Down the Shore

I wasn’t always a Vermonter. I was born in New York City, raised in New Jersey and then did a short stint in Austin, Texas. My first independent travel adventure involved a week-long class trip to Paris during my sophomore year in High School. After I got my driver’s license, heading down to the shore with my friends really signified the beginning of traveling on my own.

Days spent at Point Pleasant, Seaside Heights or Spring Lake still conjure up fond childhood memories for me. I loved spending the day in the ocean, walking the boardwalk, getting fried dough and just hanging out in the summer sun with friends.

Every August, our family makes a nine hour trek south to Ocean City, NJ. A great friend from college welcomes our family in for a week. Simply put Ocean City is idyllic. It is a place where families visit to enjoy time together. It is a dry town. There are no bars and no alcohol is served in the restaurants. You won’t find Snooki or the cast from the Jersey Shore here.
Our group finds the best way to get to the beach is by cruiser. Although we are only three blocks from the beach, we cart so much stuff back and forth, it just seems easier to haul it with our bikes.

The waves at the Jersey Shore are the best. The kids spend all day boogie boarding and body surfing. As the sun goes down, I find that I have to yank the kids out of the ocean. Nobody ever wants to leave.

The kids love the boardwalk. It runs from 5th to 14th Street. We seem to spend most of our time at Gillian’s Wonderland Pier near the end. It has great rides and a huge ferris wheel. We always get talked into a quick round of mini-golf. There is nothing quick about 18 holes with five kids.

The kids are old enough now to brave the log flume.

Thanks to the graciousness of our friends, I have been able to share my love of the Jersey shore with my children. We are counting down the days until we pack it up for another long ride down the shore next summer.