About Long Beach island New Jersey, accomodations and attractions

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Long Beach Island is in Ocean County (Ocean county resources or http://www.co.ocean.nj.us/main.htm). It’s known for it’s 18 miles of sandy beaches, great boating, good dining and a family atmosphere. 

Long Beach Boulevard is the main thoroughfare. The island is only about 4 blocks wide at it’s widest point. About the only way to get to the island is to drive.

Most of the beaches south of the causeway are  publicly accessible. As you go north through Loveladies and North Beach, you will find that the beaches are private and access is restricted. The beaches are relatively narrow. The surf can be rough at times due to the relatively steep drop-offs.

Over the last couple of years many of the usual institutions have been razed to make way for houses. Recently two landmarks in North Beach Haven, the Beacon Golf Course and Shermat’s amusements, have been leveled and houses have gone up. There are some on the island who wonder if this will not be detrimental in the long run since there will be a maximum of homes and a minimum of entertainment.

The island is excellent for all types of boating with one of the widest and deepest bays in the area. The Little Egg Inlet is a relatively docile inlet most of the time. The Barnegat Inlet can be a little more challenging due to the large number of commercial fishing boats and large private boats transiting at relatively high speed.

The island is ’18 miles long’ and ‘six miles at sea’. Actually both of these designations are slightly off but they are close. There is only one way on or off by automobile and that is the causeway from Manhawkin to Ship Bottom. The causeway was rebuilt some time in the early 1960’s and therefore is not burdened with drawbridges. If you look just north of the causeway you can see the old causeway road

Municipalities

Long Beach Island is comprised of a number of communities. Long Beach Township is split into several sections including Holgate, North Beach Haven, Haven Beach, Spray Beach and more. In addition, you have the major towns of Ship Bottom, Surf City,  and Beach Haven. The competition of the early real estate boom let to many of the towns having similar names. Also, the street renumbering starts in various municipalities so there are a couple of 3rd streets on the island. Long Beach Boulevard runs the length of the island from Barnegat Light down to Holgate. However it does have various names as it goes through the different municipalities. In some places you are on Long Beach Boulevard and then you are on Bay Avenue. The municipalites on the island are:

Towns in Long Beach Township:

The towns below are not governed separately. Instead they are all part of Long Beach Township.

Getting there

Long Beach Island is on the Jersey Shore just north of Atlantic city. You can get there via the Garden State Parkway  Take the exit for Route 72.

Almost all of the visitors to LBI arrive by automobile. The Route 72 exit off the Garden State Parkway will lead you to the island. From Philadelphia and Trenton, most people use Route 72.  Traffic entering and leaving the island can be a nightmare during the Saturday tenant changeover.  You may also experience delays on Sunday nights during the peak season. Events such as the Chowderfest and the 18 Mile Run also bring a lot of traffic. During heavy rains or flood tides, parts of the main road, especially in Ship Bottom, will flood out.

If you come by boat be aware that there aren’t a lot of transient facilities. There aren’t any private airports within a reasonable distance.