I have never been shy about my love for Asbury Park. When I was in college, it was right around the time that the town made a concerted effort to clean up and focus on the music and arts. I saw plenty of the bad sides of town when I would go to a show at Convention Hall or The Saint, and I saw things blossom as more shops and restaurants opened up along Ocean and Cookman Avenues.

There are plenty of eateries and stores and venues that I love in Asbury Park, so it's great to see the town getting some national recognition - TravelMag named it one of "America's Most Charming Beach Towns"!

While the resurgence of Asbury is relatively new, and continues to evolve, we also have the flip-side: a small shore town full of Victorian architecture, heritage, and history - Cape May!

I love Cape May. Maybe not quite as much as I love Asbury, but there are still plenty of spots that I've found myself returning to every time I bring my family down there.

Here's what TravelMag had to say about our two great beach towns:

ASBURY PARK:

Jersey Shore has today gotten itself a bit of a sleazy reputation, but few people realize that it is made up of 140 miles of direct coastline with plenty of diversity. For example, Asbury Park retains the traditional charm of the 1930s Jersey Shore, such as the boardwalks, arcades and water parks. Although not immune to The Shore’s post-war decline, Asbury Park has managed to pull off the phoenix from the flames trick more than once. First the city became a music hub, where locals like Bruce Springsteen got his start on the stages of venues like the Stone Pony and Asbury Lanes. The Garden State Film Festival brings filmmakers to Asbury Park every year, while the LGBTQ+ world enjoys a welcoming community and vibrant nightlife scene here too.

CAPE MAY:

At the southernmost tip of New Jersey’s coast is the characterful little city of Cape May, which offers a decidedly different waterfront flavor to many of its Jersey Shore counterparts. The Victorian-era architecture is often exquisite, earning Cape May the designation as a National Historic Landmark. A look back at the town’s past is best captured by the museum and main Victorian-era building of Emlen Physick Estate. A walk along Beach Avenue reveals some of the quaintest buildings in the state, while the Atlantic rolls in opposite. Cape May Beach has regularly been voted one of the best in New Jersey.

There are things that we all agree are a drag when it comes to living in New Jersey...but having destinations like Asbury Park, Cape May, and plenty of other shore towns up and down the coast make it pretty sweet.