Ocean Beach New Jersey

I went during off season, which was great, as I didn’t experience any traffic, issues with parking or overcrowded beaches. The beach was clean and the water was clear, the waves were calm in one area, with an entire separate area that had plenty of waves and surfers riding their waves. The boardwalk was full of walkers, cyclists & runners, but at no point did it feel crowded. It was the perfect day to enjoy a relaxing day at the beach.

Very nice beach had good waves for bodyboarding. There’s a lifeguard on duty and they had nice bathrooms that they had little sprayers to wash off.

Excellent beach, enough parking. They have restrooms located at walkable distance. One thing to be aware is there is no board walk. We came here mostly to play beach volleyball.

We tend to go in the late afternoon. Beach is nice and not to crowded most of the time. The walk down to the beach is not that bad. The shower and snack facilities are nice.I find that typically the water is not as rough as some other beaches. however the reason I do not give this five stars is the beach can be rocky near the break.

Beautiful long stretch of ocean beaches. Several playground areas for the kids. There was only a handful of people there as there was no swimming today, but that's better for me lol. Parking lot get locked at 830.

Crowded on a Saturday in August, as one would expect. New Jersey price gouges for enrance and parking. But the ocean was there. Listening and watching the waves was relaxing.

Beach is good, no loud music, bathroom is clean. Parking is $10. Entry is $8 per adult.

Very nice beach. Soft sand with no stones. Very clean.Good parking in the area (granted we went on a Monday). Large enough so you can find a nice spot and remain socially distant from everyone else. The area between the buoys was very packed though, and people were on top of each other. There is also a nice playground right by good for the kids.

Lots of nice restaurants, lots of parking spaces, but, more importantly, SUPER DUPER nice/clean beach. Yes, I had to go with the DUPER because it was that SUPER. Having been here a few times, it gets busy here on popular beach days (weekends and days around holidays), but doesn't get extremely crowded and, if you get here early enough, parking is not a problem at all. Even if you don't get here early, there are a lot of street parking spaces still and even parking lots that you can park in. You do have to pay a fee to park, but, you can park for many hours here, which is great if you plan on spending the day. There are a few restaurants to choose from if you want to just relax and grab a bite, but there are also plenty of stores too to walk around. As for the beach, it's beaaaautiful - really clean and plenty of space to claim as your own. As with most NJ beaches, there is a fee if you want to plant your feet into that clean sand - $6 Monday through Friday, $9 weekends/holidays and $3 every day for ages 14-17. Just an all around really nice beach area. The surrounding area outside of the beach is OK, but once you make it to the boardwalk, it's serenity at it's finest.

It is one of the shore's most popular beach towns. Last I visited this place in 2019 June, and I am seeing lots of changes since then. It was once a quiet community surrounded by farms. Today, it's a bustling resort town with wide, sandy beaches and an oceanfront promenade. In peak summertime, it took me almost 2 hrs. to reach here from Parsippany (Yup Traffic, Traffic & more Traffic). There is something for everyone and you can dine in or take out for a beach picnic. Pier Village has it all, shops, restaurants, cafes, bars, Ice cream shops, and fine-dine. you can find everything which you desire when you visit any beach/shore. There's also a 7Eleven for quick snacks, drinks, and beach items (toys, sunblock, etc..). There's a surf shop, a clothing store, a shoe store, Parking: just pray someone leaves the spot and then you park out there, I spent 20 mins going from one place to another. The fee is $3/hr and there is a garage but why would I pay $50 for the whole day? It's more expensive than New York. Beach passes are $5 per adult and children are free. You can buy them at the beach or online. Don't get me wrong, and I have been to every beach Jersey Shore has to offer, but I would keep Long Branch in the same league as Point Pleasant, Atlantic City & Ocean City.

Today and organized. Lots of beach staff. We saw a whale this morning! Such a beautiful place to spend the summer . Lots of lovely restaurants nearby! Not crowded today! Yay! Love!!

I've never been to Long Branch Beach as a kid but loving it as an adult! Always a peaceful and enjoyable experience!!!

