Somers Point Beach
Somers Point, NJ
Somers Point's beach, officially William Morrow Municipal Beach Park, sits on Great Egg Harbor Bay rather than the ocean, a free beach with a fishing pier and playground that draws a mostly local, family crowd rather than shore town tourists. It's the only entry on this list where the water in front of you is bay, not surf.
A genuinely well equipped free beach with real amenities, fishing pier, playground, restrooms, though the bay water and the drive off the barrier island keep it a local's pick rather than a tourist destination.
How we score beachesBring a crab line or a rod. The fishing pier here gets steady use all summer, and it's as much a part of the local routine as the beach itself.
Free parking serves the beach directly at 800 Bay Avenue.
Flat paths from the free lot lead to the beach, restrooms, and playground, manageable for strollers.
Dogs aren't allowed on the beach from mid May through September. From October through mid May, leashed dogs may walk the area washed by the high tide.
Bay water warms into the mid to upper 70s by August, calmer and typically a few degrees warmer than the ocean beaches on Absecon Island nearby.
More Atlantic Coast beaches
Coast Guard Beach
Eastham, MA · Atlantic Coast
A National Seashore beach backed by grassy dunes and a tidal marsh, with clean Atlantic surf and one of the Cape's most scenic approaches on foot from the parking area.
Surfside Beach
Nantucket, MA · Atlantic Coast
Open Atlantic swell and a wide sandy shoreline about three miles from Nantucket town, popular with locals for its bodysurfing waves and quieter, less commercial feel.
Jones Beach State Park
Wantagh, NY · Atlantic Coast
A classic Long Island beach with six and a half miles of shoreline, a landmark water tower, boardwalk, and a large outdoor amphitheater that hosts concerts through the summer.