Cape May County is home to some of New Jersey’s most renowned and historic beaches. Though they all share the beautiful Atlantic Coastline, each municipality’s beach is unique and memorable in its own right.
So play in the sand, catch a nap, take a refreshing dip or soak up the sun on any and all of our Jersey Cape’s beautiful beaches! Here’s what you need to know about each municipality’s beach regulations and tagging policies:
Avalon
Status: Beaches will be open daily from Memorial Day Weekend to Labor Day Weekend
Fees: Daily – $6; Weekly – $12; Seasonal – $27. 11 years and younger – free. Tags also honored by Stone Harbor Beach.
Lifeguards: 10 a.m. to 5 p.m.
Facilities: Public Restrooms at Borough Hall (32nd Street and Dune Drive), public safety building (31st Street and Dune Drive), Community Hall (30th Street and the beach), tennis buildings (8th and 39th street), 10th and Dune Drive and 30th Street and the Beach (next to the tot lot).
Rules: Surfing at 30th Street beach and either side of 12th Street Station away from bathers. Rafting and other inflatable floatation devices permitted at 12 beach areas between 9th and 78th streets. No pets, fires, alcohol allowed. Limited vehicle access by permit only. Volleyball and Frisbee permitted on the beach between 38th and 76th Streets.
Cape May
Status: Open Memorial Day Weekend to Labor Day Weekend
Fees: Daily – $6; 3 day tag – $12; Weekly (Saturday to Saturday) – $18; Seasonal – $28. Ages 11 and younger, free.
Lifeguards: 10 a.m. to 5:30 p.m.
Facilities: Permanent restrooms/changing facilities on Beach Avenue at Second, Broadway, Windsor, Gurney, Philadelphia, Trenton and Wilmington Intersections. Open Air rinsing stations along the beach front.
Parking: Metered parking along the beachfront, with free parking available on side streets several blocks from the beach.
Rules: Coolers and Food Permitted. No alcohol. No restrictions on beach tents, umbrellas or canopies for daytime use. No bonfires or cooking permitted. Overnight camping prohibited. Ball playing and other games allowed away from beach bathers.
Ocean City
Status: Open Memorial Day Weekend to Labor Day Weekend
Fees: Daily – $5; Weekly – $10; Seasonal – $25; 11 and younger – Free.
Lifeguards: 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. weekdays, 10am to 5:30pm weekends and holidays. Swimming permitted only at guarded beaches.
Parking: Metered parking available; non-metered spaces available further from the beach; municipal lots on Fourth, Eight, Ninth and 14th Streets and Moorlyn Terrace; pay-by-hour lots also available.
Rules: No pets. Surfing permitted at beaches marked with “S.” Surf Fishing allowed on beaches where there are no lifeguards. No cooking or bonfires. Beach umbrellas and chairs welcome, with rentals available. Ball playing, Frisbees, volleyball and other recreation allowed toward back of beach areas, away from bathers. Bicycling allowed on boardwalk from 5am to noon from June 1 through Columbus Day Weekend.
Sea Isle City
Status: Open Memorial Day Weekend through September 11th
Fees: Daily – $5; Weekly – $10; Seasonal – $25; 11 Years and Younger, Free; Wednesdays Free
Lifeguards: 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. weekdays, 10 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. on Weekends. Beaches north of 20th Street and South of 93rd Street do not have lifeguards.
Parking: Metered parking from mid-May to mid-September. Non-metered spaces available throughout Sea Isle. Parking lots located at 125 JFK Blvd., 40th Street and Center Avenue, 42nd Place and the Bay, 48th Street and Central Avenue and 94th Street and Landis Avenue.
Rules: No dogs on beaches, approaches or promenades. No alcohol, picnicking or bonfires. Various beaches between 20th and 93rd allow rafting, surfing, kayaking and volleyball.
Stone Harbor
Status: Memorial Day Weekend to Labor Day Weekend
Fees: Daily – $6; Weekly – $12; Seasonal – $27; 11 years and younger free.
Lifeguards: One duty 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Memorial Day Weekend through Labor Day, regularly spaced on beaches between 81st and 122nd streets.
Parking: Free parking lot at 123rd Street. Paid kiosk lot at 95th Street (closes at 5pm). Free Street parking along beach area and side streets. Metered parking in business district.
Rules: Umbrellas and beach chairs are allowed. Swimming and rafting beaches are all designated beached except 81st, 86th, 105th, 110th, 112th and 122nd Streets. The use of surfboards (with leashes attached) are permitted at the beaches at 81st and 110th Streets only. Kayaks are permitted at 122nd street through 126th Street only, and lifejackets must be worn at all times while in the water. Picnics, alcoholic beverages, fires, glass bottles, sleeping from sunset to sunrise are all prohibited. Sailcraft must be licensed and beached at designated areas only. Ball playing and Frisbees allowed at lifeguards discretion.
Strathmere Beach
Status: Beach is open and ready for visitors
Fees: None
Lifeguards: Beesley’s Point Beach has lifeguards daily from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m.. All other public beaches from Seaview Avenue to Taylor Avenue have lifeguards from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m.
Parking: Free Street Parking
Rules: Beaches open sunrise to sunset. No ball playing; rafts, inner tubes, and other inflatables not allowed in lifeguard-protected areas. No alcohol, cooking or fires, pets vehicles or horses. Fishing prohibited on beaches between 9 a.m. and 7 p.m. Surfboards allowed between Tecumseh Avenue and Sumner Avenue beaches; catamarans allowed between Prescott Road and Nelson Street beaches.
Wildwoods
Fees: None
Parking: Metered street parking close to beach, free street parking farther from beach and boardwalk. Many lots charge for parking by the hour.
Rules: No cooking, bonfires or alcoholic beverages. All other beach activities are welcomed. Umbrellas allowed, and umbrella/beach chair rentals are available on beaches.