Growing up in Monmouth County, I spent my summers down the shore in Asbury Park. I remember the weekends when my dad used to take me and my sister to the long-gone historic Palace amusements. Now, decades later, I still love the thrill of returning with my family. My husband and I cherish the moments we spend walking the boardwalk relishing all the fun, family-friendly things to do on a summer weekend.
Now that we live in North Jersey, the hour-long drive can get tiring, especially in traffic. For the first time, we took a few mini overnight trips to the beach with our three-year-old to experience the joys of everything Asbury Park and Ocean Grove has to offer for young families. Even though it rained three of the four collective days we stayed down there, it did not deter us from creating the best memories.
And even though we often venture to the area on weekend day trips, staying over felt like a luxury vacation.
Where to Stay:
For one of our trips, we stayed on the Ocean Grove side at the newly renovated Hotel Albatross. Travel and Leisure just ranked it the #1 boutique hotel in the U.S.
The revived Victorian landmark (with an elevator!) built in 1881, has 27 rooms—each carefully crafted to feel luxurious and cozy at the same time. The double bedroom we stayed in on the third floor had plenty of space if you needed to add a crib. Plus, there was plenty of room to park our stroller. Many places in Ocean Grove are adult-only bed and breakfasts, so this was a special treat to be able to bring our son with us.
One of my favorite parts about the hotel was that it was just a few short blocks from the ocean and downtown shops. The lobby is home to a small coffee bar with locally sourced pastries. The banana bread was a big hit for my 3-year-old. Adding to the charm, the food was served on real plates and the coffee came in ceramic mugs. We loved taking our snacks and coffee to either the porch on the lobby level or up to the second floor, overlooking the town. There’s also boxed lunch options to bring with you to the beach.
Our stay included complimentary bicycles, luxurious beach chairs—easy to carry on your backs—umbrellas, towels and beach badges. One of the best parts about the hotel is that it’s walkable to both Ocean Grove’s Main Street and Asbury’s Cookman Avenue, each home to countless shops and restaurants.
It was gloomy on the day we arrived, so while we waited to check in to our room, we took a walk on the boardwalk by heading north into Asbury Park. We stopped at the Silverball Retro Arcade to play on the cars outside and went to the two playgrounds along the boardwalk, since the equipment and sand weren’t too hot.
We strolled down to Convention Hall for an ice pop at Betty’s Ice Box before returning back to Ocean Grove for lunch at Nagle’s. Then it was finally time to hit up the beach for a few hours of fun. We then headed back to the hotel to freshen up for an outdoor Italian dinner on Cookman Avenue.
The next day, we walked back to Cookman for breakfast outside at Toast, followed by walking around all the Ocean Grove shops. We stopped at another playground on the Bradley Beach border before checking out of the hotel. Since it was raining on and off, we didn’t wind up back on the beach, though we did spend a few hours on the Asbury Park beach playground.
The Asbury Hotel
On a second trip, we stayed at the Asbury Hotel for a completely different vibe.
The rock-n-roll inspired lobby (the beach town is known for its Bruce Springsteen connection, of course) is packed with entertainment for kids, including a pinball machine and pool table. My son was enthralled with both activities. There’s also a tape cassette and record library in the lobby. It piqued my son’s interest as he wanted to know, “what’s a record?” and “how it works.” So we borrowed a record from the shelf and played it on the record player that was in our room. My son instantly fell in love with the old-school charm of lifting the needle up and down to hear each song.
One of the best parts of the Asbury Hotel is not only its proximity to the boardwalk, but its resort-style pool. The wide steps leading into the three-foot shallow side made playing in the water easy for my son. Plus, there’s never-ending luxurious towels for use, a bar for drinks, complimentary ice water and a food truck with a kid’s menu: tacos, quesadillas, or chicken fingers. While I had no downtime to read since I was entertaining a toddler, I did bring a book that someone else happened to be reading a few chairs away: “Have a Great Summer” by NJ native and TODAY Show producer Francesca Cocchi.
