Wanderlust woman finds there’s no beach like home at Long Beach Island, NJ

I recently discovered Guy & Girl Travels on Twitter and it turns out they’ve been right in my own backyard, so to speak, not just in bloggo or Twitter land.  Their post of Long Beach Island on YouTube made me realize that this wanderlust woman has yet to write about her favorite beach.  True, the Amalfi Coast is “che bella spiaggia” but there is nothing like LBI before, during or even after a thunderstorm.  There’s an energy that just changes with the tide.

LBI is 18 miles of nothing but sand and surf with a few honky tonk attractions to keep the kiddies happy.

Old Barney stands guard over LBI

There’s the Old Barney lighthouse at the north end and the bird sanctuary to the south.  In between, there is plenty of shopping and great restaurants, oh yeah, and people, lots and lots of people.  You see, I NEVER hit LBI any longer during the season, Memorial Day to Labor Day.  My GPS won’t program me there.  I have absolutely no desire to travel the 18 miles from the lighthouse to the bird sanctuary in five hours or more.

My love affair with LBI began in college when my boyfriend’s parents bought a house on the bay side (yes, there is an “us and them” mentality between the bay side people and the ocean side.  LOL)  Well, we broke up several years later and his parents let me keep using the house on occasion.  To this day I don’t think he ever knew and he lives in that house now.  ROFL

Now, I only stay on the ocean side.  Once you’ve been to the other side you never go back.  The crash of the waves lulls you to sleep and wakes you up each morning.  And those thnderstorms, ooh boy, you’ve never been on a roller coaster that shakes as much as a stilt house during a thunderstorm.  It’s wicked wild.

There is a causeway that takes you over the bay once you exit the Garden State Parkway at Exit 63. Just ignore the strip of shopping malls and head straight for the ocean where bliss awaits.  The sand is white and clean and you can walk for miles in off-season peacefulness.  Fisherman cast a line and sit for hours, hypnotized by the ebb and flow of the tide.  The best thing I have ever done is to leave the laptop at home and explore the island through my camera.  Some of the most colorful sunsets can be found in Beach Haven by the bird sanctuary.  It’s a great escape and solo travelers can get there for a quick weekend from practically anywhere on the east coast of the U.S.

Guy & Girl asked me about growing up in the area………I told them, I’ve been going to LBI so long, before Jon Bon was even a Jovi.  That might only be funny to Jersey girls but hey, everyone deserves an inside joke.  What exit are you?

**********************************

TOURIST TIPS:

Places to Stay – Daddy-Os is the relatively new hip, boutique hotel. The Engleside Inn , The Sea Spray Motel & The Sea Shell Resort are also popular but your best bet is to surf the net and find a weekend rental.

Places to Eat – The Plantation is by far my favorite restaurant and there is a very friendly bar crowd that gathers there most nights.

Island Legend – A visit to LBI would not be complete without a stop at Joe Pop’s.  That’s where Jon Bon Jovi played when he was in Atlantic City Expressway.  (Told you I’ve been going there a long time!)

Webcam – I have one listed here on Wanderlust Women Travel but if you find any others please let me know.

More Info – Check out Guy & Girl’s recent LBI blog post over at CheapOAir and The LBI Foundation on the web or on Twitter (they even offer Italian classes – I told you LBI was next to (they even offer Italian classes – I told you LBI was next to nirvana!).