Lillian Africano

The Jersey Shore has been entertaining visitors for more than 300 years, from the Dutch farmers and whalers who came to Cape May's beaches in the early 17th century to the day-trippers who crowd the Garden State Parkway on summer weekends in search of the perfect wave or the perfect tan.

With 127 miles of coastline, the Shore (never "The Beach"--that's the Hamptons) offers an infinite variety of pleasures: the quiet serenity of a morning walk on a Bay Head beach; the raucous amusements of the Point Pleasant boardwalk; the spirited camaraderie aboard a Belmar fishing boat--and so much more.

Once upon a time, Shore towns like Long Branch hosted presidents and kings, distinguished actors and financiers--and even a few well-known scoundrels. Artists like Winslow Homer celebrated the rugged natural beauty of the shoreline. Grand hotels dotted the oceanfront, some with hundreds of rooms, splendid pavilions, and magnificent ballrooms. Socialites from New York and Philadelphia played croquet and lawn tennis wearing the latest "casual" fashions from Paris, and gourmands like Diamond Jim Brady feasted on meals that would today feed a family of four. But with the development of ever-faster automobile engines and the growing availability of air travel, vacationers moved on to more exotic destinations, and the grand hotels faded and disappeared.

The Shore towns survived by adapting and re-inventing themselves. Today, soaring condominiums and upscale town houses stand on oceanfront blocks once occupied by stately hotels; bed-and-breakfast signs adorn sprawling Victorians that were once summer retreats for wealthy New Yorkers and Philadelphians. Trendy restaurants and chic boutiques dot once-sleepy Main streets, and young urban professionals fill up the commuter trains and ferries that carry them home to converted carriage houses and former seaside "bungalows."

Today, the pleasures of the Jersey Shore are not just for the privileged few. They’re for anyone who believes that there is nothing better than a day at the beach.

For those who have already visited one or two Shore towns, this book will be a companion to further explorations: There are always more surprises further down (or farther up) the coast. For those who have yet to visit the Shore, this book will serve as a guide to the places and attractions most likely to please.