Point Pleasant Beach is a classic Jersey Shore town at the northern edge of the Barnegat Peninsula — about 70 minutes from Manhattan and 90 from Philadelphia. It anchors a 1-mile family-friendly boardwalk built around Jenkinson's Boardwalk amusement park, the Jenkinson's Aquarium, and a beach that's wider, cleaner, and more family-friendly than most of the wilder shore towns to the south. For reunions, Point Pleasant is the rare "can drive in for a long weekend" pick that works for Mid-Atlantic and Northeast families: easy to reach, the boardwalk handles the kids, the beach handles the adults, and the inlet gives you a working Manasquan harbor for fishing charters and ferry-to-beach access.
Where it is
Things to do (with the family)
Hand-curated. Every entry links to its official source so you can plan without guessing.
Jenkinson's Boardwalk
Family amusement park with rides, mini-golf, arcades, and a candy shop. The defining Point Pleasant kid stop and the beach's main feature.
Official source ↗Jenkinson's Aquarium
Small but excellent aquarium right on the boardwalk — sharks, penguins, and a touch tank. Strong rainy-day backup.
Official source ↗Point Pleasant Beach
Wide, lifeguarded Atlantic beach with badge required ($10 weekday, $11 weekend). Better and cleaner than most adjacent shore towns.
Official source ↗Manasquan Inlet jetty walk
Concrete jetty extending into the Atlantic at the south end of Point Pleasant — easy mile-walk with fishing boats coming and going.
Official source ↗Boardwalk fishing pier
Free fishing pier at the south end of the boardwalk — bring a rod or rent at the bait shop. Easy first-time-fishing experience for kids.
Official source ↗Manasquan deep-sea fishing charter
Fleet of half-day and full-day boats out of Manasquan Inlet — striped bass in spring/fall, fluke and bluefish in summer.
Official source ↗Spring Lake bike ride
2 miles north — quieter, more upscale beach town with a 2-mile boardwalk (no commercial). Easy bike ride from Point Pleasant for active reunion mornings.
Official source ↗Point Pleasant farmers market (Friday evenings)
Summer-only Friday evening market on Arnold Avenue — live music, food trucks, easy reunion outing.
Official source ↗Ferry to Seaside Heights (boardwalk hop)
Drive 25 minutes south to the bigger, louder Seaside Heights boardwalk for a contrast day. Best as a teen-only afternoon.
Official source ↗Ice cream at Hoffman's
Iconic Jersey Shore ice cream shop with locations in Point Pleasant Beach and adjacent towns. The single most-photographed reunion dessert.
Official source ↗Find more things to do for your Point Pleasant Beach reunion
The picks above are general. Inside the Reunly app, Rosi tailors local activities, meals, and printables to your actual dates, group size, ages, and budget — and saves them straight to your reunion plan.
Good for
- Multi-generational east-coast reunion weekends (drive-in friendly)
- Reunions with kids 4–14 (Jenkinson's + boardwalk + arcade)
- Reunions wanting beach + boardwalk in one walkable town
- NJ / NYC / Philly families
- Reunions in early September — water still warm, kids back in school = thinner crowds
Practical logistics
- Closest Airports
- Newark (EWR) ~1 hr · JFK ~1.5 hr · Philadelphia (PHL) ~1.5 hr
- Group Lodging
- Wide inventory of 4–6 BR beach rentals within walking distance of the boardwalk; White Sands Oceanfront Resort and the Surfside Motel handle smaller hotel-style reunions. Book peak summer 6–9 months out.
- Parking
- Beach badges required; $5–10 daily lots fill before 11 AM in summer. Most rentals have 2–4 driveway spots.
- Accessibility
- The Jenkinson's Boardwalk is fully accessible. Beach wheelchairs available free at the Boardwalk Pavilion — reserve in advance.
- Cell Service
- Solid town-wide.
- Pet Policy
- Most Jersey Shore beaches do not allow dogs in summer; off-season they're welcome.
- Official Site
- https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Point_Pleasant_Beach,_New_Jersey
When to go
Late June through Labor Day is peak — Atlantic water reaches the low 70s in late July, all rides and arcades open. Early September is the local sweet spot — water still warm, kids back in school = thinner crowds, rates drop. Mid-May and June are quieter but ocean water can still be 60s.
Best for your group size
Small group · 10–25
Groups of 10–25 fit in one 4–6 BR rental walking distance from the boardwalk.
Medium group · 25–60
Groups of 25–60 typically book two adjacent rentals on the same street, or use White Sands Oceanfront Resort or the Wave Hotel for hotel-block reunions.
Large group · 60+
Groups of 60+ usually split across 4–6 rentals or do a hotel block at the larger Asbury Park area hotels (15 min north) — Point Pleasant's rental inventory caps out around 60 in one area.
Sample 3-day Point Pleasant Beach reunion
A starter agenda you can copy into Reunly's Schedule and customize for your group.
Friday — Arrival & Boardwalk
- Most relatives drive from NYC (1.5 hr), Philly (1.5 hr), or fly into Newark (1 hr).
