Date visited: 10/2/2026

I had been planning this trip for about a week after seeing that temperatures would be in the 80s. The only question was whether it would be sunny enough to justify the four-hour drive to the Jersey Shore. The forecast changed several times, but on the morning of the trip most weather apps were calling for partly cloudy to mostly sunny skies, so we went for it. We arrived around 1:30 PM to thin, high cirrus clouds that filtered the sunlight and made things a bit hazy. It was warm, with temperatures in the mid-70s at the shoreline, although it was a little breezy. I would have preferred a bright, sunny beach day, but it was still very pleasant and definitely better than being stuck under clouds closer to home. The big surprise was the Long Beach Island Kite Festival, which was taking place along the beach. There were some impressive kites on display, along with some talented flyers doing tricks with them. That was pretty neat and made the long drive feel worthwhile. We walked the entire length of the Surf City shoreline and continued into neighboring Ship Bottom, covering more than six miles in total. We also walked a bit along Long Beach Boulevard. All in all, it turned out to be a good day, and the kite festival was a great bonus.

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Date visited: 10/2/2026

This was part of our Surf City Beach adventure. As part of our trip, we walked a short distance along Long Beach Boulevard. Most of the businesses had already closed for the season, despite the summer-like temperatures.

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