The votes are in, and the Borough of Belmar, New Jersey, has been ranked No. 8 in USA Today's "10 Best Beaches in the Northeast" 2023 Reader's Choice Awards.
Belmar was ranked along with beaches in Cape May, Island Beach State Park, Ocean City, and Sandy Hook, New Jersey, in the USA Today voting contest, which also ranked beach towns in Delaware, Maryland, Rhode Island, and Massachusetts.
According to www.VacationInBelmar.com, "The coastal community of Belmar, New Jersey, is a jewel of the Jersey Shore. Visitors and residents alike love Belmar for its top-rated beaches and its small-town charm. Our town takes great pride in providing family-friendly amenities, along with a clean, smoke-free beach and boardwalk. Belmar, in Monmouth County, is easy to reach via Exit 98 of the Garden State Parkway, between the nearby towns of Spring Lake, Avon By The Sea, Ocean Grove, and Bradley Beach. We're about 15 minutes from Asbury Park and about an hour from Bucks County, Pennsylvania, via I-195 East."
In addition to clean, staffed restrooms, the Belmar beachfront is equipped with pirate-themed playgrounds, places to fill your water bottle and charge your cell phone, and touch-free foot showers for rinsing off.
Belmar also has ADA-accessible beaches equipped with blue mobility mats. These hard-surface beach-access ramps are designed for people who use wheelchairs or walking aids, and families coming to the beach with strollers, wagons and beach carts.
In 2014, Belmar was the first New Jersey shore town to ban smoking on the beach. Smoking is prohibited on the entire beach and boardwalk at all times.
The surfing beaches in Belmar, New Jersey, are located at 17th and 18th Avenues. In addition, Summertime Surf School offers surfing camps for kids and group or private surfing lessons for adults and organizations at 3rd Avenue beach in Belmar. Boogie boards may be used at 7th Avenue, 14th Avenue, and 20th Avenue.
Popular beachfront events in Belmar include the New Jersey Sandcastle Contest in July and the Belmar Pro surfing competition in September. The three-day New Jersey Seafood Festival is held every May across from the Belmar boardwalk at Silver Lake Park.
RELATED: More Belmar Beach Stories
Live Like A Local: Rent A Belmar Beach House
Day trips down the shore are fun, but it's even better to rent a beach house for the week to experience everything wonderful about the Belmar area. For couples, solo adults and small families, the two-bedroom Blue Hydrangea Cottage rental in Belmar, New Jersey, is the perfect getaway place. The home sleeps up to four people and is consistently rated five stars for cleanliness, amenities and location. Learn more at www.vacationinbelmar.com.
Story and photos © copyright by Christine Cardellino, owner of www.VacationInBelmar.com and publisher of the award-winning Belmar Beachcomber Blog, a travel and tourism guide for the Belmar region of the Jersey Shore. Do not copy any content (including images) without our permission. All rights reserved.
