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Location: northern Vermont - previously NM, WA, & MA
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I'm planning a road trip down south to see my family in NC in mid May and on the way back I want to stop at one of these two regional oceanside destinations as I haven't seen a lot of the Mid Atlantic coast. I really only have time to pick one region to spend a couple nights and full day and this will include journeying over the Chesapeake Bay Bridge Tunnel and taking the Lewes , DE - Cape May, NJ ferry before heading up the GSP and I-87 back north. This will be a much more enjoyable ride than I-95 for sure.
My points of interest on the Jersey Shore are Cape May, Island Beach State Park, Point Pleasant, and Asbury Park.
For Delmarva my focus would be Chincoteague, Assateague Island, Ocean City, and Rehoboth Beach.
For those familiar, I'd like to get your take on....
Food - This is a biggie, I LOVE Maryland crab cakes, and really anything crab, and MD generally has my favorite seafood south of New England. But I also haven't had a Jersey Shore experience with Clams Casino, Cheesesteaks, Tomato Pies /shore pizza. This is where I have a hard time deciding, it all sounds good.
Unique Attractions / Shore town and Boardwalk charm - Cape May/Asbury Park vs Ocean City/Rehoboth Beach or any suggested stops.
Pristine undeveloped beach and barrier islands - This is where I'd like to spend the better part of a day and I'm deciding between Island Beach State Park in NJ or Assateague Island, MD and possibly Chincoteague, VA if time permits. Delmarva seems to have a good bit more undeveloped shoreline, but IBSP also looks beautiful.
What's your preference for a Mid Atlantic oceanside getaway? Jersey Shore or the Delmarva peninsula?
The Shore. Stop off in Atlantic City (it's on your way when you leave Cape May heading north on the GSP) and check out White House for an awesome Cheesesteak. Angelo's and Dock's are two other very good stops.
Jersey Shore has a lot more going on, on the whole. The actual beach...I generally prefer DelMarVa
Food: Lots of options but depends exactly where you're going.
Unique Attractions: Jersey Shore blows away DelMarVa (DelMarVa isn't bad but it's just a lot smaller)
Undeveloped beach: Assateague and Chincoteague are much better than Island Beach IMO and DelMarVa beaches are nicer than NJ on average, but NJ beaches are also fine too.
In terms of Shore-town charm, I'd rate the four places you mentioned in this order:
Cape May
Rehoboth Beach
Asbury Park
Ocean City, Md.
The Maryland shore town is IMO overbuilt, especially in its northern reaches (though were it not for the signs, you might not realize when you've crossed into next-door Fenwick Island, Del. But Fenwick Island is a bit more low-rise, and once out of it, you pass through the pristine state park of the same name). Asbury Park, like Atlantic City, has parts that have seen better days but also parts that are either on the mend or glitzy-ritzy.
Cape May has loads of gorgeous Victorian houses, guest houses and hotels, and is IMO a must-visit for that reason alone; I know of no other Shore resort on the entire East Coast with such a great collection of Victorian structures. I would have thought that it would have become a popular LGBT Shore destination for that reason, but that honor goes to Rehoboth instead.
Rehoboth is the most small-town-ish of the four and IMO has the most interesting dining scene, but Cape May cones close and has better seafood. I've yet to have a cheesesteak at the White House in AC but have heard raves about it for years.
Across an inlet from downtown Asbury Park is the most distinctive of all the Jersey Shore communities: Ocean Grove. Many of the Jersey Shore towns started out as Methodist summer camp meetings in the late 19th century (Asbury Park and Asbury and Wesley avenues in Ocean City have their names for this reason), but Ocean Grove remains one. It also has a huge trove of Victorian houses — as well as the huge 1892 auditorium at its center, where worship services take place every Sunday. Like Ocean City at the southern Jersey Shore, Ocean Grove is very family-oriented — both legacies of their origins, to which Ocean Grove remains true.
If you have the time to structure your trip this way, I'd recommend stops at Chincoteague Island, Rehoboth Beach, Cape May and Asbury Park, with a pit stop for that cheesesteak in AC. The Jersey Shore, however, does have more going on overall than the Delmarva coast. (In fact, I'd say it's probably more overbuilt than OCMD, just with houses rather than mid-rise or high-rise condos. You won't see that overdevelopment, however, driving up the Garden State Parkway; you'd have to take the string of county highways that run up the barrier islands from Cape May through Wildwood to Seven Mile Island (Avalon and Stone Harbor) and northward from there to AC.)
