjacent to the Lakewood Country Club Golf Course the park is a wonderfully quiet area once you turn off of the main road. I will say that if you're here for softball/baseball and you don't know the park well-the signage is simply terrible or non-existent. You'll have a tough time finding the specific field you are looking for so make sure you know ahead of time that you may need to drive deep into the park to find your location. A big Thank YOU to the town of Lakewood for providing such a beautiful park to it's residents and for letting us beat up on the fields a little bit.

Super fun & clean playground. Tons of activities in different play areas across the park. Slides…read morefor the youngest little hands and feets (1yr-3-yr olds) and larger more challenging slides and thrills for bigger kids. There are many swings both for big kids and little ones.The crowd is usually pretty nice and friendly. The playground also has many seating areas throughout for parents to sit and view the kiddos from the perimeter. There is a very large wooden gazebo area with picnic tables and chairs in the center of it all. It's about a 20 minute drive from my home but totally worth the drive. We tend to stay for a couple of hours- time just flies here. Highly recommend

This park is worth the ride. It is big and has a lot of different things for kids to do that you…read moredon't see at most regular playgrounds. My 3 1/2 year old was pooped by the time he was done tearing through here. The ground is made of the soft rubber, which is also a bonus. There is a really nice picnic shelter and very clean bathrooms. It is located across the street from the Pemberton Police Department and within the little league complex.