What's new at the Jersey Shore in summer 2024? Here are 9 things you need to know
Brooklyn Adams, the owner of Lava Java in Lavallette, has hired and trained her crew, over-ordered supplies, and is putting the finishing touches on a new, full-service coffee window that can alleviate the long lines inside the cafe.
The weeks leading up to Memorial Day have been slower than last year, Adams said, leaving her unsure of what the summer season has in store. But she is holding out hope that the weather will cooperate and another banner year will unfold.
"The whole thing is stressful," Adams said on Thursday, thinking back on the shop's 10-year history. "I was like, 'Let's open a coffee shop.' It's definitely aged me. But it's worth it."
The Jersey Shore's summer tourism season begins this Memorial Day weekend, kicking off a 14-week sprint featuring sun and sand, long lines and lots of traffic, and, if all goes according to plan, the chance for business owners like Adams to do it all over again next year.
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The prediction among observers is that the pieces are falling into place, somewhat belatedly, for a strong season. Consumers during the spring grew more pessimistic about the economy, but there are signs they are going on vacation anyway.
What's on the line? The Monmouth and Ocean County tourism industry in 2023 generated $8.6 billion, up 4.6% from 2022, supporting more than 50,000 jobs, according to a report by Tourism Economics, a research group.
The firm said it expects the industry to grow another 3% to 5% this year thanks to resilient consumers who continue to spend at a steady clip.
The stage is set, then, for millions of visitors to follow in the footsteps of previous generations and make a pilgrimage to the Shore.
Monmouth County officials gathered earlier this week at The Stone Pony in Asbury Park to spotlight the beaches, restaurants, events and the legendary bar's 50th anniversary.
As he introduced dignitaries, Commissioner Director Thomas A. Arnone remembered his own summers stopping at Club Xanadu, the Quack Quack and Mrs. Jay's, before ending the night at The Stone Pony, "when the drinking age was 18."
"All those things were what your childhood was, or at least it was mine," Arnone said.
Will the Summer of '24 be equally memorable? Here are nine pressing questions:
1. How are the beaches?
They're in good shape.
Monmouth and Ocean counties have some 70 miles of oceanfront beaches, serving as a lifeline for the tourism industry. And while much of the East Coast was battered by harsher winter storms than in recent years, New Jersey's beaches fared well, state officials said Thursday.
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The storms exacerbated some erosion, but in many instances, sand was transported just offshore and will gradually migrate back over the summer, according to a report by Jon Miller of the New Jersey Sea Grant Consortium, and Emma McCann, a graduate student at Stevens Institute of Technology in Hoboken.
2. Can I find a seasonal job?
Probably.
The region's job market has been torrid. From February 2020, the month before the pandemic, until March 2024, Middlesex-Monmouth-Ocean employment grew 4.7%, easily outpacing the U.S. growth rate of 3.8%, a recent report by the Federal Reserve Bank of New York found.
You get the sense the numbers would even be stronger if employers could find more workers. Even before the pandemic hit, some employers scaled back their operations because of a labor shortage.
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This season, employers say they are having more luck due in part to a bigger supply of foreign workers and their own recruitment efforts. But jobs remain unfilled; Jenkinson's Boardwalk in Point Pleasant Beach this week had help-wanted ads for ride operators, games attendants and more.
White Sands Oceanfront Resort & Spa in Point Pleasant Beach hires as many as 100 employees for the summer. The business still needs housekeepers, maintenance workers and a front desk clerk to work overnight, but "it's definitely improved," said Christina Ranuro, general manager. "I'm definitely getting applications now."
3. What can we expect from gas prices?
A lot like last year, assuming there are no surprises.
Gasoline prices usually rise in the spring, when refineries switch to more expensive summer blends. This year was no different. The average price of gasoline in New Jersey is $3.52 a gallon, up from $3.41 a year ago, but down from $3.61 last month, according to AAA Fuel Gauge Report.
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It isn't likely to stop motorists this weekend. Nearly 945,000 New Jerseyans are expected to drive at least 50 miles to their destination, 4% more than last year and the most since 2005, AAA said.
Analysts say prices should remain stable, but they are watching for wildcards. Namely, a strong hurricane in the Gulf of Mexico could disrupt U.S. production.
"It almost looks like a carbon copy of last year," said Tom Kloza, global head of energy analysis for Oil Price Information Service. But "if you get a storm in the Gulf, there are going to be some interesting ramifications."
4. Hang on, what do you mean hurricanes?
The U.S. can expect an active hurricane season, fueled by near-record warm temperatures in the Atlantic Ocean, development of La Nina conditions in the Pacific, and reduced Atlantic trade winds and less wind shear, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Association, a government agency, said Thursday.