Fun Fact: Dorothy Parker was born in Long Branch. (Too bad Yelp didn't exist back in 1918... no doubt she would've made 'Elite' after just one review.) Without her biting wit (or drinking habits) I'm just here to give my family's official "Seal of Approval" that Long Branch sorta snuck up on us to become our new fave beach to visit. From Sandy Hook (it served a purpose when I was young numskull) to Cape May (stunning and stately) to everywhere in-between - Long Branch hits that 'sweet spot' that makes it ideal for us parents and our young teens. (No rides or boardwalk games/attractions keeps the place a bit more 'mature' which is perfect for a cranky old coot like myself.) Great (clean) beach. Plenty of (paid) parking. Loads of solid restaurants and shops. Asbury Park is definitely more trendy, diverse and 'hip' but it's almost more expensive all around. Exit 105 is the reigning champ. (And I'm giving an extra star for a recent visit when the young gal totally helped us out and let us slide as 'students' because we were a few bucks short and they didn't accept credit cards to buy a daily badge for the beach. My kids kept reminding me it's been more than a few decades since I was within that "14-17 year old" range!)

I come to visit my friend who lives in Long Branch occasionally, but recently found my trip to Sandy Hook diverted and settled here. Long Branch beach is a bit more 'calmer' than the big named beaches such as the previously mentioned Sandy Hook or the likes of Point Pleasant and Asbury for example. The center of the beach/boardwalk has some shops and some restaurants which is pretty cool. Nothing exciting, but convenient. What I liked most was the small area of a statue and placks of where 7 of the U.S. Presidents who have visited Long Branch. It's a nice touch of history to the area and NJ, giving it kind of a "did you know?" Still though Long Branch Beach, isn't without it's folks that make your eyebrows raise. It seems to be very popular with 20 somethings who can be a bit over the top especially if you bring your family. The beach attendants also worked by young adults were a bit touchy with their attitudes. The beach was featured on an episode of WWYD where some kids (actors) were messing with a homeless person, so I'm sure that idea didn't come from nowhere. If you're looking for a more simpler beach among NJ's many, LBB is here.

Love long branch beach. Clean, good food options off the boardwalk. The 45 minute drive worth it for me!

Honestly, not sure why there are such bad reviews for this place? A group of friends and I were looking to go to the beach in NJ and none of us had ever gone to the beach anywhere in NJ before. I asked a local, who used to live in Asbury Park and she recommended Long Branch Beach. Entrance frees are $7 for weekends at the gate or $8.56 if you buy them in the app in advance. They open up the day passes in the app at 8:30am every morning. I was able to pre-buy the passes with zero issues. When you check-in at the gate, they give you a badge to keep with you in case you leave and come back. There is $10 public parking lots, but we opted to park in a lot that's closer to the beach for $20. $20 for all day parking (we were parked from 10am to 5pm) is a pretty good deal. We opted to set up near the Pier Village area, so we would have access to food. There are public bathrooms along the beach and they were kept pretty clean throughout the day (I used it 3x throughout the day). Life guards are posted along the beach and there are also rental spots if you want umbrellas or chairs. They do close on cloudy days, so be mindful of that. I followed them on Instagram and we were able to bring our own stuff since they were closed. Another plus: they allow beach tents! I know some NJ beaches so not allow tents, so I'm very happy that they allow it here. All in all, I had a great time. For roughly $7.50 a person, it was a great activity. Beach was clean and we had a great time.

It is free admission for 13 & under, age 14+ need to pay & receive a badge with a safety pin, free parking in residential area a few blocks away, short walk to water. Not many eateries around. Only saw 1 area of bathrooms.

I really enjoyed my time at Long Branch beach. This was my first time beaching on the shore, and I must say it was much better than the NYC beaches that I'm used to. The entry fee was only $7. However, be prepared to pay more for parking. We had to wait about 30 minutes before find an opening in the parking lot, so make sure you come early to find a spot quickly. The boardwalk is filled with nice little shops and restaurants to eat in. They also have live music too! Overall, I'm very pleased and will probably visit more frequently during the summer months.

Go elsewhere. If you are looking for a relaxing and hassle free getaway this is not the place. Coolers are searched before you are allowed on the beach - ok fine. Then they send police through the beach in the afternoon to search coolers again - really??? How annoying!! If the goal is to annoy people enough they never return it works.

