Best NJ Beach Towns for Your Next Vacation
Ready for a beach vacation in New Jersey? NJ has many beach towns — and ICONA Resorts gives you access to the best ones.
No matter where you stay with us, you'll be able to enjoy an unforgettable beach vacation experience with family and friends. We want to help you get ready to explore the best NJ beach towns.
As part of our efforts, we've compiled a list of NJ's top beach towns.
Avalon and Stone Harbor
Avalon and Stone Harbor make up 7-Mile Island, with Avalon on the north end. Avalon is often called "Cooler by a Mile" because it extends into the ocean one mile further than Stone Harbor.
Beaches
Avalon and Stone Harbor feature awe-inspiring dunes that help preserve the city's beautiful beaches. With seven miles of beaches, there's plenty of space to lounge and relax on the sand in Avalon. By booking a stay at ICONA Avalon or ICONA Windrift, you're always just steps from Avalon's beaches.
Activities
If you prefer to stay active, you can swim, play volleyball, and enjoy other beach activities in Avalon. For those looking for things to do in Avalon away from the beach, you have plenty of options.
Families can visit Avalon Surfside Park, a public park featuring a kids' playground, amphitheater, and tennis courts. Those who want to learn about the area's history can stop by the Avalon History Center, home to photos, artifacts, and even a circa 1925 lifeboat.
Stone Harbor offers The Wetlands Institute, which provides visitors of all ages with fun, interactive wetland learning experiences.
Meanwhile, Stone Harbor Museum is an ideal day trip destination, featuring 50,000 artifacts, displays, and videos highlighting the borough's past.
Dining
Along with its attractions, Stone Harbor and Avalon provide many superb dining options.
If you've never visited a gastropub, check out Avalon Brew Pub, which serves exceptional meals and drinks in a sleek yet casual environment.
For unique cocktails and cuisine complemented by the sweet sounds of live music, stop by Signature Lounge at the ICONA Windrift resort.
ICONA Windrift also offers plenty of on-property dining options for your enjoyment. At each of these restaurants, you'll enjoy delicious cuisine and stunning views of the Atlantic Ocean.
Where to Stay
The ICONA Avalon and ICONA Windrift teams will help you make the most of your beach vacation in Avalon or Stone Harbor. In addition to being centrally located in one of the best beach towns in NJ, our resorts offer exquisitely designed and decorated rooms, beach tags included with your stay, and other premium features and amenities.
Wildwood, Wildwood Crest, and Diamond Beach
With its "doo-wop" style architecture, sandy beaches, and wide range of attractions and entertainment, Wildwood is a popular Jersey Shore vacation destination.
For convenient access to everything in Wildwood and some of the area's best ocean views, plan a trip to Wildwood Crest. If you want to get away to the beach with family and friends, Diamond Beach also provides a unique destination.
Beaches
Wildwood offers free white-sand beaches — all on a five-mile island. In Wildwood Crest, there are three miles of clean, protected beaches. Diamond Beach also offers beautiful expanses of beach that your family can spread out on and enjoy.
Activities
Wildwood offers a world-famous Boardwalk featuring 38 blocks of rides, attractions, waterparks, shops, and entertainment.
If you want to fish, kayak, and enjoy other water activities in Wildwood Crest, stop by Sunset Lake. And if you time it just right, you may be lucky enough to see a picture-perfect sunset on the water of Sunset Lake.
Dining
For comfort food and contemporary American cuisine prepared and served with love, visit Coastal Blue Restaurant in Wildwood Crest. There's also The Star Beach Bar, which offers brick-oven pizza, frozen drinks, and live music right on Diamond Beach.
Where to Stay
Stay at ICONA Diamond Beach, and you'll never have to travel too far from our resort to explore Wildwood, Wildwood Crest, and Diamond Beach. At our Diamond Beach resort, you'll have direct access to one of the top private beaches in New Jersey. You'll also enjoy friendly, personalized "above-and-beyond" service delivered in the aloha spirit of warmth, welcome, and love.
Cape May
Cape May is a can't-miss Jersey Shore beach getaway destination — for many reasons.
Beaches
Cape May has 2.5 miles of beaches, giving you ample space to enjoy time outdoors with family and friends. Cape May's beaches run parallel to Beach Avenue and ICONA Cape May, our boutique hotel, which provides guests with spectacular oceanfront views.
Activities
If you want to shop 'til you drop while you're staying with us in Cape May, check out Washington Street Mall, which offers over 75 establishments.
Or, if you want to climb to the top of a lighthouse and see a historic landmark, there's Cape May Lighthouse. Reach the top, and you'll enjoy a bird's-eye view of Delaware Bay, the Atlantic Ocean, and Cape May Point State Park.
Dining
If you get hungry, Cape May offers dozens of dining options.
Overlooking Cape May Harbor, The Lobster House serves fresh seafood and other delectable dishes. If you want a fine dining experience, visit Peter Shields Restaurant, which serves masterfully prepared traditional and contemporary seasonal selections.
Where to Stay
At ICONA Cape May, we blend modern comfort with timeless architecture and design, bridging the gap between the past and present. With our hotel's best-in-class features and amenities, custom furnishings, crisp, white façade, and nautical blue shutters and awnings, we provide couples, families, and groups with a breath of fresh air on the Jersey Shore.
Want to Visit the Best Beach Towns in New Jersey?
Don't wait to plan your trip to any or all of these beach towns in New Jersey. The ICONA team is happy to help you map out your beach getaway so you can enjoy sacred time with family and friends at the Jersey Shore.
Book your next getaway at an ICONA property.