The agency predicted 17 to 25 named storms with winds at least 39 mph, and four to seven major hurricanes.
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If the Shore can dodge them, it could benefit from visitors seeking relief. New Jersey has a better-than-even chance that temperatures are above normal this summer, the National Weather Service said.
"It would follow a pattern we've been in for a decade or two of our summers becoming warmer," said David Robinson, New Jersey's state climatologist. "Not necessarily shattering daily high temperature records. But persistently hot earlier and later in the season and for longer intervals during the season."
5. I'll take my chances. Is it too late to find a place to stay?
Advanced bookings for the Shore's summer rentals were a mixed bag. Realtors said they had more inventory than last year. But online sites Airbnb and VBRO saw bookings increase by 20%. It was a sign, experts said, that vacationers were returning to the Shore, but they were opting for shorter stays.
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Visitors have gotten off the sidelines and booked trips, leaving "odds and ends here and there," still available, said Jeffrey Childers, broker with Childers Sotheby's International Realty in Brick.
Last year, "everybody was going to Europe," Childers said. "We're definitely seeing a last-minute surge with demand."
6. I found a place in Belmar, but want to go to Bradley Beach. How do I get there?
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You can drive over the Shark River bridge, but not until after Memorial Day.
The Route 71 drawbridge over the Shark River between Belmar and Avon was closed for repairs after a mechanical malfunction on March 1. The New Jersey Department of Transportation started shuttle service between the two towns for pedestrians and cyclists.
The department said the bridge is expected to reopen on May 31 after crews finish the installation and tests of the new components.
7. Let's say I decide to visit Ocean Grove on a Sunday morning. Can I sunbathe on the beach?
For the first time in 155 years, yes.
The Ocean Grove Camp Meeting Association, a Methodist organization that effectively governs the town, has been ordered by the state to open the beach on Sunday mornings, ending its long-standing policy of keeping it closed in favor of reflection and prayer.
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The battle isn't finished; the association challenged the order by the Department of Environmental Protection and it is awaiting an administrative hearing. But it reluctantly relented and said it would open the beach in the meantime.
DEP Commissioner Shawn LaTourette earlier this week denied a request by the association to delay enforcement.
"The public's right to access and enjoy their tidal waters and adjacent shoreline has been the legal status quo for all of New Jersey's 360 years, regardless and to what extent such rights may have been abridged by (the Ocean Grove Camp Meeting Association)," LaTourette wrote in his decision.
8. So we're good then? Everyone into the ocean!
Careful.
Even the most skilled swimmers are at risk of being caught in rip currents, which can pull them away from the shore and turn deadly. Last Labor Day weekend alone, a 24-year-old man drowned in Beach Haven and more than a dozen other swimmers in Seaside Park and Belmar needed to be rescued.
Officials advise people to swim only when lifeguards are on duty and to learn what to do when caught in a riptide.
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"The most important thing this summer to me is going to be beach safety," Asbury Park Mayor John Moor said. "You don't know a riptide until you get in one. So read everything on the boardwalk. Read all the directions. Don't fight it, swim with it. And the lifeguards, who are trained professionals, will get you out."
9. What if I don't want to go to the beach?
There are plenty of other attractions.
Six Flags Great Adventure in Jackson is celebrating its 50th anniversary this year. It plans to open the Savannah Sunset Resort and Spa in the middle of its Wild Safari, offering luxurious bedrooms with views of wildlife such as giraffes, oryxes, wildebeests.
Also on the drawing board but not yet open is The Flash: Vertical Velocity roller coaster. The first of its kind in North America, it will rush you forward and backward at nearly 60 miles per hour through a 180-degree twisted drop and zero-G roll.
Not everything is in working order. The music venues at Convention Hall in Asbury Park remain closed while the city works with owner Madison Marquette on a plan to rehabilitate the historic site.
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But the headline act this summer is expected to be the Stone Pony. The Asbury Park bar, made famous by occasional appearances by Bruce Springsteen, is celebrating its 50th anniversary with dozens of shows. Among them: Gary Clark Jr., Band of Horses and Lake Street Drive are scheduled to play on the Summer Stage as part of the North to Shore festival in mid-June.
"The music creates the Stone Pony," Caroline O’Toole, general manager of The Stone Pony, said earlier this week as Monmouth County officials looked on. "The music, the fans, and the people that work here. Because they also do it for the love of it. And there's so much history here. For 50 years, it's been a symbol of what's possible."
Michael L. Diamond is a business reporter who has been writing about the New Jersey economy and health care industry for more than 20 years. He can be reached at mdiamond@gannettnj.com.
This article originally appeared on Asbury Park Press: Jersey Shore summer 2024: 9 things you need to know this year