For the past several years (sans Covid 2020), my girlfriend and I have been taking our children to the beaches of Long Beach Island, New Jersey as part of our Summer vacation.

Each of the previous years we have stayed with my brother at his condo in the area. This year, for the first time, we rented a house about three doors in from the beach, in Ship Bottom, at the entrance to Long Beach Island (LBI). It’s pretty surreal staying in a million dollar house that’s about the size of my $40,000 house back in Ohio. Location, location, location.

The waterfront here is unlike anything I’ve experienced along the beaches of New England’s or the Mid-Atlantic’s coast. It’s an uninterrupted 18 mile long stretch of sandy beaches. There’s no rocks or other natural compromises to the anticipated experience. Nearly every block has its own beach and team of lifeguards. In this experience, we’ve been watched by the Ship Bottom Beach Patrol. In previous years we’ve enjoyed beaches in Beach Haven and Surf City, also on the island.

You can walk along the beach from the northern tip at Barnegat Light to the southern end at the beginning of the Edwin B. Forsythe National Wildlife Refuge. The island doesn’t feature any boardwalks, as can be found in neighboring tourist areas such as Seaside Heights, Atlantic City, or Wildwoods.

There’s a lot to do on the island. Aside from the many miles of sandy beaches, there’s got to be a dozen places to play miniature golf, there’s Fantasy Island (a somewhat overpriced miniature amusement park), as well as a bunch of places to shop or dine.

On Tuesday evening I got to play miniature golf for the first time. Though I grew up just across the bridge on the mainland, I never got the chance to play. The attendant at Flamingo Miniature Golf had a spectacular personality and made it easy to get started. While we were there my girlfriend was awarded a certificate for being the best dressed golfer. So that was neat.

Today we took a climb up 217 steps to the top of Old Barney, more formally known as the Barnegat Light House. It’s amazing the view you gain from the observation deck, which is a little lower than the lighthouse’s overall 163 foot height.

Every time we go to the lighthouse we make a point of visiting the gift shop. I can nearly always find something cute or otherwise worthwhile for as little as 99 cents. This year I purchased a handful of turtles made out of shells and an enamel lighthouse pin, all for less than $10 in total. At the North end of the island, this has got to be the best place to find cost-conscious gifts.

Further to the South end, in Beach Haven, directly across the street from Fantasy Island, is Island Sun, the gift shop we go to whenever we’re looking for shirts or inexpensive silver jewelry to commemorate our visit. We go there every time we’re in town. For $20 you can get three attractive LBI t-shirts.

As someone who grew up in the area, it’s hard to visit without crossing the causeway bridge to the mainland and heading down to Barnegat. Aside from a scenic dock area, there’s a little restaurant that used to be called the Hurricane House. Actually, the location of what was the Hurricane House was taken over by a local eatery named Sweet Jenny’s around 2011 when their original location was lost in a fire. While I love what Sweet Jenny’s has done with the place, I’ll always know her as The Hurricane House.

This year, though we supplanted that visit with a stop at a Ship Bottom ice cream shop (Woodie’s), as it was right at the end of our street.

For this trip, we rented a house through Weichert, Realtors. The realty has a bright yellow colored office at the entrance to the island, which makes it pretty easy to find to pick up your keys. From early March when we selected the property, the agent worked closely with us to ensure we were able to rent the house we had selected. Her regular communication made selecting and securing the rental a breeze. As I sit here on the back porch waiting for the steaks and salmon to grill, I find myself grateful for the agent’s part in this experience.

The house we’re staying in has provided plenty of room for everyone in our five person party to find a quiet place when desired. Out here on LBI there don’t seem to be any run down homes. Perhaps code enforcement has an easier job when there’s one bone-straight road through town with simple branches to the sides.

Nearly right down the street, and definitely in walking distance, from our rental is Ron Jon Surf Shop. Anyone into surfing or beach fun is likely familiar with the brand. The one on LBI is the original location. There are at least a dozen other locations that have opened since its inception. From what I can find online, the only way to get “The Original” t-shirts is to visit the LBI location.

Right after visiting Ron Jon, and right before we left, I managed to get a four pack of cans of Barnegat Lager from Ship Bottom Brewing Company. As a beer can collector I typically shy away from labeled cans (vs. printed) but I found it hard to resist Old Barney on the can! From the advertising it really looked like it was supposed to be printed.

The salty air must do a number to the roads out here. It seems the stones in the pavement are all pushing through which makes for some pretty serious foot stimulation. Sandals are a must once you pass from the beaches over the sand dunes to the rough pavement.

All together, LBI was a lot of fun. Staying on the island was surreal. Being so close to the water allowed for countless number of times I took an extra few minutes to go run to the beach.