Spring Lake
Old Town · Spring Lake, New Jersey
A Monmouth County shore town of about three thousand people that has spent a century deliberately not becoming the rest of the Jersey Shore. IT HAS THE LONGEST NON-COMMERCIAL BOARDWALK IN NEW JERSEY — two miles of it, with no arcades, no rides, no food stalls and nothing to buy, just boards, benches and the Atlantic. Behind it are enormous Victorian and shingle-style houses, a spring-fed lake with swans, and a small brick centre. It has been called the Irish Riviera since the nineteenth century and it is the quietest good beach in the state.
Third Avenue, Spring Lake, New Jersey, 07762, United States
A public town, free to walk at all hours. THE TWO-MILE BOARDWALK IS ENTIRELY NON-COMMERCIAL — no arcades, no rides, no stalls and nothing for sale on it, which is deliberate. BEACH BADGES ARE REQUIRED AND CHECKED IN SEASON during posted hours, roughly $10-$15 a day with cheaper weekly and seasonal rates. Shops and restaurants on Third Avenue run late morning to evening in season with MUCH REDUCED HOURS AND SEVERAL CLOSURES FROM NOVEMBER TO MARCH. Spring Lake has historically restricted liquor licensing, so MANY RESTAURANTS ARE BYOB and local alcohol retail is limited — buy before you arrive. Free street parking, tight near the beach in summer.