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Old 05-04-2012, 09:44 AM
 
Location: South Jersey
7,780 posts, read 21,776,627 times
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Tone509 View Post
Most anywhere along the Jersey Shore besides Atlantic City and Wildwood will provide you with a relaxing, mature atmosphere. If you do think you might want to hit the casinos while you're there, Brigantine is a laid-back alternative to AC. Delaware beaches are fine but there are definitely more convenient choices in New Jersey.

Wildwood is the number ONE family vacation spot in the entire Jersey shore.. Its just not what I would recommend for a romantic visit. Obviously you have have not been to wildwood recently have you?

http://www.wildwoodsnj.com/
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Old 05-04-2012, 10:16 AM
 
Location: Montgomery County, PA
1,339 posts, read 2,467,213 times
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Quote:
Originally Posted by frankgn87 View Post
Wildwood is the number ONE family vacation spot in the entire Jersey shore.. Its just not what I would recommend for a romantic visit. Obviously you have have not been to wildwood recently have you?

Wildwood, Wildwood Crest, North Wildwood, The Wildwoods, NJ, New Jersey boardwalk, NJ Beach Vacation
Agree. Much of the jersey shore is family-oriented, with a few places that are "seedy". Towns like Avalon, Stone Harbor, Wildwood, Ocean City, and Sea Isle City are all great in their own way, but really geared more towards families. For a more "romantic" environment for a couple, Cape May is the best i know of.
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Old 05-04-2012, 01:01 PM
 
Location: Philadelphia, Pa.
64 posts, read 205,430 times
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Another vote for Ocean City. Nice beach to relax. I've been taking the family there for years. And it's a dry town so you'll have less of a chance of running into a drunken idiot looking for trouble. It does have a boardwalk with rides, just not as big as say Wildwood.
I wouldn't recommend Wildwood, it IS the number one place to go in this area (as stated already) so there will be crowds. And the occasional drunken 20 yr old itching for trouble. But the boardwalk is huge with tons of rides.
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Old 05-04-2012, 01:21 PM
 
Location: Center City
7,528 posts, read 10,183,013 times
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I much prefer the Delaware beaches. IMO, they have more charm. Cape May comes closest to matching the Delaware beaches in this category. Also, the Delaware beaches have been ranked among the cleanest in the US: Cleanest and Dirtiest U.S. Beaches 2011 - ABC News
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Old 05-04-2012, 01:21 PM
 
10 posts, read 39,468 times
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Default NJ beaches

I have been to the beaches in NJ and DE over the past 45yrs and grew up at the beach. We also presently own in Ocean City. DE has no advantage over NJ beaches in my view and its a long haul from Philly to the DE beaches.

Midweek, any of the beaches from Long Beach Island down to Cape May (excluding Atlantic City), in June, should fit your description of 'relaxing' and will be well within 2.5 hours drive. Most of the schools in NJ don't let out until June 20th or later. The first weekend of the 'summer season' this year isn't until June 23rd and 24th. Any of the weekends before that will be less crowded than this one and the one after. At all costs I recommend to everyone to avoid travelling down to the beach on any Saturday in the summer. This is the most crowded travel day in/out due to the weekly rental changeout pattern.

Biting flies only occur on brutally hot days with a land or bay breeze--typically only a few days a summer and therefore is a rare occurance for June.

The rest of the choice of beach itself would depend on variables in terms of whether you were just day tripping or spending the night and how important things like restaurants, nightlife or the idea of being able to walk off the beach and find a restaurant for lunch was to you. Cape May is lovely and perfect for an overnight. But if you only had a Saturday and could not leave until 10AM, I would find it to be anything but 'relaxing' due to the length of the trip and traffic situation. If that were the case, I would recommend Ventor or Margate for a quicker beach fix to avoid the Garden State Parkway.
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Old 05-04-2012, 02:32 PM
 
Location: back in Philadelphia!
3,263 posts, read 5,619,974 times
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+1 vote for Long Beach Island (NJ)
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Old 05-04-2012, 02:37 PM
 
Location: back in Philadelphia!
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Quote:
Originally Posted by jm02 View Post
I much prefer the Delaware beaches. IMO, they have more charm. Cape May comes closest to matching the Delaware beaches in this category. Also, the Delaware beaches have been ranked among the cleanest in the US: Cleanest and Dirtiest U.S. Beaches 2011 - ABC News
When you say Delaware beaches here, are you just talking about Rehoboth? That's the only Delaware beach town that I think has a lot of charm (and it does). The beach itself is rather narrow though.
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Old 05-04-2012, 02:38 PM
 
8,967 posts, read 21,048,353 times
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Quote:
Originally Posted by frankgn87 View Post
Wildwood is the number ONE family vacation spot in the entire Jersey shore.. Its just not what I would recommend for a romantic visit. Obviously you have have not been to wildwood recently have you?

Wildwood, Wildwood Crest, North Wildwood, The Wildwoods, NJ, New Jersey boardwalk, NJ Beach Vacation
I have nothing against Wildwood - or Atlantic City, for that matter which, from my observation, attracts its fair share of families as well.

While families may indeed spend a lot of quality time in Wildwood, I was under the impression that it is also still a prime gathering spot for younger adults 18-25. If I am mistaken, then I stand corrected.

We do agree that Wildwood would not provide the atmosphere that the OP is seeking.
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Old 05-04-2012, 03:36 PM
 
Location: Center City
7,528 posts, read 10,183,013 times
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Quote:
Originally Posted by rotodome View Post
When you say Delaware beaches here, are you just talking about Rehoboth? That's the only Delaware beach town that I think has a lot of charm (and it does). The beach itself is rather narrow though.
Hi rotodome - Actually, I prefer the entire Delaware coast over the Jersey shore. (The caveat is I am only familiar with the beaches from AC south.)

In Delaware, as for charm, it's not just Rehoboth. In many ways, I actually prefer Lewes:


All sizes | A Few Years Gone | Flickr - Photo Sharing!

Bethany Beach and Fenwick Island are a bit quieter, but are also nice, IMO. As for wide or not, Rehoboth is wide enough for me:


All sizes | DE Shore (Rehoboth) | Flickr - Photo Sharing!

The other thing I like is that while Delaware only has 35 or so miles of Atlantic coastline, they chose not to allow developers to come in a destroy all of it. Instead, they have preserved about 10 miles of coastline from any construction by establishing three separate and well-maintianed state parks. Rather than ugly high-rises and ticky-tack, these beaches are completely noncommercial, pristine and great for nature lovers:


All sizes | _DSC3150 | Flickr - Photo Sharing!


All sizes | Cape Henlopen Towers | Flickr - Photo Sharing!


All sizes | Cape Henlopen State Park, Sussex Co, DE | Flickr - Photo Sharing!

Last edited by Pine to Vine; 05-04-2012 at 04:54 PM..
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Old 05-04-2012, 03:46 PM
 
Location: back in Philadelphia!
3,263 posts, read 5,619,974 times
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Is Lewes where the ferry goes (eg Cape May-Lewes ferry)? Never been to the town itself - looks nice! Thanks for educating me.

My family used to go to Bethany every year, but I was never especially fond of it. I remember the beaches being <20' wide at high tide, and with a big drop-off from shallow to deep in the water just a few feet in. Fun for surfers, but not so great for swimming/relaxation.
I guess...that was a long time ago though..lol!
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