Jersey Shore residents have a running joke that you see more Pennsylvania license plates than you do New Jersey plates on summer weekends. Every Memorial Day marks the waving of the official green flag for the race to the Shore along Interstate 95, the Atlantic City Expressway and Routes 70 and 55. Towns all down the Jersey coast swell with "shoobies," a South Jersey term for tourists from Philadelphia and eastern Pennsylvania, looking for cool breezes, boardwalks and 127 miles of Atlantic Ocean beaches.

Shoot Across I-95

Travelers from northern and central Pennsylvania can shoot across Interstate 95 to plant umbrellas at a number of beaches at the northern tip of the Jersey Shore. Gateway National Recreation Area at Sandy Hook, about 75 miles east of Levittown, has a lighthouse, museum, nature trails and wide beaches with unparalleled views of New York's skyline. A budget-friendly fee per vehicle gives all-day access to beaches, including Gunnison Beach, the only legal nude beach in New Jersey. Asbury Park, 13 miles down the coast and immortalized by Bruce Springsteen, has seen better days, but its wide white-sand beaches have some of the Shore's least expensive daily beach tags fees. Tags are twice as much at Ocean Grove, Sea Girt and the more upscale Avon-by-the-Sea and Spring Lake beaches. Parking is a hassle during the summer at these towns, but the elegant Victorian homes, noncommercial boardwalks, waterfront restaurants, pristine beaches and parades of dolphins swimming by make it a worthwhile trip.

Route 70 Beaches

Sun and fun await Pennsylvanians who can withstand Route 70's grueling traffic on summer weekends. The Barnegat Peninsula is at the end of the line, stretching from Point Pleasant through Island Beach State Park to the Barnegat Inlet. Point Pleasant is home to Jenkinson's Boardwalk, a conglomeration of carnival games, ice cream shacks and pizza joints overlooking the beach. Beach tags are required to set foot on the sand in front of the boardwalk, but a small fee gives you access to the public beaches at the southern end of town. After the lifeguards go home for the night, young surfers hang ten at the Pocket along Point Pleasant's inlet, with veteran surfers driving five miles up the coast to Manasquan's Inlet Beach for reliable, year-round breakers. Manasquan also boasts the only handicapped-dedicated beach along the Jersey Shore. Island Beach State Park, at the southernmost tip of Barnegat Peninsula, has hiking trails and one mile of guarded ocean beach. From the park's southern tip, you can see views of the Barnegat Light and Long Beach Island beaches.

Take the AC Expressway

To get relief from the sizzling city heat, Philadelphians hop on the Atlantic City Expressway to make the 60-mile trip to Atlantic City beaches. Home to the Steel Pier, Vegas-style casinos and a boardwalk spelled with a capital "B," Atlantic City is a playground for all ages. That means crowds, little parking and barely enough room to walk around the beach blankets covering the sand. The beaches do have two things going for them, however, that most Jersey Shore beaches do not: they're free and alcohol is permitted. Surfers can catch waves at Crystal, Delaware Avenue and Downtown Beach, and Jackson Avenue Beach allows kayaking and windsurfing. Swim and boogie-board to your heart's content at all beaches except the no-bathing-zone Jackson Avenue Beach, and don't miss the free jazz concerts at Chicken Bone Beach every Thursday night during the peak season.

Route 55 Recreation

If you don't hit traffic, it takes about 1.5 hours to drive the 80 miles from Philadelphia to Victorian Cape May, a National Historic Landmark City. A paved promenade runs the length of the city beach, a short expanse of sand that gets packed in the summer. Going north up Ocean Drive, Wildwood has free beaches that are a half-mile wide and growing, so wear flip-flops or you'll have scorched feet. Watch the beach-goers -- and the tramcar, please -- from the T-shirt shacks, arcades and amusement parks that line the 2-mile-long Wildwood Boardwalk. Families flock to the upscale and uncrowded beaches of Stone Harbor and Avalon, while young adults prefer the bars and beaches at Sea Isle City. The alcohol-free town of Ocean City bills itself as "America's Greatest Family Resort," drawing moms and dads with kids looking for outdoor recreation, pristine beaches and boardwalk amusements. And a word of advice: don't eat on the beach. Aggressive Jersey seagulls have been known to steal sandwiches right out of the mouths of babes.

About the Author

Susan DeFeo has been a professional writer since 1997. She served as a community events columnist for New Jersey's "Cape May County Herald" for more than a decade and currently covers the family and pet beat for CBS Philadelphia. Her health, fitness, beauty and travel articles have appeared in various online publications. DeFeo studied visual communications at SUNY Farmingdale.

Photo Credits

  • BananaStock/BananaStock/Getty Images
SHARE