One of Lakewood’s best-kept not-really-secrets: you’re about half an hour from the Jersey Shore. For a frum family on a Lakewood getaway, that means the beach, the boardwalk, and the salt air are all an easy day trip away — no hotel change, no packing up the villa, just a morning drive and a day of sand.
Here’s how to do the Shore right, Lakewood-style.
Which Beach?
The closest and most popular options for Lakewood families are Point Pleasant Beach and Belmar, both roughly 30–40 minutes east. Point Pleasant has the classic boardwalk experience — rides, games, arcades, the aquarium — while Belmar is a little more low-key, with a beautiful beach and a calmer boardwalk. Both have plenty of parking (paid lots near the beach; get there early in summer), restrooms, and food options.
A note on the boardwalk scene: the Jersey Shore boardwalks are public, lively places, especially on summer weekends. Frum families go in large numbers and have a great time — the standard advice is to go on weekdays or Sunday mornings when it’s mellower, dress comfortably, and keep the day focused on your own crew. Thousands of Lakewood families do this every summer. You’ll fit right in.
Timing Is Everything
Go early. This is the golden rule of the Shore. Arrive by 10 AM and you get easy parking, a good spot on the sand, and a few calm hours before the midday crowds. Arrive at 1 PM on a July Sunday and you’ll circle for parking while the kids ask “are we there yet” from the back seat.
Go on weekdays. If your schedule allows it, a Tuesday at the beach beats a Sunday at the beach by a mile — fewer crowds, easier parking, shorter lines for everything.
Watch the weather. Check the forecast the night before and the morning of. The Shore makes its own weather, and a “partly cloudy” in Lakewood can mean fog at the beach. When in doubt, go anyway — marine layer often burns off by late morning.
What to Bring
The Shore packing list for a frum family:
- Food. This is the big one. Boardwalk food is not kosher, so pack a cooler like you mean it: sandwiches, snacks, drinks, fruit. A full day at the beach runs on food, and hungry kids are the enemy of a good day.
- Sun protection. Sunscreen, hats, a beach umbrella or tent. The sun off the water is no joke.
- Swim gear. For the tznius-conscious: many frum families swim early morning or at less crowded sections; plan what works for your family. Swim shirts are widely available and solve a lot of problems.
- Entertainment. Buckets, shovels, boogie boards, a football, a good book. The beach is the entertainment, but props help.
- Cash and quarters. Parking meters, boardwalk games, ice cream — small bills and quarters smooth everything out.
The Boardwalk Strategy
If you’re doing Point Pleasant, the boardwalk is half the fun — but it needs a strategy with kids. Go in the morning or late afternoon (midday is peak crowds and peak heat). Set a budget for games before you arrive and stick to it. The aquarium is a genuinely nice break from the sun and worth the admission. And Jenkinson’s amusement rides? The kids will beg. Decide your policy in advance.
Here’s a pro move: beach in the morning, boardwalk in the late afternoon. Swim and sand from 10 to 2, head back to the car for a rest and a snack, then hit the boardwalk from 4 to 7 when the light is nice and the crowds thin slightly. Dinner back at the villa. That’s a perfect Shore day.
The Off-Season Shore
Here’s a local secret: the Shore in the off-season is wonderful. October through April, the beaches are nearly empty, parking is free and plentiful, and a walk on the boardwalk with the ocean air is genuinely restorative. No swimming, obviously — but for a family that just wants to see the water, collect shells, and let the kids run on an empty beach, an off-season Shore trip is one of the best free outings in the area. Bundle up, bring hot chocolate in a thermos, and enjoy having the whole place to yourselves.
Why It Works from a Villa
This is the part the hotels can’t match. A Shore day trip means coming home sandy, tired, and starving — and a LakewoodHosts villa is built for exactly that landing. Everyone rinses off, the beach gear goes in the laundry, supper happens in a real kitchen, and the kids collapse into real beds. No trying to rinse six people in one hotel bathroom. No sand in the sheets you’re stuck with.
Do the Shore as a day trip, sleep in your villa, and wake up in Lakewood. It’s the best of both worlds — the ocean by day, home base by night.
