Asbury Park NJ Shore Boardwalk – A Short Walk Through History

Asbury Park, NJ

    • Matt Smallwood
      August 29, 2012 at 1:31 am

      I will get to Asbury Park one summer. I did not realize that it was almost directly East of Trenton and a stone’s throw from I-195. It’s not so far at all from me…80 or 90 miles, maybe. 🙂 I always wonder whether NOT being beach towns doesn’t kill some inland resort areas in the northeast. Know any good articles about it, MB? Beach tourism accounts for a sizable portion of NJ, DE and MD’s economies….that’s for sure.

      • Mod Betty
        August 29, 2012 at 8:49 am

        Matt – I actually really had no idea where on the NJ coast Asbury Park was until I decided we should go there. In my mind the entire state has one big long wooden boardwalk on its edge 🙂

        I’m not a student of tourism, and definitely prefer the beach to many places, so I’m not sure about that – but will be doing some donating to the economy of the Delaware beaches this weekend for sure!

        • Matt Smallwood
          August 31, 2012 at 10:48 am

          Outstanding, Beth, outstanding. And the people of Delaware would like to thank you and Retro Roadhusband in advance. 🙂 And you’re right, there are lots of boardwalks in NJ.

          • Mod Betty
            August 31, 2012 at 11:22 am

            Thanks, Matt! Just trying to do my (not paying but loving it) job 🙂

    • Lizzie
      August 29, 2012 at 3:59 pm

      Whgat an interesting look at this seaside town. Do you know what happened to the carousel?

      • Mod Betty
        August 30, 2012 at 11:56 am

        Lizzie – good question. In doing some research, I find that there were actually 2 carousels in Asbury Park during it’s heyday, so it’s a little difficult to find out info on this, the Casino carousel, instead of the Palace carousel. The Casino carousel was in that grand structure from 1932-1990. It was Philadelphia Toboggan Company PTC# 87. The Mechanism/Frame is still in use, at Family Kingdom Park in Myrtle Beach, NC. I can’t find any information on the original wooden horses, but according to the National Carousel Society they were replaced with fiberglass horses when the carousel was still in Asbury Park. http://nationalcarousel.org/search/?terms=asbury+&w=1&all=1

    • dennis
      February 18, 2015 at 2:16 pm

      worked at the lynnhurst hotel 1970 and 1971 as a dishwasher had the time of my life living away from home do not know if it is still there it was on second ave

    • Paul Stephen Daniels
      June 26, 2017 at 3:14 am

      I was a kid who vacationed in Ocean Grove in the late 60s and early 70s and who depended on Asbury Park’s boardwalk as a source of amusement rides, games, and other nonreligious fun. The race riots pretty much destroyed Asbury Park as I once knew it, and whatever attempts to restore the boardwalk to its former glory have been an abysmal failure, from my standpoint. Walking the boardwalk from Ocean Grove to Asbury Park, one is confronted with the ugliest, most downright disgraceful sight I have ever seen in any shore town along the New Jersey coast. To Ocean Grove’s eternal discredit, there is a large open undeveloped area where the North End Hotel once stood before it burned to the ground decades ago. Then, to Asbury Park’s eternal discredit, there is a large open shell labeled “Casino” whose walls on one side have been graced with the kind of “public art” mural one sees as an alternative to graffiti in Philadelphia. The ocean side of this ruins is fenced in and full of debris. To the left of the “Casino” is another horrendously ugly unoccupied building that, I believe, was once some kind of power source. Every summer when I visit Ocean Grove to enjoy its many musical offerings in the Great Auditorium, I walk north in the hope that I will see that entire ghastly eyesore torn down and replaced with some kind of attractive, suitable gateway to a once-legendary boardwalk that now seems to be primarily a venue for quasi-high-end al fresco dining for millennials. Every summer, I am terribly disappointed. If it is a matter of money, I wonder why “The Boss,” who is so full of political opinions about what should be done with my money, does not pump some of his own vast financial resources into his home town and wipe that horrendous eyesore off the boardwalk.

    • JerseyStyle
      October 15, 2018 at 6:08 pm

      Great recap. I go to Asbury Park a lot – the music scene is still thriving. This past weekend, I shot five bands (one being Southside Johnny) so there is a lot of magic still in that wooden boardwalk. And, Asbury Lanes reopened just a few weeks ago – and yes, reopened with a performance by Bruce Springsteen. I also recommend checking out Danny Clinch’s Transparent Gallery – wonderful collection of rock photography just a block behind the Wonder Bar.

      • Mod Betty / RetroRoadmap.com
        October 15, 2018 at 6:09 pm

        I did not know that Asbury Lanes had reopened – thanks for the tip! We were in AP last summer for the Surf Music Festival and it was a lot of fun!

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