For dinner on our first night, we visited Iron Whale. The restaurant was full of kids, serving as a fabulous family-friendly spot on the boardwalk. My son loved his plain spaghetti with grated cheese, while we enjoyed shrimp tacos and linguini with clams.
Ralph’s Italian Ice was closed by the time we walked by, so we decided to try Eddie Confetti’s Ice Cream & Cafe, which had the best coffee ice cream I’ve ever had. When we got back to the hotel, a DJ was spinning records in the lobby bar—which surprisingly wasn’t too loud. We ended the evening with a nightcap while we all played a game packed from home.
The next morning, we walked the boardwalk to grab coffee and pastries at Offshore Coffee, inside the Convention Hall. My son got mini pancake bites at the new Buttermee Pancakes spot on the boardwalk. If you’re quick to finish an iced coffee like me, hit the north end of the boardwalk for Brown’s Brew. It’s a standalone mobile coffee cart owned by Marine Corp. Veteran, Eric Brown, and perfect for your second cup of the day.
If you’re seated at the pool by 9 a.m., you’ll get a good spot with an umbrella. Unlike Hotel Albatross, our stay here did not include beach badges, chairs, or umbrellas. But that’s no issue at all with the wonderful pool right behind the lobby.
Thankfully, the hotel stored our bags all day for us once we checked out at noon, so we could enjoy the hotel a bit longer. When the rain came back, we walked over to Porta for an early dinner. The spacious restaurant, and its delicious pizza and meatballs, was the perfect spot to end our short stay.
While we were only in Asbury Park and Ocean Grove for a few days, we’re already itching to go back for more fun-filled (and hopefully sunny) adventures in the neighboring Jersey Shore beach towns.
More Family-Friendly Places in Asbury Park
Toast Asbury Park
516 Cookman Ave
With young kids, it’s always easy to get out the door early for breakfast and it’s a short, scenic walk from The Albatross and The Asbury. One of the most kid-friendly spots is Toast. On a busy summer weekend, make sure you’re there by 9:30 a.m. for a nice table outside. Like most diners, they have a kids menu along with crayons for entertainment. My son loved the silver dollar pancakes so much—he had two of them.
Porta
911 Kingsley Street
Perhaps the most family-friendly restaurant in Asbury is Porta since it is spacious with a huge indoor and outdoor area. They offer paper and crayons while you wait for the food, too! Not only is there a variety of great pizzas like a shrimp scampi pie, of course, but the menu has various pasta shape options from orecchiette to spaghetti and meatballs, plus some specialties for parents like octopus and fresh Jersey tomato salad.
Iron Whale
1200 Ocean Ave. Boardwalk
Walk off the beach for a family-friendly lunch or dinner. The kids menu ranging from $12-$16 and includes a drink, offers mac & cheese, pasta, ravioli, mozzarella sticks, chicken fingers, cheeseburger or salmon. Adults can enjoy fresh seafood options like fish tacos, lobster, linguini and clams and a raw bar while taking in boardwalk views from the outdoor patio.
Betty’s Ice Box
Convention Hall, Boardwalk
My son is obsessed with rainbow ice pops at Betty’s Ice Box. There’s a store front in Convention Hall and a food truck near the 7th Avenue purple playground and bathrooms. They are house-made, vegan frozen desserts, from popsicles and gelato to shave ice and slushes and plenty in-between.
Asbury Lanes
209 4th Ave.
Bowling is the perfect rainy day activity and you don’t have to drive anywhere for it if you’re staying at the Asbury Hotel. Asbury Lanes is a legendary concert venue, historic landmark, and vintage bowling alley. The diner is there too, if you’re looking for casual breakfast, lunch or dinner options from grilled cheese to chicken fingers. Make sure to check the schedule though, as some days and nights are closed for private events.
