The Washington Post Just Gave LBI Some Love...And Jersey Shore Locals Already Knew Why
- Alex Preziosi
- May 15
- 2 min read
Long Beach Island may never qualify as a hidden gem to New Jersey locals, but some of its best beaches still fly under the radar.
While tourists flock to the more crowded stretches of the Jersey Shore every summer, LBI continues to stand out for offering something different. This is especially true on the northern end of the island, where the pace feels slower, the beaches wider, and the crowds thin out just enough to remind visitors why people fall in love with the Shore.
And honestly, maybe that’s because half the crowd turns around after sitting in the jam-packed Causeway traffic.
Special shout out to Dolores, who shared this cool Washington Post article with me just this week, which highlighted LBI as one of the country’s less crowded beach destinations! And on the same list as the Caribbean and Puerto Rico?! Pretty cool!
For anyone who knows the Jersey Shore well, the headline might sound funny at first. Not many people from New Jersey would be calling LBI a secret, but when you compare it to some of the packed beach towns up and down the East Coast, it actually makes a lot of sense.
What the article really captures is the experience of the quieter parts of the island.
Northern beaches like Barnegat Light, Harvey Cedars, Loveladies and North Beach are perfect examples. These sections of LBI have a completely different energy than the busier beach towns people usually picture when they think about the Jersey Shore. There are no massive boardwalk crowds, no fighting for a beach badge line at sunrise, and no scrambling for a tiny patch of sand by mid-morning.
Instead, you get peaceful dune-lined streets, quieter beaches, and that classic relaxed shore atmosphere that keeps generations of families coming back year after year.
That balance is what makes LBI unique. You can still head south towards Beach Haven for restaurants, nightlife, mini golf, shopping, and the traditional Shore experience, but the northern end of the island offers something that feels increasingly rare during peak summer: space to breathe.
The truth is, people are looking for that kind of beach experience more than ever. Travelers want destinations that still feel relaxing instead of overcrowded, and LBI manages to strike that balance better than many other shore towns, giving you the space to relax and have fun!
Of course, anyone who has sat bumper-to-bumper trying to cross onto the island on a Saturday morning may still laugh at the phrase “less crowded beach.” Fair enough. But once you finally make it over the bridge, the quieter stretches of LBI really do feel like a different world.
Now we want to hear from you!
Do you agree that LBI deserves recognition as some of the best less-crowded beaches around?
And what other underrated beach spots in New Jersey belong in the conversation?
Reply and let us know your picks.
Whether it’s a hidden stretch in Cape May County, a quiet beach in Monmouth County, or another overlooked Shore town, we’d love to hear the places you think deserve more attention this summer!!
JERSEY SHORE SUMMER 2026
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(Only 2 weeks til MDW!)
