Things to do Near Seaside Heights

Seaside Heights has enough things to do to fill a full week without ever getting in the car. The boardwalk, the beach, Casino Pier, the restaurants, you could honestly do the whole trip without leaving town.

But at some point during a shore week, you want a change of scenery or maybe it’s a rainy day, you might be interested in these things to do near Seaside Heights! Maybe the kids are asking about Six Flags. Maybe you need a quieter beach. Maybe the adults want a few hours somewhere that isn’t a boardwalk. Or maybe you just want to see what’s down the road.

The good news: the Jersey Shore is a genuinely rich region for day trips so there is plenty of things to do near Seaside Heights. You’ve got barrier island wilderness seven minutes away, a historic lighthouse on Long Beach Island, a completely different Shore scene in Asbury Park, a winery an hour south, and some of the best outlet shopping in the state about 35 minutes inland. None of these require a long drive. Most of them pair well with an early start and a beach afternoon when you get back.

Here are 12 day trips from Seaside Heights worth making, organized roughly by drive time.

Things to do Near Seaside Heights in Under 30 Minutes

Island Beach State Park

2401 Central Ave, Seaside Park | ~15 min drive

Island Beach State Park is the easiest and most underused day trip from Seaside Heights. It’s seven minutes away and feels like a different world. One of New Jersey’s last significant undeveloped barrier island ecosystems, the park stretches for miles without a boardwalk, a hotel, or a souvenir shop in sight — just dunes, ocean, and a lot of birds.

Read our full guide to Island Beach State Park.

Point Pleasant Beach & Jenkinson’s Aquarium

Ocean Ave, Point Pleasant Beach | ~20 min drive

Point Pleasant Beach is a Shore town that gets overshadowed by its neighbors but consistently delivers. Jenkinson’s Boardwalk is the main draw — rides, arcades, mini golf, and a legitimately good aquarium with Atlantic sharks, coral reef exhibits, penguins, alligators, and a touch tank where kids can handle sea stars and stingrays. Admission is family-friendly and it’s a solid half-day even in great beach weather.

Ocean County Mall

1201 Hooper Ave, Toms River | ~ 20 minute drive

Not scenic, not memorable, but the most useful practical stop within range. Ocean County Mall is the only fully enclosed mall in Ocean County. Go when it rains. Go when someone needs shoes. Go when you just need a few hours of air conditioning and somewhere to walk around.

Deep Sea Fishing out of Point Pleasant

Gambler Fishing Fleet, Point Pleasant Beach | ~20 min drive

If anyone in your group wants to actually fish — not just crab off a dock, but go out on the water — the fishing charters out of Point Pleasant Beach are the best option in the area. The Gambler Fishing Fleet runs party boats and private charters for striped bass, bluefish, flounder, and sea bass. You don’t need experience. They provide rods, bait, and instruction.

Book in advance in summer, especially for weekend trips. Check gamblerfishing.net for schedules and pricing.

Things to do Near Seaside Heights 30–40 Minutes

Barnegat Lighthouse State Park

208 Broadway, Barnegat Light (Long Beach Island) | ~30 min drive

Barnegat Lighthouse — locally called “Old Barney” — sits at the northern tip of Long Beach Island and is one of those stops that surprises people who’ve never been. The lighthouse itself was built in 1859 and you can climb all 217 steps to the top for panoramic views of LBI, Barnegat Bay, Island Beach State Park, and the Atlantic. On a clear day it’s genuinely impressive.

The climb is steep and the steps are tight, so it’s not for everyone — but kids who can handle it tend to love it. Admission to climb is $3 for adults, $1 for kids 6–11, free for 5 and under (Memorial Day through Labor Day). The park itself — picnic areas, the Maritime Forest Trail, fishing along the bulkhead — is free.

The Local Brewery Scene (20 to 45 Minutes)

The Jersey Shore has developed a genuinely good craft brewery scene over the last several years, and if you’re into craft beer, an afternoon taproom hop makes a solid shore week detour. A few worth knowing:

Battle River Brewing in downtown Toms River (69 Main St) is the comfortable neighborhood taproom option — about 15 minutes away, wide-ranging tap list.

Last Wave Brewing Co. in Point Pleasant Beach (601 Bay Ave) leans into the Shore aesthetic with tropical, easy-drinking craft beers.

Toms River Brewing (1540 Route 37 W) is the biggest and most established of the local options — always eight beers on tap in a comfortable taproom, dog-friendly, good for groups.

None of these require a separate day. Most work as a 90-minute stop on the way back from somewhere else. Check out our full brewery guide.

Jackson Premium Outlets

537 Monmouth Rd, Jackson | ~35 min drive

The outlet run that Shore families have been making for years. Jackson Premium Outlets has 70 stores — Coach, Kate Spade, Nike, Polo Ralph Lauren, Bath & Body Works, Crate & Barrel Outlet, and Under Armour among them.

It’s an open-air center, which matters in July — go early when it’s cooler. Free parking. Guest services can set you up with coupon books.

Laurita Winery

85 Archertown Rd, New Egypt | ~ 40 minute drive

If Renault Winery is the choice for history and heritage, Laurita Winery is the choice for atmosphere and events. The 20,000-square-foot tasting room was built from two 150-year-old barns that were headed for demolition — the bones are original, the wines are estate-grown on 40 fully cultivated acres, and the calendar is packed with events year-round.

