The best kept secret of New Jersey
When you think of New Jersey, what comes to mind? Perhaps the dirty car exhaust smell of Newark or Jersey City? I know everyone will think of the infamous MTV show. If you haven’t been outside of the cities, you may not realize there are a lot of farms and beautiful beaches which make up the whole coast. The hidden gem of New Jersey I would like to introduce to you is, Long Beach Island.
My favorite place
Long Beach Island, also known as LBI, is an 18 mile long island with 14 towns and only one way on or off. Tucked between Seaside Heights and Atlantic City, this island oozes relaxation and family time. As a fun fact, Jaws was inspired by shark attacks that happened off Long Beach Island in 1916. Hope this doesn’t put you off from visiting this New Jersey hotspot!
I have grown up visiting LBI for most of my life. It is my favorite place to visit every summer. The smell of sunscreen in the salty air. The balmy summer nights. A summer is not complete without a visit to my family’s house in Long Beach Island. I want to share with you some of my favorite restaurants, bars, and things to do on the island.
Restaurants
There are so many restaurants crammed on LBI, you will have an endless amount of options! Listed are just some of my favorites that I return to time and time again.
Bagels & Beyond Best breakfast location to grab bagels to go! This is a go to and must visit for me. They have the freshest bagels with many flavors to choose from. I get bagels almost every day I am there (no shame). My favorite is the Swiss Bagel either toasted with cream cheese or I will get a Pork Roll, Egg, and Cheese on Swiss. There are multiples locations on the island and off the island. Some locations only accept cash.
The Local A trendy coffee shop and deli. The Local has delicious creative coffee drinks. My favorite is the smores latte with full torched marshmallows on top. This is a great place to also grab sandwiches for lunch or food to heat up for dinner.
Chicken or the Egg This is a classic New Jersey Diner stop also known as the Chegg. Chegg was featured on the TV show Man vs Food for their ludicrous wing challenge. It is opened 24 hours in the summer months and will have an hour plus wait at 1am. A classic place to go after drinking and needing to sober up with some food. Chegg is also a great place to order lunch. Highly recommend the Buffalo Chicken Cheesesteak.
Stefanos One of the best restaurants to get clam chowder! Creamy, delicious new england chowder and a spicy, chunky red manhattan chowder. Always a contender at Chowderfest (more on that later).
Ship Bottom Shellfish A popular seafood restaurant that is fresh and tasty. There will be a guaranteed wait here, but you always have the option to order to go. I recommend getting the jumbo lump crab cakes or any kind of fish. Fried clam strips are always yummy too!
Parker’s Garage A chic restaurant that is open to the balmy summer air situated on the bay. This is a great spot to eat dinner and watch an amazing sun set. It is more tapas style dishes to share with the whole table.
Places to get drinks
As a summer destination, LBI has plenty of places to sit and sip on some cocktails. Below are some of the places I have visited and others I hear great things about and will visit on my next trip.
Daddy O’s A hotel with a restaurant and rooftop bar. The rooftop has good atmosphere overlooking the bay. This is a good spot to visit for a couple drinks and relax.
Hotel LBI A new hotel that opened a few years ago. You will see this hotel when first getting onto the island. It has a bar with a good sunset view.
Bird & Bettys A trendy bar with live music next to Parker’s Garage. Awesome sunset views and fun atmosphere.
Nardi’s The classic dive bar! This is a fun place to come and see live music. There are two floors with two different kinds of music. This usually requires a cover to get into the bar. What is unique is they have the Nardi Party Bus (big pink bus) which is free transportation to pick you up and take you home. Just call Nardi’s to schedule your pick up at your location.
Ship Bottom Brewery The typical brewery setting. A nice outside set up and live music playing.
Things to do
Who visits the shore without going to the beach?! It is the Jersey shore! The top activity to do is lounge on the beach all day and enjoy the crisp water. A day on LBI is not complete without having your toes in the sand and relaxing. Besides the beach, I have some other favorite places and things to do.
Mini Golf LBI is loaded down with many mini golf courses! I have no idea how many are actually on the island. Mini Golf will always be a classic family vacation activity.
Visit Bay Village Bay Village is a shopping area with some restaurants near by. This is a central part of entertainment on the island. A lot of cute beach shops to look around. B&B is my favorite to look for causal beach clothes. Island Gypsy is a trendy girls clothing store. Pop into the Candy Store and get a Dough Boy! A giant scoop of cookie dough in a hollowed out Reese’s cup and drizzled with chocolate. Yum!
Fantasy Island and Water Park Next to Bay Village is my favorite pastime. The Fantasy Island arcade and rides. This is a place for the kids, but don’t count the adults out. Everyone loves some arcade fun! There is a water park located next door with a surf simulation machine.
Visit the Lighthouse My favorite picturesque spot to watch sunset is at the lighthouse. The lighthouse is also known as Ole Barney. Walk along the jetty rocks and watch the sunset right on the water. This is a must do for me every time I visit.
The Mainland Adventure Park Not an activity on the island, but is nearby and worth mentioning! If you want to do something challenging and a little adventurous, this is must visit. I did this on my bachelorette party and we all had so much fun! Harness up and challenge yourself to do the whole ropes course. Go Karting is also available underneath the ropes course!
Chowderfest Do you love chowder? Do you love sampling food? If so, then chowderfest is for you! Chowderfest takes place in the fall, usually the first weekend in October. This is a contest amongst any restaurant on the island that wants to enter their clam chowders. Many people go to Chowderfest to have a day full of drinking beers and sampling chowder. There are three categories to vote for: New England, Manhattan, and Creative. Are you up to sample a lot of chowder?
Atlantic City If you want a quick getaway and a change of scenery, head to Atlantic City. Atlantic City is only 45 minutes from LBI. Visit the casinos to do some gambling or catch a live performance.
Convinced yet?
I hope this blog post either changes your mind of New Jersey or encourages you to visit my favorite place. Writing this has my mouth watering thinking of all the delicious foods! Cannot wait to be back again and I was only there a month ago.
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Wander On,
Christina
