Long Beach Island on the Jersey Shore is a wonderful spot for a weekend event if relatives of the…read morebirthday boy are in Virginia, New York, New Jersey & Pennsylvania. Twice we had a weekend at the same rental near the southern tip of the island. In the offseason beach rentals are much more reasonably priced & available for a weekend only if one chooses, The spot was great. The ocean was beautiful viewed through the sliding glass back doors. Walk straight out from the house to the sand dunes and the ocean. There were only houses in the area where we stayed. One had to drive up to Beach Haven for restaurants and shopping. The beach itself was the same gorgeous Atlantic Ocean that we are blessed to have in Virginia Beach, although the beach and dunes were wider. The houses were all new, possibly because of Superstorm Sandy that had once devastated the Jersey Shore. It really isn't a bad drive from Coastal Virginia, living as close as I do to the Chesapeake Bay Bridge Tunnel. My normal route up Highway 13 to Brooklyn only has one difference. Instead of taking the Jersey Turnpike, I exit on I-295 and continue to the Cherry Hill, NJ exit. Then I take the narrow backroads across New Jersey, which includes a huge, dark state park. This route leads to the southernmost bridge to Long Beach Island. I think the town you reach is called Surf City. It's an old style beach town with new construction interspersed because of Sandy. I'm always running late & wasn't enticed by their touristy attractions and businesses. To get to our rental head south on Long Beach Boulevard, past the commercialized portion of Beach Haven, until you're near where the road ends and the barrier island narrows. Always seeming to leave late I usually traveled the trip across New Jersey at night. Once it was snowing, making for a stressful drive alone with low visibility on the narrow, dark roads. Much to my surprise I was the first to reach the house. But even more of a surprise was that the door lock was frozen and I couldn't get it open. Passing through Beach Haven I remembered seeing a large restaurant & tavern. That seemed the perfect spot to eat & wait for my son & grandson to arrive. Spending the weekend on Long Beach Island with the beach covered in snow was a beautiful & exhilarating experience. For those of you who vacation south of our beautiful beach town, try a beach town to the north for a completely different experience. I love Long Beach Island on the Jersey Shore and look forward to another return visit.

A wonderful place to come and enjoy beautiful moments…read more I meditate lad today and sketched.... And shopped. Really special place . Love it.