These are the best boardwalks in New Jersey

You can find a lot of rankings about a lot of things from a variety of sources. Some sites are more reputable than others, and when it comes to vacation attractions, Travel & Leisure would have to be one of the most trusted.

Travel & Leisure ranked the top eight boardwalks in New Jersey, and they might not be in the order you’d expect, and you might be surprised to see which ones didn’t make the cut.

Here are the rankings, courtesy of Travel & Leisure:

8. Sea Isle City Promenade

The city’s oceanfront asphalt-covered promenade stretches from 29th to 57th Streets, and travelers can easily spend an afternoon here….

I have spent several hours walking the promenade and there is a variety of shops as well as restaurants, not to mention the ocean view.

7. Seaside Heights

This bustling, two-and-a-half-mile boardwalk is home to rides, games, and attractions galore, many of which can be found at Casino Pier & Breakwater Beach….

If you lived in New Jersey for any amount of time, there’s a good chance you’ve made it to Seaside Heights, and with all the attractions, it’s mildly surprising that it isn’t higher.

6. Atlantic City

Atlantic City is known for its glimmering casinos, high-rise hotels, and numerous dining, nightlife, and entertainment offerings. So, it should come as no surprise that its boardwalk — which is said to be the world’s first and longest — is equally impressive…

This is probably New Jersey’s most famous boardwalk, and every time I go to AC, I spend a couple of hours there. Outside of all the homeless people, it really is special.

5. Wildwood Boardwalk

Spanning a whopping 38 blocks, the Wildwood Boardwalk is dotted with water parks, amusement parks, arcades, carnival eats, and (so much) more….

This boardwalk is big enough that we usually rent bikes for transportation.

4. Jenkinson’s (Pt. Pleasant Beach)

Fora travel advisor Gianna Quattrini describes Jenkinson’s Boardwalk in Point Pleasant Beach as “the quintessential Jersey boardwalk” with “rides, games, and funnel cake galore!” Family-friendly attractions abound, from old-school carnival games like ring toss and whack-a-mole to a fun house with mirror mazes and glowing lights…

Jenkinson’s is cool to go to all year round with the aquarium and all the attractions.

3. Avalon

Perhaps the boardwalk’s best attraction is Summer Salt, a local haunt known for its ever-changing multi-course menu featuring farm-to-table fare….

I have to be honest, here, I haven’t been to Avalon’s boardwalk, but it doesn’t look like there’s much there.

2. Ocean City

This beach/boardwalk often tops lists of this sort. The boardwalk is kept in pristine condition, with no exposed nails or warped boards like you find at other boardwalks. It has a well-earned reputation for being family friendly, and the boardwalk gets pretty crowded early with all those families.

1. Asbury Park

Asbury Park’s one-mile-long boardwalk is teeming with top-notch shopping, drinking, dining, and entertainment….

Travel & Leisure ranks Asbury Park as the top boardwalk in New Jersey; for me it’s gotta be near the top, because one of my favorite Jersey Shore attractions is there: the Silverball Retro Arcade.

Opinions expressed in the post above are those of New Jersey 101.5 talk show host Bill Doyle only.

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