Where to go to be in the know...about travel
Just because there’s thousands of us who live down at the Jersey Shore in the wintertime, do you think we hibernate under the covers and stay out of sight like brown bears do in North Jersey? The four main towns in the conglomerate of Long Branch, Asbury Park, Ocean Grove and Belmar provide entertainment in the winter so we could mark off the days on our calendar. That’s how us full-time beach people countdown to spring.
October 8th was the traditional Saturday of Harvest Festival in Ocean Grove which has been celebrated for approximately a decade now. It’s always celebrated the first Saturday in the month of October. The Harvest Festival in Ocean Grove is a free celebration that anyone can participate in. The Chamber of Commerce of Ocean Grove sets up the event every year, and the Neptune police department close the main streets from 10 AM to 4 PM on Main Avenue where vendors set up their wares, a place where people dance and gather in fellowship with one common goal: Celebrating the harvesting of food grown on the land.
The annual craft festival is always celebrated on the Saturday of the Labor Day Weekend. The town’s folk and people from all over wait patiently for this special day on Ocean Pathway, between Ocean Avenue and Pilgrims Pathway, that leads you to the Great Auditorium where craft vendors bid for this prime location.
It’s called “The Point” by anyone who lives on this crazy, zany, numero uno beachfront of Ocean County. You don’t have to live in Point Pleasant to love what it has to offer as a family vacation spot, day trip, or an all-year round home to its inhabitants.
Spring Lake is a one of those pristine beachfront towns on the Jersey Shore where visitors return season after season. It’s home to more than two miles of the most beautiful beachfront. And it also boasts of the longest uninterrupted non-commercial boardwalk in the state.
Bradley Beach went from a quiet town to one filled with throngs of families on hand to celebrate Memorial Day on the beach. Getting to Bradley Beach from Ocean Grove by car, you must drive around Fletcher Lake to the other side. But if you’re walking the boardwalk, just continue walking south. You’ll know by the gazebo at the end of Ocean Grove that you’re now entering into Bradley Beach with its beautiful paved brick walk.
