Things to do / Travel Guide
Address:Wantagh, New York
It's good to keep up with the Jones'. And on Long Island's Jones Beach you can do just that. Widely considered one of the most popular East Coast shores, a whopping eight million people visit Jones Beach each year. With eight ocean beaches and more than six miles of sands, Jones Beach has always been a swimming and sun-lazing favorite among New Yorkers. For its long Atlantic Coastline and popular summer games, New England's choosiest have elected Jones Beach as their select, weekend getaway for nearly eight decades. Today the shore's ratings are still sky high. A half-mile bay beach offers calm waters for gentle swims, and the surging surf of the Atlantic Ocean's beaches creates waves with a heftier swell. Throughout the summer the Nikon Jones Beach Theater holds concerts by top names in music.
The Jones Beach coast is lined with numerous leisure sports; pitch-and-putt games (with superb views of the ocean), shuffleboard, basketball, volleyball and paddle tennis.
Jones Beach is comprised of eight beaches, so it's advisable to get your bearings before you arrive on the sand. For the quietest spots on the beach, head to the west end of Jones Beach where you will find a wonderful array of migratory birds, native plants, and a more tranquil, nature vibe. Also on the west end, you will find the best surf fishing on Jones Beach. The areas near the West Bathhouse and East Bathhouse have lifeguards on duty from around late May through Labor Day.
The central and eastern ends of Jones Beach are the hub of the beach scene. To access these beaches, choose one of the numbered fields for parking. Believe it or not, though the parking fields hold up to 23,500 cars, you may still need to stake out your territory, as the Jones Beach action starts bright and early. Field numbers 2 and 6 are the closest to the sand, which means these parking spots fill very quickly. Field 4 takes you to the spot with the most number of game venues, volleyball courts, miniature golf, and the main concessions. If you are heading to the Jones Beach Amphitheater, park in Field 5, and if pier fishing is more up your alley, head to Field 10. Fishing the piers and crabbing is free-for-all.
For a pleasant, sand-free stroll along the Atlantic, the Jones Beach Boardwalk runs two miles along Jones Beach and offers a marked,1.5-mile health walk for joggers and walkers that runs between the East Bathhouse and the West Bathhouse. You can stop off to watch (or take part in) a softball game. The illuminated fields are located just beside the West Bathhouse.
Beyond the popular, summer amphitheater, Jones Beach has always played a roll in pop culture. Scenes from The Godfather were filmed at Jones Beach's Meadowbrook Toll Plaza, and Ronald Regan and Virginia Mayo starred in the 1949 film The Girl from Jones Beach. Even Alec Baldwin and his brothers William and Daniel Baldwin had humble beginnings as lifeguards on Jones Beach.
Getting to Jones Beach is as straightforward and simple as having fun once you arrive. Located just 33 miles from Manhattan, drive the Meadowbrook Parkway South (and Wantagh Parkway south). The Long Island Railroad (LIRR) will get you to Freeport where you can hop on a bus to Jones Beach, or you can drive your boat right into the bay side of of the beach and anchor in the basin. Pick up tickets to one of the top Nikon summer concerts, play a game of shuffleboard, or cast your fishing rod into the Atlantic surf, Jones Beach is a summer, seashore mecca.