Roadtrip to Atlantic City
in South New Jersey

We we're invited by some friends to go to Atlantic City for the weekend. We left at night because we just wanted to zip through New York from Connecticut without any problems.

Arriving in Waretown NJ in 3 hours. We rested, parked at a WaWa parking area.

In the morning we got some coffee and drove to see what was at the end of Long Beach Island.

It was a very scenic 8 mile drive, following Long Beach Ave. north, and every street to the east of us had a beach access.

Barnegat Lighthouse

First we came into Surf City, then Harvey Cedars, then Loveladies, to reach the very tip of Long Beach Island. We were surprised to see a tall red and white lighthouse there, and a park where you can picnic and take a walk. Andy's gift shop is there, along with several shoreline restaurants. There is also a parking lot with restrooms and a small picnic area. See a typical beach cottage and this beach cottage... too cute!

See a large picture of all the New Jersey Lighthouses

On the way back we went looking for a Dunkin Donuts to get some coffee, and if it wasn't for our new Garmin c330 gps, we wouldn't have found it.

Island Beach State Park

We drove along Route 9 and wound up at Tom's River, which is very nice, we liked it. As we passed the river, there was a ferry there and a lobster Shanty called Robbins I think. The park is called Huddy Park. We took Water St to Hwy 37 and crossed to Pebbles Island and then onto Island Beach.

Making a turn right we followed the road all the way to Island Beach State Park. They charged us $5.00 to get in and said there was no camping there when we asked. We drove for about 3 miles on a straight stretch of nicely paved road and saw a sign for a Beach Plum Festival on Sept. 9th.

The Barnegat Motel

We went back to the car to get a beach blanket, but then our friends called and said they finally made it through New York, and were at the motel. This motel where they made reservations is called the Sea Pine Motor Inn. They had made the reservations over the phone, and had no idea what the place looks like. They were very disappointed. This is why I spend so much time taking pictures of motels. I like to know what they place looks like before we make reservations.

So now we are waiting for our friends to call us on the cellphone. They are heading closer to Atlantic City to find a better motel. The traffic on Route 9 is getting heavier now, it's 3:40pm

The motel they found was much more scenic, called the Barnaget Motel, it is really nice and the rooms are small and cozy. We unpacked and then took a drive to Atlantic City.

Surprise at Atlantic City

Atlantic City was a surprise to me. When we drove toward the Atlantic City beach and boardwalk, I felt like we were in Povertyville instead of Atlantic City. The area was so vacant of anything but an occasional home on every block. Then we realized that the tourist hotspot was further south of us.

I took a lot of pictures in this poor side of town and of the beach before we drove to the casino side of the beach and boardwalk. We parked in a dirt parking lot by the House of Blues, and took a walk on the boardwalk. We decided to find something to eat at Bally's and they had a buffet restaurant called Virginia City, and their casino was called the Wild Wild West. We didn't play any games, but the buffet was rather good at 20 bucks a person, which included a nice steak.

Traveling to the Tip of Beach Island

We drove back to the Barnaget Motel and spent the night. In the morning we took a drive to Beach Island and turned right at the light instead of left. We wanted to see what was at the southern tip of Beach Island. We saw an Irish Festival going on and stopped to take pictures, but it was $10.00 to get in. We then stopped at a sidewalk sale at B&B's and checked out the $1.00 bargains. Heading south again, we stopped at a small recreation area.. There was a boardwalk, a tiny beach, restrooms, and and a gazebo where it looked like someone just got married there because there were decorations. There was also a Coast Guard boat.

There were lots of stores and shops along Bay Ave. and we felt like we were heading south forever, till we got to the tip. When we got to the tip of the island, there wasn't much there. There is a beach but there are signs that say No Swimming. We also saw some boxes that that are suppose to be fly traps, for maybe sandflies? If so, Cape Cod ought to make some of these boxes, especially at Paines Creek Beach.

On the way back to the motel we stopped and ate at a little diner. We ordered our usual fish and chips, but I was disappointed with the quality of the fish. Not nearly as good as some fish and chips spots we have been too in our travels.

We went back to the Barnaget Motel and changed, because our whole purpose for this trip was a Bluegrass concert at Albert Hall in Waretown.. We stayed at the concert till 11:00 and went back to the motel.

The next morning, Sunday, we walked over to Sweet Jenny's restaurant for breakfast, then left to go to Ocean City to spend some time, because our friends have never been there. On the way we ran across two campgrounds, Sea Pirate Campground and Baker's Acres.

tolls to Atlantic city

$3.10 NJ Turnpike
$.70 - Garden State Parkway
$.35 - Garden State Parkway
$.25 - Garden State Parkway exit

More pictures of South New Jersey

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