Point Pleasant Beach
Point Pleasant Beach
3.9
About
Located south of New York City, this beach is known for its sea kayak zone.
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Most Recent: Reviews ordered by most recent publish date in descending order.
Detailed Reviews: Reviews ordered by recency and descriptiveness of user-identified themes such as waiting time, length of visit, general tips, and location information.
Popular mentions
3.9
772 reviews
Excellent
340
Very good
221
Average
88
Poor
43
Terrible
80
duck8to
Montville, NJ6,780 contributions
Jul 2020
To understand Point Pleasant Beach and Boardwalk in 2020, I reflected upon my long history with this New Jersey shore landmark. In my youth admission to the beach was free. Today, the cost is $9 on week days and $10 on weekends, Pre- COVID-19, had no restrictions on the amount of people. Beware that today, admission to the beach is restricted to a certain number. Bracelets are given out on a first come first serve basis until capacity is reached. Parking has gone up over the years as expected. Now parking will cost you $20 per day. If you try to park a few blocks from the beach, you need to get there early or get lucky. Do you like to see the sunset on the beach? The beach closes at 5:30 and the lifeguards leave. When I first came to Point Pleasant, Jenkinson ran the aquarium. Today, Jenkinson owns much of the boardwalk. Rents are high and restaurants and other attractions reflect that in there pricing.
What is still great about Point Pleasant is the beautiful white sand beach, the palm trees, the arcades and various shops on the boardwalk. Frankly, I enjoy the New Jersey shore the most in the Fall and Winter. I like taking walks, fishing from the beach or deep sea fishing. Lately I have become a better paddle boarder. Sun bathing has never been my thing unless you consider sitting at Martells' Tiki Bar sun bathing.
What is still great about Point Pleasant is the beautiful white sand beach, the palm trees, the arcades and various shops on the boardwalk. Frankly, I enjoy the New Jersey shore the most in the Fall and Winter. I like taking walks, fishing from the beach or deep sea fishing. Lately I have become a better paddle boarder. Sun bathing has never been my thing unless you consider sitting at Martells' Tiki Bar sun bathing.
Written 16 July 2020
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Darleen T
27 contributions
Jul 2023 • Friends
Loved it. Girls day trip at the beach. Parking was so close. It’s well organized you can pay entry get umbrella & chair all at once. It’s very clean, attendants keep restrooms clean. There are lines at restrooms but they move quick. Boardwalk is nice but not a lot to do if you don’t do rides. It’s great for the kiddies. The rides were classic that I would have lived to ride but it was way too expensive. It’s easy for a family to pay a few hundred bucks for kids to ride.
Written 12 July 2023
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Ken F
High Point, NC191 contributions
Jul 2023
Fishing at the Manasquan / Point Pleasant inlet is always a good place to spend a day. There are so many spectacular boats to watch that even if fishing is slow you can enjoy the scenery. Did catch a bunch of flounder but they were all undersized and had to go back in and grow up!
Point Lobster Company took over a bar on Rte. 35 in town and is a good place to eat dinner. The beach requires passes and they are now 13.00 for the day. Kind of a ripoff.
If you have kids the pier is a good place to take them for mini-golf, rides, and games.
Still a fun place to visit.
Point Lobster Company took over a bar on Rte. 35 in town and is a good place to eat dinner. The beach requires passes and they are now 13.00 for the day. Kind of a ripoff.
If you have kids the pier is a good place to take them for mini-golf, rides, and games.
Still a fun place to visit.
Written 31 July 2023
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Nicole M
72 contributions
Aug 2022 • Family
I've been going to PP since I was in diapers... almost 40 years visiting this beach. I have many fond memories. I drove down with my husband and baby mid day so we could enjoy sitting on the beach and watching the sunset. I lugged my camera around the boardwalk for 3 hours just so I could capture a few nice photos of my baby playing on the sand at sunset.... only to find out they close access to the beach after 7... like wtf is that? Since when do you prohibit people from enjoying the beach at sunset?
