Visiting Avalon - A Jersey Shore Treasure

Avalon is a coastal town located on 7 mile island in southern New Jersey. The town's motto is "Cooler by a Mile" which you will see imprinted on the town's water tower, on several buildings and on souvenirs that you purchase. This beautiful coastal town has some of the most expensive coastal homes on the east coast. It's located right along the Atlantic coast, south of Ocean City and north of Stone Harbor.

The Avalon Firefighter's Memorial is located on Dune Street at 30th Street in Avalon New Jersey. If you're driving along the main drag, you won't miss it. It's right down the street from the shopping district and you'll find parking nearby.

On the site you'll find the American Flag, blue park benches to sit on, a red Avalon Fire Hose building, etc. I have no idea when this memorial was built, but when we visit Avalon we like to walk down to it and sit on the benches for a little while, even if it's just to "people watch" as they go by. I tried to look online for some history for it, but sadly I couldn't find anything at all.

Unlike some of the other Jersey Shore locations, Avalon doesn't have a traditional boardwalk. You will find stores to shop in that are located along the business district and sprinkled throughout the island, but you won't find any major shopping malls. If you want to hit a mall, you'll have to go over on the mainland to find one.

If you're looking for one of the best places to play miniature golf in the entire state of New Jersey, you'll find it at Pirate Island Golf, located on 27th Street and Dune Drive in Avalon. This mini golf course is one of the best 18-hole courses that we've ever played! You'll walk underneath a waterfall, through a tunnel & cave, across a hanging suspended bridge and your final hole is putted through a replica pirate ship!

Right down the street from Pirate Island Golf you'll find both sides of the street dotted with various gift shops, stores and restaurants where you can grab a bite to eat. We refer to this particular area on the island as the "business shopping district", but I'm not sure what the locals call it. One store that I love to go in is the Hoy's 5 & 10 which sells all kinds of Avalon souvenirs, beach gear, home decor items, gifts, apparel for the entire family, snacks and more!

We like to come down to the south Jersey Shore on route 9. We then take the Avalon exit and head on over to the island. The drive in from route 9 to the downtown district is absolutely gorgeous! I love seeing the flat marsh areas, the blue water and once you hit the bay side, you'll start seeing some of the beautiful boats. Ahhhh, I can almost smell that salt air!

If you're heading to the beach, you'll need to purchase beach tags. You can purchase them for daily access, weekly access or for the entire season. Prices start at $6.00 per person, per day and go up to $27.00 per person, per season. If you're staying in nearby Stone Harbor, they will honor those beach tags too!

If you like a more laid-back and low-key beach vacation and want to avoid the super large crowds, then Avalon is one Jersey Shore treasure that you need to check out. We love visiting this place when we are coming down to the Jersey Shore for a weekend getaway or just want some quite time alone.

Note: All photos in this travel feature are clickable. Click on each one and it will open up in a new window and in an enlarged size. This will allow you to see the smaller details up close.