Ocean City, NJ- NJ's Family Beach

   The occasional caw of a seagull, children playing, and the roar of the ocean are the only sounds I hear when I lay back in my chair and shut my eyes on the beach in Ocean City, NJ. A family friendly atmosphere, boardwalk amusements, pristine beaches, and its close proximity to my home make it my favorite day trip beach.

    Traveling to OC is always an adventure. It’s easy to get there from my home in South Jersey; all I do it take the Atlantic City Expressway to exit 7S, which leads to the Garden State Parkway, and take the Parkway to exit 25.

     It’s only a 50-minute drive and with my windows down, my radio blasting, and my sister, Lauren, dancing in the passenger seat the ride is far from tedious. For the last two summers my sister and I made that drive every Friday, weather and schedules permitting.

     Our weekly jaunts to OC allowed me to get to know the town, but I still discover new things every time I go down. Last weekend when I was down there I discovered a gelato stand on the Ocean City Boardwalk that served delicious, creamy strawberry sorbetto. I really wanted a gelato, but I am lactose and intolerant so I settled for the dairy free sorbetto, which I loved, because it reminded me of a strawberry smoothie.

     Parking can expensive, especially when combined with the price of beach tags and tolls, and it took me several trips before I found a cheap parking lot.  Jilly’s parking lot, located on 12th St. behind the boardwalk, is my favorite parking lot because it is only $10.00 and it is located right near the public restrooms.

    Jilly's parking lot is also right near the beach tag stand. Daily beach tags only cost $5.00 and trust me you cannot sneak on the beach because they do have people walking around and checking for tags. 

     Ocean City is a dry town; making it the perfect place for young families to vacation and it has received many awards from various media outlets. It is the only dry beach town in NJ and, as a dry town, there are no bars in the city’s limits and restaurants are not permitted to serve alcoholic beverages. However, there is a liquor store right outside the city limits and there are several popular seafood restaurants, also outside the city limits, that serve alcohol.