The best beach in NJ was just named, but do you agree?

Ask 10 people in New Jersey what the best beach is and you’ll probably get 10 different answers.

Some will swear by Cape May. And I agree it’s a beauty having visited there in October for my daughter’s Coast Guard basic training graduation. Others won’t budge from Ocean City. Plenty will tell you Long Beach Island is the only place to be, while North Jersey beach lovers will argue for Asbury Park’s music culture and history.

But for this week, for this brief moment in time, anyway, we have a winner according to thousands of voters.

Photo by E. Vitka on Unsplash

USA Today’s 10Best Readers’ Choice Awards was at it again.

They asked people to vote for their favorite beaches in New Jersey, and Wildwood came out on top. It’s the No. 1 beach in the Garden State for 2026.

If you’ve been there, it’s easy to understand why, even if you are having to watch out for that tram car.

Wildwood is famous for its enormous free beaches, some stretching nearly 500 yards from the boardwalk to the ocean. Add in an iconic boardwalk packed with rides, arcades, water parks, pizza, fries, and just about every summer indulgence imaginable, and it’s easy to see why families return year after year.

Water tower in Wildwood

Here’s USA Today’s top ten ranking as reported by nj.com.

1. The Wildwoods

2. Atlantic City

3. Sea Isle City

4. Cape May

5. Brigantine Beach

6. Ocean City

7. Long Beach Island

8. Avalon

9. Avon-by-the-Sea

10. Asbury Park

Wildwood Crest

Of course, these rankings always spark debate. There’s never really a right or wrong answer.

That’s part of being from New Jersey. We all have “our” beach and convincing us another one is better is almost impossible.

Opinions expressed in the post above are those of New Jersey 101.5 talk show host Jeff Deminski only.

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