Eddie Confetti’s Ice Cream & Cafe
1100 Ocean Ave N., Boardwalk
This boardwalk staple is the ultimate destination for anyone craving a banana split by the beach, especially if you love a massive variety of classic and vegan-friendly flavors. Operating right on 4th Ave., there are over 42 rotating options with fully loaded sundaes and espresso drinks. If you spent your summers walking the Asbury Park boardwalk, you likely know it’s been here for over 30 years. It is the absolute quintessential Jersey Shore dessert experience.
Cookman Creamery
711 Cookman Ave.
This homemade ice cream is one of the best in the area—especially its vegan options like carrot cake and peanut butter swirl. It’s often referred to as Philadelphia style ice cream which basically just means it uses minimal ingredients: milk, cream and sugar. If you grew up on the Jersey shore, specifically in Wall, you might know the owner! His name is James Johnson, a former Wall Township English teacher and Neptune City graduate.
Asbury Splash Park
2nd Avenue, Boardwalk
I’ve passed this splash pad for years on my long walks on the Asbury Park Boardwalk and finally got to step inside the gate! The $41 price is reasonable for families especially since you can stay all day. There are lounge chairs and umbrellas for shade. Plus, it has its own bathroom and changing area! Bring your own towel and food. If you want a sweet treat, there’s a convenient window to order Ralph’s Italian Ices without having to leave the area.
On cooler days, walk across the boardwalk to one of the playgrounds in the sand. Even without buying a beach pass, you can access it for free. Be careful: the sand and the slides can get hot!
Milk Sugar Love
1319 Memorial Dr.
If you feel like driving, Milk Sugar Love is a must visit if you’re in the area. You may already be familiar with its Jersey City location. This super cute shop on the edge of the city scoops up amazing small-batch ice cream and cookies. The ice cream sandwiches are a big hit in our family. They use organic and all-natural ingredients to mix up unique, chef-driven flavors like Lemon Olive Oil and seasonal favorites like strawberry.
More Family-Friendly Places in Ocean Grove
Seagrass
68 Main Ave.
If you’re staying at The Albatross, it’s a quick walk to Seagrass, in the heart of Ocean Grove. The BYO seafood restaurant doesn’t take reservations but they do have a kids menu with pasta on it. Since we love to eat outside, we got to the restaurant before 5 p.m. to get our table even though it’s a bit early for my son to eat dinner. If you want to bring wine, make sure to pick it up in Asbury.
Nagle’s
43 Main Ave.
This Ocean Grove staple just reopened with new ownership and we’ve already been here twice for the BLT sandwich and fries. If you’re looking for pancakes for the kids at lunchtime, make sure to get here before noon because that’s when they stop serving breakfast. Otherwise, the kids’ options are limited to the main menu or chicken fingers. Make sure to leave room for ice cream. It’s famous for its outside ordering window. Plus, there are shady seats set up on the sidewalk to eat it.
Ocean Grove Bake Shop
55 Main Ave.
Grab a pastry or a linzer tart cookie for a quick snack before heading to the beach at the Ocean Grove Bake Shop. It’s the quaintest shop for families looking for a pick-me-up before a long day in the sun.
Day’s Ice Cream
48 Pitman Ave.
Sit on the shaded porch to enjoy perhaps the best ice cream in Ocean Grove. Touting itself as the oldest ice cream shop on the Jersey Shore at 150 years young, there are endless options to choose from including key lime pie and blackberry chip. On some Sundays, there’s even music on the porch from 3-5pm.
Leigh Scheps is an entertainment, food, lifestyle and family travel reporter for various media outlets, focusing on Broadway. Her bylines include countless celebrity interviews for CBS News, Entertainment Tonight, Marie Claire, Rolling Stone, Vanity Fair, Town & Country, Elle, InStyle, TODAY, GRAMMY.com, Shondaland, Bustle, Time Out New York, and Broadway Direct.