- 3 PM rental check-in
- 5 PM beach time before dinner
- 7 PM boardwalk dinner + Jenkinson's rides
- 9 PM ice cream at Hoffman's
Saturday — Beach + Family Photo
- 8 AM beach setup
- 11 AM split: deep-sea fishing charter for some · aquarium + arcade for kids
- 2 PM lunch back at the rental
- 4 PM Manasquan Inlet jetty walk
- 6:30 PM family photo on the beach at golden hour
- 7:30 PM group dinner — Spike's Fish Market or rental BBQ
Sunday — Spring Lake + Goodbyes
- 9 AM brunch at the rental
- 10 AM bike ride to Spring Lake boardwalk
- 12 PM final group photo + lunch + travel home
Reunion organizer tips
Book rentals 6–9 months ahead for peak summer. The 4–6 BR walking-to-the-boardwalk rentals fill 6+ months out for July 4 and the first three weeks of August.
Use the Jenkinson's Aquarium as your rainy-day backup. It's small (a 2-hour visit) but covers an afternoon.
Book Manasquan fishing charters 4 weeks out. Half-day inshore boats handle 6–8 anglers; bigger boats up to 30 — easy reunion-anchor activity for the dads/uncles.
Plan around weekend boardwalk crowds. Saturdays in July/August are packed by 11 AM. Hit the boardwalk on weekday evenings or before 10 AM Saturday for thinner crowds.
Order groceries for delivery. Wegmans, Stop & Shop, and ShopRite all deliver to Point Pleasant — much easier than the Saturday morning grocery scrum.
Pre-buy beach badges in bulk. Badges are required for ages 12+ and run $10–11/day per person. Buy 7-day or season passes for a 10-person reunion to save 30–40%.
How Reunly helps you plan it
Reunly is the all-in-one app made for family reunion organizers. Free to start. No credit card. Cancel anytime.
Smart guest list
Drop in any spreadsheet — Rosi (our AI) reads multi-sheet, color-coded family groups, even handwritten exports. RSVP, dietary, T-shirt, paid status all in one row.
Open in Reunly →Public RSVP link
Share one link with the whole family. They RSVP per event (Friday BBQ, Saturday dinner) without making an account. You see live counts.
Open in Reunly →Budget that adds up
Track estimated vs. actual, who paid, who still owes. Auto-creates per-guest fee rows from your registration cost.
Open in Reunly →Day-by-day schedule
Friday welcome BBQ, Saturday photo, Sunday brunch — with location, meal flag, and per-event RSVPs.
Open in Reunly →Name tags + printables
Avery 5160 sheets color-coded by family, programs, welcome packets, packing lists — auto-filled from your data.
Open in Reunly →Rosi the AI helper
Stuck on a reminder email? A budget? A timeline? Click Rosi anywhere in the app — she drafts it from your live data.
Open in Reunly →Plan your Point Pleasant Beach reunion with Reunly
Free to start. Build your guest list, share an RSVP link, track payments, and print name tags — no spreadsheets.
Frequently asked
When is the best time to visit Point Pleasant Beach for a family reunion?
Late June through Labor Day is peak — Atlantic water reaches the low 70s, all boardwalk rides and arcades open. Early September is the local sweet spot — water still warm, kids back in school = thinner crowds, rates drop. Mid-May and June are quieter but ocean water can still be 60s.
How far in advance should I book a Point Pleasant Beach rental?
6–9 months for peak summer. The 4–6 BR rentals walking distance from the boardwalk fill 6+ months out for July 4 and the first three weeks of August. Off-peak (May, September) can usually be booked 3 months out.
How is Point Pleasant different from Seaside Heights or Asbury Park?
Point Pleasant is the family-friendly, cleaner, smaller boardwalk option. Seaside Heights is bigger, louder, more party-scene (Jersey Shore the show). Asbury Park is the upscale, music-and-restaurant scene. Point Pleasant is by far the easiest reunion pick for multi-generational groups with kids.
Do we need beach badges?
Yes — Point Pleasant requires beach badges for ages 12+ in summer ($10–11/day, $90+ season). For a 10+ person reunion, buy 7-day passes or season passes per person — saves 30–40% over daily badges.
Is Point Pleasant Beach accessible for grandparents and strollers?
The Jenkinson's Boardwalk is fully accessible (paved and flat). Beach wheelchairs are available free at the Boardwalk Pavilion — reserve in advance. Most rentals are walking distance from both the beach and boardwalk.
What's the best airport to fly into for Point Pleasant Beach?
Newark (EWR) is closest at about 1 hour by car. JFK is 1.5 hours. Philadelphia (PHL) is 1.5 hours. Most reunion groups end up driving from NYC, NJ suburbs, or the Philadelphia area rather than flying.
Other reunion-friendly spots nearby
Helpful planning guides
The complete family reunion checklist
12-month, 6-month, and day-of checklists organizers actually use.
Read the guide →Family reunion budget guide
How to estimate, track, and split costs without spreadsheets.
Read the guide →Family reunion on a $2,500 budget
A real budget breakdown for a destination reunion under $2.5K.
Read the guide →