PROS: This is an upscale beach because of the affluent type of stores and restaurants they have.70% of the restaurants and stores are high end, it has a nice garden community, the people here are not suspicious, and the whole place is clean CONS: There's hardly any parking and the center of town where Stewarts is, is always congested. The boardwalk also doesn't have rides, games, and too many snacks like other beaches do. OVERALL: This isn't my favorite beach but its the closest good one so I come here

LONG BRANCH: the city is growing so much recently, especially a lot of new development along the oceanfront! We are always excited for new things and hope they include dogs! A lot of the reason to come here is for the beach and boardwalk! Here are the rules: BEACH: leashed dogs allowed 10/1-4/30. PROMENADE/BOARDWALK: Dogs are not allowed anytime, but there are ways around it. From Pier Village and north, there is a blacktop path that parallels the promenade that is dog friendly. And from Pier Village and south, you can walk on the sidewalk across from the boardwalk!

Long Branch Beach July 3, 2020 Wow I arrived here really early before 5 am and it's now 7:30 am on July 3rd. The beach is dirty littered with trash over flowing in the garbage and onto the sand. The bathroom was disgusting! I have never seen it look this bad! I have two night stay in town I don't think I'll be back tomorrow or the rest of the year. Hopefully they will do a deep clean to remove trash off the beach and do a thorough job cleaning and disinfecting the bathrooms. *Update* I went back to the bathroom after 10 am and it was being cleaned. It could use a deep clean but it was much better than the earlier pics! Thank you for the tidy up. Happy 2020 Fourth

I've been coming to the shore my entire life and have never been to Long Branch. Wow was I surprised when I pulled up to this beautiful boardwalk and beach! This is hands down one of the cleanest areas I've ever been to at the shore. I am so disappointed that I've waited 28 years to come here! The beach was great and extremely clean. It was only $7 per adult to get on the beach and there was a lot of parking options. The best part was it wasn't overly packed like all of the other beaches I've been to. All of the life guards were extremely friendly at all of the posts and more than happy to help or answer questions when needed. The boardwalk was a perfect spot to hang out with friends or bring your family. There were so many restaurants, stores and even arcades, it hit every age range. Once again, extremely clean. I've definitely found my new weekend spot at the shore!

This beach is quickly going downhill. It is overrun by juvenile assholes. Teens drinking on the beach and burying the cans in the sand. Teens being loud and rowdy and having zero respect for people around them. I'm all for having a good time but leaving trash on the beach, running around kicking sand on nearby parties, smoking weed pens, and allowing umbrellas to be blown away is not my idea of fun. Some serious policing needs to happen here.

Beach is clean and nice... you can maneuver parking if your strategic. $7 for adult to get on beach.. you can use tents lord knows I need it.. because my body is not ready.. didn't catch up with my mind. but for kids it's great to have the tent option!! not like Belmar you can't.. allot of food options. You can pay with card at the stand alone meter for beach passes.. cash at booths. There is parking on side streets otherwise the garages run about $25 a pop!.. yup Le ave was nice and food was good.. could not check in because phone was dead of course but they did have a price fix menu before six $32 was good options and delicious.

Place changed! 7/24/2022 CROWDED beach, cannabis smell on beach, youths playing hard ball (catch) near sunbathers. Police in front of stores and parking lot for protection of store owner's goods. Parking went up from last year $ 20.00 to 30.00 all day park. Can't believe other comments like families come here to enjoy. We are never coming back. Mayor and Governor, I hope your reading this comment.

Very Disappointing experience. This used to be a wonderful beach . I've heard over the past two years it was changing, but was not prepared for the change in demographics . It now cost 50.00 to park in a lot near the beach instead of the 7-25 dollars it once did . Which while expensive wouldn't have minded if the beach weren't dirty and beyond crowded. As for the crowd that's the biggest change . Its a whole new crowd . Very very trashy. The young gate attendants were also not particularly friendly or inviting . As for resturants if you do not heed my warning and do end up on Long Branch I recommend you make a reservation. Some of them have 90 minute waits . Honestly if you're planning a day at the beach avoid this one . HORRIBLE experience! Stay away from Avenue Restaurant it's underwhelming overpriced food and Terrible service has continued post Covid-19.

Crowded beach but pretty and nice people here. I didn't like the water but the boardwalk & area I also nice.