Jones Beach, NY

Over six miles of white sand can be found on Long Island’s Jones Beach, one of New York’s largest beaches with over six million visitors in an average summer season. Part of Jones Beach State Park, it is considered “the people’s beach”, and there really is something here for everyone.

We came here one busy weekend to check out the scene on the main beach and that was pretty much the extent of what we did, but here is a list of all the other things you can do:

• Walk, run or bike the boardwalk
• Lounge at the pool
• Go to Wildplay Adventure Park
• Fish, surf, or take out the kayak at Field 10
• See a concert at the theatre
• Learn about the environment at the Jones Beach Nautical Center
• Catch the Bethpage Air Show on Memorial Weekend
• Watch the fireworks on the 4th of July

The beach is located at 2400 Ocean Parkway, and most people drive here as there are large parking lots available. However one can also get here by public transportation with the Long Island railroad and a connecting bus. For more information, hours etc. Visit their website.

For information on concerts and tickets, see here.

Eating options are a little more limited, and most people bring their own food to the beach. We were taking public transportation and didn’t want to take food with us, but we managed a quick lunch at the Boardwalk Cafe, which has burgers, hot dogs and the like and is located near a lot of concession stands for more options for snacks, ice cream etc.

I have to admit that weekend the beach was packed, and it was a little noisy and smoky since it appears radios as well as hookahs are accepted on the beach. It felt like it would be a mile to walk to the water from where we were sitting! But as always, it was just fun to be on the beach on a sunny day.

After an afternoon in the sun, a welcome respite was dinner at Gatsby on the Beach restaurant, where the spacious dining room gave us both breathing room and a delicious seafood meal served on white table-clothed tables. This was only our first visit to Jones beach, so it was eye opening to see how much there is to do here and how big it is, although just an afternoon in the sun always satisfies.

Date of trip: July 2019