Edited to add: But if you're spending two nights and a day, I'd make Rehoboth Beach and either AC or Asbury Park your overnight stops. You'd have an if-it's-Tuesday-this-must-be-Belgium, more-rushed-than-I-think-you'd-like quality to your trip, but you'd at least get to work in one of your pristine beaches — which, sorry to say, lie at opposite ends of the stretch of Atlantic coastline in question. (Fenwick Island State Park lies close to Rehoboth and just north of OCMD, but it's probably a poor substitute for the other two. There is, however, one other option that's less beachy but might make an interesting change of pace: the big nature preserve that begins at the northern end of Brigantine Island, just north of AC, and extends across a large estuary to the southern tip of Long Beach Island. However, none of this is accessible by road.)
Last edited by MarketStEl; 03-14-2022 at 04:30 AM..
The nicest beaches in NJ, imo, is Long Beach Island (LBI), which is just south of Island Beach State park on a different barrier island. A bit more to do than the state park, and beaches are just as nice.
If you're interested in nightlife or dining out, would be tough to beat Asbury, which probably has a top 5 food scene in NJ (yeah yeah, low bar, etc.) Lots of cool cocktail bars, music clubs, etc. I've been to OCMD and it blows it away for that stuff.
I haven't been to the Delmarva beaches, so can't comment on how they stack up though. They look quiet and beautiful.
Location: northern Vermont - previously NM, WA, & MA
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Thanks for all the suggestions, as always when travelling, need more time to see it all.
Quote:
Originally Posted by MarketStEl
If you have the time to structure your trip this way, I'd recommend stops at Chincoteague Island, Rehoboth Beach, Cape May and Asbury Park, with a pit stop for that cheesesteak in AC. The Jersey Shore, however, does have more going on overall than the Delmarva coast. (
I like this suggestion, and thanks for putting Ocean Grove on my radar. Looks like you could walk there from Asbury Park, more or less an adjacent neighborhood, but very different. Would love to explore Chincoteague and Assateague Island and see the wild horses, but the Jersey Shore overall seems to pack in a lot. I'll probably stop for a nice lunch in Rehoboth Beach, get a late afternoon ferry, and spend the first night in Cape May, and I actually booked a B&B in Ocean Grove for the second night. I wasn't aware of this place, but after some Google street view wondering, I'd like to spend some time there while also exploring Asbury Park.
The only negative and offputting thing I see with the Jersey Shore are the beach badges, even in mid-May. Beaches often require paid parking, especially on the East Coast. But beach entry fees to access and walk on the beach, well that's just kinda odd. I'll figure it out, but it looks like I'll have to get them for Cape May and Ocean Grove to walk on the beach. Nonetheless, they both look charming and it will be a fun full day of exploring the Jersey Shore.
The Shore hands down. There are more towns around it with their own charm. It also seems better promoted within its own state, it's more fun, eclectic and there's better infrastructure around to support the upkeep of the beaches. The only downside is the amount of traffic and crowds during the high season.
This is somewhat of an apples to oranges comparison given the difference is size. The Delaware-Maryland coast is a fairly small stretch that would be like comparing Cape May to Atlantic City. The VA portion of the coast is basically uninhabited barrier islands.
The Jersey Shore is far more developed with lots of weekend traffic from NYC, Philly. The towns are more numerous, busier and generally older. Outside Ocean City, the DelMarVA towns are generally more rustic or beachy for a lack of a better term. Less grass and sidewalks, more sand and natural laws. Really depends on your preference.
Frankly both are notable more for their proximity to the I-95 corridor cities than because they amazing beach areas in themselves. They both have relatively featureless coasts with brownish water.
This is somewhat of an apples to oranges comparison given the difference is size. The Delaware-Maryland coast is a fairly small stretch that would be like comparing Cape May to Atlantic City. The VA portion of the coast is basically uninhabited barrier islands.
The Jersey Shore is far more developed with lots of weekend traffic from NYC, Philly. The towns are more numerous, busier and generally older. Outside Ocean City, the DelMarVA towns are generally more rustic or beachy for a lack of a better term. Less grass and sidewalks, more sand and natural laws. Really depends on your preference.
Frankly both are notable more for their proximity to the I-95 corridor cities than because they amazing beach areas in themselves. They both have relatively featureless coasts with brownish water.
What an odd thing to say. I have lived in New Jersey all my life and have never seen "brownish water" at our beaches. It is green (like the color "sea green", lol) when you are up close and in it, but it can look different shades of blue depending upon the light. It's not the same color as the water in, say, Florida, but it's not brown.
As far as featureless, yes, it's basically mostly flat sandy beaches, which is what attracts so many tourists to the Jersey shore. There are fewer cliffs or rocky areas such as one would find in Maine and other places.
Chincoteague/Assateague are wonderful to visit. I remember walking for a long time as dusk approached, and I could see no other signs of humanity. It was just me and the beach and the sand crabs.
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