I've lived at the Jersey Shore for most of my life. In fact, I used to spend every weekday of my summer at the bay beach in Lavalette learning to swim, making sand castles and eating nectarines in the gazebo. My mom was a big fan of the sun, and all summer long, we spent a lot of time in it.
Now that I'm a mama, I actually find that I don't have a lot of tolerance anymore for high temperatures and I'm too protective of my skin to enjoy just being out baking in the direct sun. And the little one that I built, well-- he's like his father and turns into a sweaty mess after only minutes of running around outside. All of this adds up to a pair that wouldn't enjoy your traditional beach day.
Down here, visitors and locals alike will head to the beach in the morning and stay until dinnertime. The sun is at it's peak and the crowds are at their peak. As a long time local, I love HEADING to the beach AT dinnertime or even LATER. Pack a picnic dinner and as the sun pulls father away, you can enjoy a beautiful sea breeze without the people everywhere or the reapplication of sunblock every few minutes. Oh and if you are on a budget-- after 5pm the beach is FREE!
My son and I headed out for our beach day around 5pm and arrived to a breezy beautiful and peaceful beach. Our local beach of choice is still Lavalette. Now, keep in mind, when you go to the beach later you should NOT plan on going swimming. Lifeguards are gone at this time-- so other than putting your little toesies in the water where the waves wash up, you should steer clear. Ocean safety is VERY important and you don't want to show your kids bad habits even if MOM or DAD is an olympic swimmer.
During our beach excursion, my little guy dedicated his time to finding shells of all sizes. He loved combing the beach for these little treasures and was excited to take them home and put them in his own special jar. He even found pieces of sea glass! Searching for treasures is so much easier without beach towels and chairs and humans all over the sand.
So if you are a tanned and glowing, sun loving mom-- I have nothing against ya! Just know that I won't be taking your spot on a hot and toasty Saturday. I'll take a breezy Tuesday evening for my beach time any day!