Laurita runs everything from dueling piano nights and comedy shows to country line dancing, food truck festivals, and outdoor movie nights. On a regular weekend afternoon you’ll find live music, food trucks, and vineyard tours. The wines lean toward approachable European-style varietals — Chardonnay, Merlot, Pinot Gris — without the formal tasting structure of a more traditional winery. It’s less museum, more party.

Six Flags Great Adventure

1 Six Flags Blvd, Jackson | ~40 min drive

Six Flags is the biggest day-trip ask from Seaside Heights in terms of time and money, but it delivers if your crew has the appetite for it. The park has over 100 rides including some of the fastest and tallest roller coasters in the country. The Wild Safari Drive-Thru Adventure — 1,200 animals from six continents including elephants, rhinos, lions, and giraffes — is its own experience and a legitimate highlight for families. Hurricane Harbor, the attached waterpark, has a wave pool, a lazy river, and 25+ water slides.

Budget an entire day. Check for online deals before you go — Six Flags almost always has discount ticket promotions running. Pair it with a stop at Jackson Premium Outlets on the way back if the kids have any energy left.

Tuckerton Seaport

120 West Main St, Tuckerton | ~40 min drive

Tuckerton Seaport is an outdoor living history museum on the water, and it’s consistently underrated as a day trip from Seaside. The Folklife Center documents the communities and traditions of Barnegat Bay and the Pinelands. The “Life on the Edge” exhibit in the Yacht Club takes you through New Jersey’s environmental history across four ecosystems. You can climb a lighthouse, join a floating classroom boat tour of Tuckerton Creek, and walk a quarter-mile nature trail.

It’s a slow, unhurried kind of day — good for kids who are more curious than thrill-seeking, and adults who want something genuinely interesting rather than just stimulating.

NJ Maritime Museum

528 Dock Rd, Beach Haven | ~50 minute drive

The New Jersey Maritime Museum in Beach Haven is one of those stops that genuinely surprises people. It opened in 2007 on the southern end of Long Beach Island, and the focus is exactly what you’d hope for at a Shore museum: shipwrecks off the New Jersey coast, salvaged artifacts, notable maritime disasters, and the history of the US Life-Saving Service and Coast Guard.

There’s a full room dedicated to the 1934 Morro Castle disaster — sometimes called New Jersey’s Titanic — with artifacts, photos, and newsreel footage. Exhibits cover shark attacks, local shipwrecks, coastal erosion, lighthouse history, and scuba diving culture along the Shore.

Open daily in summer, 10am–4pm. Drive down to Beach Haven and make a half-day of it — the town has good lunch spots.

Renault Winery

72 N Bremen Ave, Egg Harbor City | ~55 min drive

Renault Winery is America’s oldest continuously operating winery, founded in 1864 in the Pine Barrens of South Jersey. The Tour & Taste walks you through the historic barrel rooms and production areas and ends with a guided tasting — they’re the only winery in the United States that can legally label their sparkling wine as “champagne,” and the blueberry champagne is the one everyone talks about.

The drive down through the Pine Barrens is worth noting as its own experience — it’s a stretch of road that doesn’t look like anything else in New Jersey. Plan for at least a half-day. Book the Tour & Taste in advance.

We’ve written a full guide to Renault Winery if you want the details on the wines and what to expect.

Atlantic City

Atlantic City is the furthest stop on this list and the one with the biggest gap between expectations and reality. The AC worth visiting on a day trip isn’t the casinos — it’s the combination of the iconic historic boardwalk and restaurants.

The casinos are there if that’s your thing. Borgata in particular has excellent dining — Bobby Flay’s steakhouse, among others — if you want to make a proper evening of it and aren’t driving back the same night. But the boardwalk and the beach are free, and the Absecon Lighthouse is worth a stop if you have lighthouse kids in the car.

Go for the day, stay for dinner if the crowd is right.

Things to do Near Seaside Heights: Quick Reference

Day Trip	Drive Time	Best For	Cost Range
Island Beach State Park	15 min	Quiet beach, nature	$12–$20/car
Point Pleasant & Jenkinson’s	20 min	Families, aquarium	Varies
Ocean County Mall	20 min	Shopping, rainy days	Free entry
Deep Sea Fishing, Point Pleasant	20 min	Fishing	$50–$100+/person
Barnegat Lighthouse	30 min	Scenic, history	$1–$3 to climb
Jackson Premium Outlets	35 min	Shopping, outlet deals	Free entry
Six Flags Great Adventure	40 min	Thrill rides, safari	$50–$90/person
Lakewood BlueClaws	25 min	Baseball, budget night out	~$10–$20/ticket
PNC Arts Center	45 min	Concerts	Varies
Asbury Park	45 min	Music, food, culture	Free to explore
Tuckerton Seaport	40 min	History, kids’ education	Low admission
Renault Winery	55 min	Wine, adults only	Tour + tasting fee

Enough Things To Do Near Seaside Heights?

Have we listed enough? Seaside Heights and its surrounding areas offer a variety of exciting and entertaining things to do for folks of all ages. Whether you’re looking for a day at the ballpark, a stroll though a vineyard, or a thrilling ride on an amusement park attraction, there’s something for everyone.

With so many things to do near Seaside Heights you are sure to have a memorable and enjoyable experience, making it an ideal destination for a fun-filled vacation. So, Is Seaside Heights worth a visit? We think so.