I don't even know how people vacation here and actually pay the insane rental prices and enjoy it when they can't access the beach whenever they want. I remember not long ago, they would have the swim at your own risk when the life guards clocked out.
Also, most of the crane machines are absolute garbage and WAY over priced. If you're going to charge me 2 bucks a try then make sure your machine actually grabs the item.
Not coming back. I'll start going back to sandy hook again. Pp, you suck
I don't even know how people vacation here and actually pay the insane rental prices and enjoy it when they can't access the beach whenever they want. I remember not long ago, they would have the swim at your own risk when the life guards clocked out.
Also, most of the crane machines are absolute garbage and WAY over priced. If you're going to charge me 2 bucks a try then make sure your machine actually grabs the item.
Not coming back. I'll start going back to sandy hook again. Pp, you suck
Written 16 August 2022
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
sadieapple
PA53 contributions
Jul 2024 • Family
I've been going to Pt. Pleasant beach since I was a little girl in the 60's. I brought my kids in the 80's and 90's and last year I brought my grandchildren. But it's just not the same. From all the restrictions of what you can bring on the beach (I mean exact measurements of your cooler??) to the water itself. We rented a house for the week and thankfully they had a pool in the backyard because you literally could not go in the water. We were there the second week of July and while Pt. Pleasant has always had some rough waves, these were simply deadly. There is a huge drop off now and the power of the waves and the pull of the water made it impossible to even just stand near to get your feet wet. The kids couldn't even play near the water so unless you're interested in spending the day on the beach with nothing to do but chase your kids away from the water, don't bother. The lifeguards seemed like they could care less about who was near the water or struggling to get away from it. These are not the lifeguards of yesteryear that's for sure. They were on their cell phones and not watching what was happening right in front of them. I could barely hang on to my grandson and try to maintain my balance. No one was in the water, but of course they don't tell you that when they're charging you a small fortune to go onto the beach. The boardwalk isn't the same either, dirtier, louder, the staff aren't as polite or helpful as they used to be. It's just not the family friendly place of years ago. Bathrooms were very dirty as well. So very sad to see one of my favorite childhood memories slip through the cracks. On the plus side, the fireworks are always great, it's near some of our favorite restaurants (Shrimp Box, Wharfside, Jack's) the kiddie rides and arcade were a hit with the little ones.
Written 26 January 2025
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Mandy C
1 contribution
Jun 2021
We had our first (and last!!!!) trip to Point Pleasant Beach, NJ. First of all, the Mayor needs a serious realty check, charging even a dollar to go on that beach is too much! I have never paid at the most beautiful beaches in Hawaii and the Caribbean. Who doesn't love to walk on the beach in the early morning or evening? Not here you can't! Nobody is allowed on the beach unless during the open hours (8AM - 7PM) and God forbid you go on without paying! Paying.... oh my, $11.00 per day per person no matter what! If you arrive at 5PM, you're paying full price, $11.00. Oh and it's $12.00 per day per person on the weekend! Next, the Boardwalk, Jenkinson's Boardwalk, nothing, and I mean NOTHING on the boards there. The amusement park is ok. I wouldn't know about the one bar/restaurant that was recommended because they do not allow children and I had my 3 year old grandbaby. I expected eatery's all over up and down the Boards but nope!
The biggest disappointment was the lack of restaurants in that area, seriously, you will have to drive 5 miles or so to other towns or you will starve. It's unbelievable that a beach town has nowhere to eat! Do yourself a favor and go to Ocean City, MD, great times there and we will never stray again OCMD! We just wanted to try something else and we learned our lesson, Point Pleasant Beach, NJ - NO!
The biggest disappointment was the lack of restaurants in that area, seriously, you will have to drive 5 miles or so to other towns or you will starve. It's unbelievable that a beach town has nowhere to eat! Do yourself a favor and go to Ocean City, MD, great times there and we will never stray again OCMD! We just wanted to try something else and we learned our lesson, Point Pleasant Beach, NJ - NO!
