Seedy, trashy, dangerous, and dirty dirty dirty! This is coming from a 28 year old whose childhood revolved around Seaside Heights. I am from just outside Philly and every summer my parents would take my older sister and I to Seaside for the day. We didn't have money to go on overnight vacations anywhere like all the other kids but this was THE event of every year for me. Other than one beach closure one year due to medical waste washing up on shore (this was a common prob in the 1980s) we always had a great time. In recent years I became accustomed to Wildwood, Cape May or Ocean Grove but decided to go back for the first last summer, since about 2003. It was very disheartening and a actually quite threatening. The town was overrun with very very rowdy, loud, obnoxious drunks all seemingly from every city nearby (Philly, Trenton, NY). I love Coney Island so it takes a lot to bother me when it comes to an inner city vibe but this was just full on trashy and ghetto in a bad way. Upon reaching the boardwalk, which was so mobbed with huge gangs of thugs who pretty much would push you out of the way if you didn't dodge them, I saw two drug deals go down. We walked about two blocks and decided to leave. I decided to go back again last night because maybe that night was just a fluke. Same thing. On top of that, much to utter surprise, practically every parking spot on the street is now reserved for people staying at each address. So you let the town go completely to hell and overrun with crime and scumbags and now you are giving people even less choice about having to pay to be there? Every motel , beach house, apartment building, etc., looks completely run down and frankly? You couldn't PAY me to sleep ANYWHERE in this town now. I bet the exterminators are on call non stop once the season hits. These are the kind of places you KNOW the owners spray the mattresses by hand with pesticides and a bandana over their faces as their remedy to pest control in the rooms. The tenants sit outside in groups yelling and screaming, we walked by one house and one of the brothers called out to me, saying "Hey bitch, what's up?" Another group commented to my fiance about his cigar, yelling how he could fit a bunch of weed in it, and so on. The beach was so incredibly dirty and I remember it as being the best beach in the state growing up. it was always super clean. For $5 a person is SHOULD be immaculate! Instead, it looked like Coney after a busy day with overflowing trash cans and litter everywhere. The boardwalk is covered in spit and food and trash. The food places are not very clean and all run by immigrants now. Where I bought my cheeseburger ( I had diarrhea a couple hours later) they were just standing around talking, one was blowing her nose, another was messing with his hair while handling food. $4.50 got me a slab of burger meat entirely unseasoned, on a cold plain store bought bun with one slice of cheap cheese and that's it. DIRTY DIRTY DIRTY. I was even afraid to sit down, pretty much anywhere. We left after that and drove to LBI to go sit on the beach because it was too dirty. And no, it wasn't because it was a holiday weekend, it was exactly the same year when we went during the week. Sorry to bust the bubble of all those hoplessly wed this place and in denial that is has changed, it has now become a ghetto toilet. 99% blacks which wouldn't be a problem if they were a nice crowd, but these folks were loud, obnoxious, incredibly rude, and apparently eager to prove to all they are very tough. The police presence is super high, cops everywhere both on bike and patrolling in cars on the boardwalk and street, and going to calls all around town Sorry to see my once beloved town become thrown up upon by all the ghetto fabulous trash. It's really sad you have this place look so bad and you have destroyed the town! Am not exaggerating. Unless you go wearing rose coloured glasses, you will see for yourself. Every property is overgrown with weeds and grass, trash on the sidewalks, etc. Nothing glamorous about this place. Wow. read more

As a resident and taxpayer of Ocean County I was astounded to see that the folks who run Seaside and proud of themselves for banning smoking anywhere at all in the place of amusement. Moderate accomodations could have been made by allocating a portion of the beach for those who want to smoke and certain restaurant and fast food areas could have done the same with those high suction fans that instantly remove smoke. But no, I would have to walk with a bad ankle at least half a mile to have a cigarette. Do note that smoking is legal in this nation and if your holier than thou position is to to take force, this family will find the 9 other top ten beaches in NJ or just use our little beach in our back yard on the bay. Bad new for those who promote selective rules. The President in an effort to get re-elected has changed his mind about American businesses hiring illegal aliens so Seaside Heights where Spanish is the language of the workers may have to back down and go back to hiring local kids who need those jobs if they are to get to and through college. So those formerly ignored federal laws will now be enforced while town created laws will keep those guys in blue busy. And heaven forbitd, the government has check in places for the boardwalk or the beach, beacuse as the years have gone by Seaside Heights has become filled with illegal aliens as their customers as well. And while I am not asking that smoking be promoted, I think it's fair to ask for some reasonable consideration. Liquor is served all over the place and can lead to more trouble than a cigarette on a beach with wind blowing like crazy. Drugs are illegal and there are tons of summer cops looking for them but the kids seem to know how to outsmart their elders routinely. So Seaside which has declined substantially though it's prices for food are ridiculously expensive and often lead to stomach ailments, is an experience that will stoke fond memories of what it was ten or twenty years ago. The cute old houses have been replaced by tacky condos and with that and other population changes, this is less and less a family resort town. It's nightclubs and a beach that isn't huge and a boardwalk that is about half the width that is needed given all those strollers and double strollers that along with fun loving teenagers set the bizarre pace. Try the State Park down the road which is gorgeous and clean and a place that people take care of on their own and which is a whole lot more fun because it isn't stuffed with endless rules and parking meters that demand so much money that Seaside Heights and its town fathers ought to be embarrassed. Their clientele is lower middle class and poor and yet they have made a visit to their tacky place cost a family of four way too much money for what they get in return. Several years ago whoever was directing the Amusement area made a good effort to try to turn it around. Unfortunately it didn't work and won't until those town fathers wake up and smell the roses. Ugly, poorly constructed condos and tacky boardwalks and expensive but not too fresh food and hundreds of cops are far from inviting. And if you are a big fireworks freak you can see them from anyplace almost within a five mile radius. And for those after prom kids, buy a little more gas and go over to Jones Beach on Long Island. It is paradise compared to junky Seaside Heights. read more

It is horrible. Except for Rush- a custom t shirt shop, with great services. I hate the beach, its always cold. There are constantly fights and people trying to fight you. People there are mainly from NY. I am not trying to be stereotypical. I just hear their accent and observe. The one nice person we met got beat up badly the next late afternoon. The people down their think their feces don't stink. It's crowded. The boardwalk is so uneven to walk on, I got Tendonitis in my knee and foot. It is not for the family. I am 16 and I never liked the shore, but I have been here for over 6 years and it never changes. My dad almost got arrested for drinking coffee. One last thing, the food is great. I am afraid of going this year since I am pretty overweight, and I go on runs a lot. The boardwalk may once again give me tendonitis. Oo and the hotels are mainly poorly managed. read more

Stay away from Seaside if you have teens!. Perhaps because of the "show" the local police are harrasing teens. My son was charged $250 for kicking a discarded child's plastic bucket while on the boardwalk. We researched the ability to fight this ridiculous charge only to find that one would likely be forced two return to NJ for a full day or two and likely have to pay the fine anyway. We were told that the local patrols would be challenging any group of more than three teens. In fact the four boys were stopped four times during our stay for doing nothing These are four responsible 20 year old college students who were doing nothing other than walking together. Check the other posts read more

We ordered a burger, chicken tenders, the chicken sandwich, hot dogs and fries. Other than the fries, everything was mediocre at best. But the fries were hot and fantastic. read more

Love the beach, clean area. Young crowds. Salt water taffy YUM

Waiting for the recovery after Sandy

fun place, kids love it.