Sunset Beach
Cape May Point, NJ
Sunset Beach faces west across the Delaware Bay from the tip of Cape May Point, home to the SS Atlantus, a concrete ship that ran aground in 1926 and never left. No beach tag is required here, and the beach doubles as a small commercial strip, gift shops, food stands, mini golf, right up against the sand.
The SS Atlantus and the nightly sunset tradition give it a genuine identity beyond just sand, though the gift shop strip right on the beach makes it feel more like a roadside attraction than a quiet stretch of coast.
How we score beachesStick around for the actual sunset and the nightly flag ceremony if you're here in the evening. It's a genuine local tradition, not just a name on a map.
Free on site parking serves the beach, though the lot fills up by late afternoon in summer when the sunset crowd arrives.
A flat, short walk from the lot leads to the beach, with no boardwalk or paved path onto the sand itself.
Leashed dogs are welcome from mid September through March.
Water warms into the low to mid 70s by August, though most visitors come for the view west across the bay rather than for swimming. Clear evenings in any season bring the biggest crowds, all watching the same sunset.
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
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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.