Point Pleasant Beach is a fun Jersey Shore town to explore and is well worth the trip. In addition to the great restaurants downtown and along the water, make sure to visit:
A fun activity is antiquing in Point Pleasant. There are approximately 12 antique and collectible shops in downtown. Make sure to visit the large Point Pleasant Antique Emporium now located at 609 Arnold Ave. and the Canvas House Antique & Design Center at 614 Trenton Ave.
Point Pleasant has a nice small boardwalk with amusements and rides. Jenkinson’s Boardwalk is the place. At 300 Ocean Ave., this small, historic boardwalk from 1928, contains an amusement park, an indoor aquarium, a mini-golf course, and dozens of stops for food and games.
It also has the state’s largest tiki bar, Martell’s, which features five different food concepts under one roof with a large outdoor dining area. Jenkinson’s Sweet Shop has been around since the 1900s and is the place to buy chocolates, fudege and salt water taffy.
I love buying salt water taffy and then eating frozen custard from Kohr’s, taking a chance at one of the prize wheels and playing some skeeball. They have weekly fireworks on Thursday nights and also concerts and movies on the beach.
On my last trip, I found Jenkinson’s Inlet where they have a bar with outside patio that services sandwiches and pizza. There is also an ice cream and candy shop. It is at the north end of the boardwalk near the Manasquan Inlet.
Nearby Jenkinson’s Inlet Ice Cream & Candy is Salty’s Inlet Ice Cream which opened in the summer 2024. Here you find a number of ice cream flavors, milkshakes, Italian ices and more. I enjoyed stopping in for dessert following our lunch nearby the Outside The Box Patio Bar.
Beer drinkers should check out two local microbreweries. Frye Brewing Company is located at 2257 Bridge Ave. Stop in to taste their Point Pilsner, Pineapple Pilsner, Summ’time Blonde Ale and The Dark Dry Irish Stout. Last Wave Brewing Co. has a tasting room at 601 Bay Ave. downtown. Here you can sample their ales, stouts, porters and IPAs including their Red Sky red ale and Right Coast coconut porter. They also have an outdoor beer garden in addition to indoor seating.
When you are downtown and need a break, Green Planet Coffee Co at 700 Arnold Ave. is a great spot. They also have a great location in downtown Manasquan at 78 Main St.
Also good for coffee is The Beanery at 516 Bay Ave. The offer gourmet coffee, tea and a food menu of salads, soups and sandwiches.
After your coffee, head to the cute Wandering Sweets at 512 Bay Ave. for an ice cream, fudge, chocolate covered pretzels or salt water taffy. I enjoyed my coconut ice cream on my first visit and the dulce de leche on my second!
Across the street is Sweet Revenge Custom Chocolate at 527 Bay Ave. Here you can buy some of their yummy hand-crafted dark and milk chocolates. I loved the dark chocolate coconut truffles!
Around the corner at 618 Arnold Ave. is Shore Pour Espresso Bar. This is a casual coffee bar inside of The Little Point Bookshop. I enjoyed my first visit where I had a tasty chai latte. It is fun to also see the books for sale at this local bookstore. The coffee shop also has Shore Pour Specialty Coffee in Sea Girt which I have enjoyed in the past.
