Sea Girt Beach is a great little spot on the Jersey Shore, about an hour south of the city. I had the privilege of spending the majority of my youth there. Sea Girt is a small town of 1 square mile with about 1000 full time residents. It is as far away from the city as you can comfortably commute to every day.
There is very little to do in Sea Girt except go to the beach. There are a couple parks and places to eat. The main highlight of the town is the boardwalk along the beach. Here you will find the same people walking up and back incessantly throughout the day. Don’t expect to find roller coasters or amusement park type rides on the Sea Girt beach. Spring Lake, the town to the north is nearly a mirror image of this Jersey Shore beach town.
Where is Sea Girt? 40°13′N 74°03′W
Like the other beach towns in New Jersey, you will be required to buy a beach badge. Yes, you need to pay to enjoy the Sea Girt beach. That might sound insane to the rest of the world, but the town charges for the upkeep of the beach and to cover the costs of the lifeguards. The beach is staffed from Memorial Day through Labor Day.
Don’t expect to find roller coasters
Sea Girt beach also boasts no eating or drinking as well. I imagine this is to keep the beach clean, but trash bins seem to be effective in other reasonably nice locations. Police actively patrol the beach and liberally ticket those found in violation of any number of ordinances. While it could be argued that the Sea Girt beach has opted to somewhat reduce fun for those not from the town, you can’t argue with the results. This little beach town is a great place for families and kids.
Benny’s Go Home : Sea Girt Beach
From my experience, living in Sea Girt is a lot more fun than visiting. If you are looking for a party town on the beach, this is not it. But the Parker House is a block off the water at the northern end of town. A fun place for residents and visitors to the area alike (Benny’s). As expected, it is a very conservative crowd that parties pretty hard until the lights come on at midnight.
In the summer months, the town can be obscenely expensive for a beach vacation spot. Before the advent of AirBNB, a number of residents would rent their homes for part of the summer.
For some freakish reason of nature, the Borough of Sea Girt has waves on New York beach. Nobody will confuse the Girt with a Pacific beach spot, but it has some of the best surf on the East Coast. Growing up, the water was fun to play after the 4th of July. The water temperature of the Atlantic Ocean continues to increase through September and then tails off.
The nicest time of year to enjoy Sea Girt’s beach is September. The crowds have gone, so you might not have to share the beach with anybody other than friends and family. The weather is also the best.
