Long Beach Island - Visit, Live, Learn

Welcome to Long Beach Island, New Jersey

the Barnegat Lighthouse

Long Beach Island is a more than just a favorite summer vacation destination for folks that love the Jersey shore. It is also memories of summers past, and what those mean about the promise that next summer may hold. LBI is driving over the causeway, smelling the bay and feeling your body slipping into that relaxed "I'm at the beach" state.

But let's deal with the tangible first. Wide sandy beaches. Friendly and laidback seaside communities. The cool sea breeze. All these things and more mean LBI is a great summertime escape. And it is all found within a few hours drive of NYC and Philadelphia. It is no wonder that the small towns that are scattered along the 20 mile long barrier island have hosted some families' summer vacations for generations. People return to Long Beach Island year after year because it is a special place.

This website is here to help you find what you need to know about "LBI" - information about the beaches, accommodations, places to eat, where to have fun and more. You can plan your next visit or, if you are already in town, use the site as a guide in helping you find your way around.

Since the island is large this website has to be a bit expansive to try to tell you all about everything you can find on LBI. You can focus on a community, to find out all that a particular place has to offer, or you can hunt around the site in other ways. For example you can go the Harvey Cedars section and find out about the local hotels there or you can look an island wide list of hotels. We also have information about the local environment here too.

You can go get started by clicking on any of the links on the top or on the right. Or keep reading to find out some interesting facts about Long Beach Island.

Did you know that.....

The Island's Causeways

  • The first was a railroad bridge and initiated rail service to the island in 1886.
  • Train service to the island was stopped from 1923 to 1926. Two severe storms over the course of a few years caused so much destruction that people were not visiting LBI.
  • The railroad bridge washed out in 1935.
  • A two lane automobile bridge was subsequently built to replace the washed out railroad bridge.
  • The current bridge was built in the 1950's.

    • Barnegat Lighhouse

  • The first lighthouse was built in 1835. It fell into the sea in 1857.
  • The second and current lighthouse was designed by George Meade, who would later make a name for himself in the Civil War.
  • The second lighthouse served as a navigation beacon from 1859 until 1927. With a then diminished light, it remained working until 1944.
  • The light now shines again, thanks in large part to the efforts of the Friends of Barnegat Lighthouse State Park. They raised the funds and did a lot of the hard work needed to get the light put back on.

    • and a few other things:

    a shorebird at the edge of the ocean

  • A Barnegat Light fishing vessel, the Lindsay L, was used in the movie The Perfect Storm.
  • The original Engleside Hotel in Harvey Cedars was built in the 1870's. It was torn down during the 1940's.
  • The book and movie Jaws was in part based on a shark attack that took place off of the beach at Harvey Cedars. The attack was one of a series that occurred off of the NJ coast during July of 1916.

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