LBI Pics for This Year

The beach in the evening

Veteran's Bicentennial Park

Bay Village, showing the ship

Bistro 14 in Bay Village

Country Kettle Fudge Store

    I made my annual trip to Long Beach Island last week.  My family rents a house there for a week at the end of July, and I usually join them toward the end of that week.  I love the island, and spending time there, but I find a few days there are enough for me.  I don’t participate much in the water sports or spend much time on the beach, at least not during the midday hours.  I spend most of that time inside, usually reading or listening to the radio and checking the Jersey Shore radio stations.  Sometimes I’ll venture out for a brief period and get some pictures, like the ones I have posted here. 

  The main attraction to the island is, of course, its natural setting, along the ocean and the bay. There is plenty to do in those two places. But there are also plenty of man-made attractions that help people spend their money, and can in and of themselves bring people to the island during the off season.   It lies in Ocean County, which is blessed with an abundance of beachfront and Pine Barrens land.  Tourism is probably its main industry.  LBI itself occupies 18 miles of shoreline, and most of the Barnegat Bay lies within the county boundaries.  And I can’t forget to mention that Seaside Heights and Island Beach State Park are in Ocean County too.  That town, of course, is host to a popular reality show that, if nothing else, has created its own media sensation and made 15 minute stars of its cast.  I don’t know what direct effect that show has had on tourism for Ocean County, but for the past few years it has been featured weekly to a nationwide audience.

    Long Beach Island probably got its name because it is long and narrow, running 18 miles from top to bottom, and never more than a few blocks wide from the ocean to the bay.  This is typical of the barrier islands that line the east coast from New England to Florida.  There is one bridge/causeway to take traffic on and off the island, near the geographical center at Ship Bottom.  At Ron Jon’s Surf Shop, the causeway ends as it runs into the main boulevard of the island, where most of the shops and restaurants are located.  In each of the towns, water towers bearing the town names are visible from the boulevard, letting travelers know where they’re at.  Since we stay in Beach Haven, near the bottom of the island, I make a right and go south along the boulevard.  Going left would lead toward the lighthouse, and through the more affluent communities of Harvey Cedars and Loveladies, where those who can afford it are yearlong residents with beachfront and bayfront houses. 

  I go through several of the beach towns as I make my way down the boulevard toward Beach Haven.  Each town is marked by its own water tower, which also serves to let the vacationers know where they’re at.  There are many other visual cues that let me know that I ‘m nearing my destination.  There are also many favorite places I try to visit each time I travel to LBI, most of which within walking distance of where I stay in Beach Haven.  I have plenty of pictures from past years that I may post later.  Right now, I here is what I have for this year, posted above.