Written 7 July 2021
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Ron
New Jersey14 contributions
Jun 2022
As a kid, I went to Jenkinson's boardwalk a few times with family and friends. I have fond memories. This year I went to celebrate my birthday and the magic is gone. You know inflation is bad when boardwalk games are more of a scam than we already accepted they were. I mean 1 dart/throw for $3? That's highway robbery. The food is your standard boardwalk food of ice cream, wings, fries, etc. No complaints there. There was a section that offered live music which I would've loved to enjoy but a member of my group was under 21 so she wasn't allowed in. I mean just put X's on her hands or something she's not going to drink we just wanted to hear the live music. As some of the more recent reviews detail there's a strict beach curfew. This is news to me. I understand not being able to swim past a certain point but no one is even allowed on the beach period even to walk it or watch the sunset. I was also annoyed by how early they closed the public restrooms. This hopefully will change later in the season but it's June so if there's any time to keep them open past 5 now's the time.
Written 27 June 2022
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Michelle R
3 contributions
Jul 2021 • Family
We planned to go to ocean city first and then six flags the next day but due to the weather ended up going to Six Flags first and then PP. The parking was absolutely horrible but given that it was a holiday weekend post pandemic, I’ll give them that. After wasting so much time finding parking and paying to enter the beach for 5 people, I felt cheated that the beach closed so early, but I was glad for an excuse to get my teens out of the water and head home. The waves were huge and as another reviewer mentioned, broke early. I was terrified that my kids would go out too far and get swept out. Even the kids agreed that OC is a much better experience.
Written 7 July 2021
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Dona R
Woodsville, NH30 contributions
Jun 2024 • Family
We didn't actually go to the beach. $30 for parking and $14 per person just to get to the sand was too much for us. I've been to many beaches where there is a charge for parking but never a touch the same charge as well -- and I used to live in California and Maine.
Written 29 June 2024
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Christopher W
Belleville, NJ1 contribution
May 2023 • Friends
Be very careful talking within the designated parking slots. I received a $100 fine for my right rear tire being over the white line into the neighboring parking slot. I thought the ticket was for me not putting my parking receipt on my car dashboard. The parking kiosk where I paid $ 3.25 for 1 hour parking did not dispense parking receipts. Probably ran out of paper. Poor maintenance!
Written 30 May 2023
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Lulú N
Wilmington, Delaware
Mire que cobran $12 por entrada a la playa, pero es por persona ese precio o por grupo de personas?
Written 17 June 2021
How is the parking in point pleasant?
Are the beaches free?
Written 20 August 2020
Hi, Pt Pleasant is where I like to go. We stay at motel for a few days,during week. Beach passes are free and we walk to beach. The motel also lets you leave car thereon check out day and have pass for the day!.
Written 21 August 2020
Wander01443477010
Staten Island, New York
Does Point pleasant beach have Life guards?
Written 26 June 2020
hello i would like to stay at hotel down there but are they clean. how is the covid down there i don't know what to do ?? help
Written 22 June 2020
I stayed at the Driftwood motel. It had a private beach so I didn’t use any Jenkinson’s beach facilities. It says on the site that the bathhouses are closed as of June 13th. Here is the Name of the site Jenkinson's beach/hours-info/ Here is a phone number you can try tel:7328920600
Good luck and have fun.
Written 19 June 2020
We went last year but couldn't find the shower (despite asking several employees). Where was the parking lot with the showers? (If you can give me a cross street that would be so appreciated!) Thanks!
Written 18 August 2019
The parking lot is located at the intersection of Broadway & Ocean Ave. I think it is on the Northeast corner of the intersection. Diagonally across from Strollo’s Lighthouse Italian Ice.
Written 28 August 2019
MY family & I go during the week when it is not crowded. Weekday beach tags are $9 for adults, $3 for kids & kids 5 & under are free. We park at the public parking lot located at Broadway & Ocean ave. Parking is $10 during the week. The bath house is located at this parking lot. There is no charge to use the showers.
Written 8 August 2019
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