Strathmere NJ: The best free beach day on the Jersey Shore

Before I tell you about Strathmere, let me save you some math. If you want the full breakdown on what a week at the Jersey Shore costs in 2026 — rentals, beach badges, taxes, fees — I already wrote that piece back in February and the numbers will make your eyes water. Go read it. Then come back.

Because today I want to tell you about a better way.

The best kept secret on the Jersey Shore

Strathmere is a small, quiet beach community tucked between Ocean City and Sea Isle City in Cape May County. No beach fees. No badges. No crowds fighting over the good spots. You park, you walk to the water, and the Atlantic Ocean is right there waiting for you exactly the way it has always been.

I started going there with my wife when we were dating in the 1980s. In the summer of 1987 we invited a group of friends down for a late afternoon beach party. The enforcement of certain laws was a bit different back then. We may or may not have had a keg on the beach. We may or may not have fallen asleep on the sand and woken up to the incoming tide pulling at our ankles. Those are the kinds of memories that never leave you.

Four decades and counting

When our son and daughter came along, Strathmere became a regular family day trip. Did I mention there are no beach fees? From building sandcastles to body surfing in the break, laying in the sun until you are absolutely too hot and then wading into the ocean to cool off — it is hard to beat that feeling at any age. The ride over always had its own rhythm too. Down Route 49, south on Route 50, crossing over on 34th Street into Ocean City and making that right toward Strathmere.

Then you hit the bridge.

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The most stunning sight on the Shore

Crossing the bridge over Strathmere Bay at Corsons Inlet is one of the most beautiful moments anywhere on the Jersey Shore. The sun hitting the white sand, the light bouncing off the ocean and the bay at the same time — it is pleasantly blinding in the best possible way. Every single time. Forty years in and it still stops you cold.

June through September and sometimes well into October, our monthly visits to Strathmere are non-negotiable. The kids are grown now and it is back to just my wife and me. We always wrap the day with a sunset dinner at the Deauville Inn right on the water. No rental fees, no beach badges, a beautiful drive, a perfect beach, and a great meal to close it out. We still come out ahead. That is the whole point.

Some people may be a little upset that I have given the secret away. But my parents always taught us it is kind to share.

See you in Strathmere.

Proud to be New Jersey.