The unofficial start of summer is here. School’s winding down, the days are finally long, and there’s a three-day weekend with your name on it. If you’re spending Memorial Day weekend at a Lakewood villa, you’ve picked the perfect launchpad — close enough to home to be easy, far enough to feel like a real getaway.
Here’s how to make the long weekend count: the first barbecue of the season, the local spots that shine in late May, and the art of settling into a villa like you own the place.
Friday: arrive and exhale
The long weekend starts the moment you turn onto the block. Memorial Day weekend arrivals have a rhythm — nail it and the whole weekend flows.
- Get there early if you can. A Friday 2 PM arrival beats a 5 PM arrival by a mile. You get the walkthrough done (see our check-in checklist), the kids claim bedrooms before the sugar crash, and there’s actually time to hit the grocery store before the Erev Shabbos rush.
- Do the villa walkthrough first. Twenty minutes, room by room, before the bags explode everywhere. Test the grill, find the patio furniture, locate the pool gate if there is one. Future-you, mid-barbecue on Sunday, will be glad past-you checked the propane.
- One grocery run, done right. Late May in Lakewood means the kosher stores are fully stocked and the produce is starting to look like summer. Shop for the whole weekend in one trip: Shabbos food, barbecue supplies, breakfast stuff, snacks.
- Keep Friday night simple. You’re on vacation. Paper goods, a slow cooker or blech, food that basically serves itself. The goal is candles lit on time and everyone at the table in a good mood.
Shabbos: the deep breath
There’s a particular pleasure to Shabbos in a Lakewood villa on Memorial Day weekend — warm enough for a Shabbos afternoon walk, not yet the full heat of summer.
- Walk to shul like a local. One of the great joys of a Lakewood rental: you’re in a real frum neighborhood. Walk to the nearby shul, and you’ll be one of dozens of families strolling the same streets.
- The long Shabbos afternoon. This is what the villa is for. Kids playing in the yard, adults napping or reading on the porch, no agenda whatsoever.
- Seudah shlishis outside. If the weather cooperates, take the third meal to the patio or backyard. Paper tablecloth, salads, the classics — they taste better outdoors.
Sunday: the first barbecue of the season
Sunday is barbecue day. It’s tradition, it’s basically law, and the villa backyard is the perfect venue.
- Morning: the lake. Lake Carasaljo — Lakewood’s own lake, right in the middle of town — is beautiful on a late May morning. Walk the path around it, let the kids watch the ducks, get everyone moving before the heat of the day. It’s the kind of low-key outing that sets the tone: this weekend is about being outside.
- Afternoon: fire up the grill. Burgers, hot dogs, chicken, corn in foil, the works. The first barbecue of the season deserves the full treatment — and doing it at the villa means your kitchen is ten steps away for everything you forgot.
- The barbecue checklist: charcoal or propane confirmed *before* Sunday (check Friday), tongs and spatula (don’t assume the villa has them — bring or buy), heavy-duty foil, paper goods so nobody’s doing dishes on vacation, a cooler of drinks, and sunscreen. Late May sun is stronger than it feels.
- Evening: the wind-down. After the barbecue, the kids are happily exhausted and the adults can actually sit. These are the evenings people picture when they book a summer rental — and you got yours in May.
Monday: Memorial Day proper
Monday is checkout for some and bonus day for others. Either way, make it easy.
- If you’re staying: Sleep in. Big pancake breakfast at the villa. One more walk around the lake or a trip to Ocean County Park — playgrounds, sports fields, and room for the kids to run themselves out before the drive home.
- The Shore option. The Jersey Shore is about twenty minutes from Lakewood, and Memorial Day weekend is its opening act. A morning trip to the beach towns is a classic add-on — just go early and be back at the villa with plenty of daylight to spare.
- If you’re checking out: Start the pack-up the night before. Strip the beds, gather the trash, do the quick photo comparison from your arrival walkthrough. Leave the villa the way you’d want to find it.
- The drive-home survival kit. Snacks, water, chargers, and realistic expectations about Route 9 traffic on a holiday Monday. Leave after lunch if you can — the morning rush is real.
The local spots that shine this weekend
- Lake Carasaljo. The town lake, the walking path, the ducks — a Lakewood institution and the easiest outing you’ll do all weekend.
- Ocean County Park. Playgrounds, open fields, picnic areas. The go-to for “the kids need to run around for two hours.”
- The kosher food scene. Lakewood’s takeout and bakery options are a destination in themselves. Ask your host for their favorites — every Lakewood family has strong opinions, and they’re usually right.
Why this weekend matters
Memorial Day weekend isn’t just a long weekend — it’s the tone-setter. The families who do it right come home with the grill already tested, the villa already scouted, the kids already asking when they can come back. It’s a rehearsal for summer and a vacation in its own right.
So fire up the grill, take the walk around the lake, and let the weekend be what it’s supposed to be: the official start of the best season of the year.
