Located in Tuckerton, on the eastern edge of New Jersey, Atlantic Shore Pines Campground offers the best of both city and beach attractions. Atlantic City, with its famous casinos, rocking nightlife and iconic boardwalk, is just a half hour away. Even closer, a 20 minute drive, are the white sands of Long Beach Island, one of the state’s most beloved summer colonies, known to locals as LBI.
“There’s no boardwalk on LBI, no big high-rise hotels, just miles and miles of shoreline,” Jessica Walker, manager of the campground, tells The Buzz. “There are a few towns, with cute little shops, an amusement park and lots of things for families to do.”
There’s also a lighthouse and a maritime museum to visit. Kite-flying, miniature golf and some of the best surfing on the East Coast fill the lazy days on the 18-mile-long island.
Access to LBI is limited from the mainland. Visitors can drive onto the island via the only causeway, S.R. 72, and look for a parking place. Street parking is free but scarce.
Alternatively, visitors can catch the ferry to LBI from the nearby Tuckerton Seaport and Baymen’s Museum. The ferry itself is free, first-come, first-served, but $5 will reserve you a seat, as well as give you admission to the Seaport’s several attractions, including a boatworks, decoy gallery, the recreated Tucker’s Island Lighthouse, exhibits exploring the maritime heritage of the Jersey Shore, a folklife museum, and the Jacques Cousteau National Estuarine Research Reserve Interpretive Center.
Once on the island, a shuttle takes guests to their chosen destination. A beach badge is required for accessing the beach itself, available for free at Atlantic Shore Pines.
The campground just off the Garden State Parkway on the edge of Jersey’s Pine Barrens has been owned and operated by the same family since the late 1970s. Since then, Atlantic Shore Pines has grown to a major camping destination on the Jersey Shore, with over 60 full hookup sites and some 100 water and electric sites, plus tent sites, air-conditioned cabins and two lodges. Pets are welcome and dogs have their own dog park for exercise.
Jessica says many of the campers are repeat visitors, who’ve been coming to the campground for years. It’s a family affair for her as well.
“I grew up here,” she says. “It was always such a fun place to spend the summer. Now my aunt owns the property and I manage.”
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