Island Beach State Park, New Jersey
Best Place to Savor Springsteen
Every Bruce Springsteen fan knows that the Boss got his start playing small music clubs in Asbury Park, a faded Jersey Shore resort town about 35 miles south of New York City. Less well known is the fact that one of the nation's most pristine stretches of Atlantic coastline is just a short drive away at Island Beach State Park, where a 10-mile-long barrier island remains blissfully free of boardwalk amusements, tacky souvenir stands and private housing developments. Pack your iPod along with a day's worth of light provisions, leave your car at the drive-in recreation area where most visitors congregate, then follow the soft white sand on foot in search of your own tranquil spot among the 3,000 acres of windblown dunes and salt marshes. Now you're ready to lie back and immerse yourself in the forlorn melodies of Devils & Dust, a soulful and contemplative collection of 12 tracks featuring Springsteen's rich vocals and back-to-basics acoustic guitar.
Orientation
From the town of Toms River, N.J. (exit 82 off the Garden State Parkway), follow Route 37 across Barnegat Bay to Seaside Heights, then head south on Route 35 to the Island Beach State Park ocean recreation area. Here you'll find abundant parking, modern bathhouses, life guards, snack stands and a visitor information center. Additional parking is available at various designated sites farther south along the main park access road. Summertime visitors pay $6 a day for parking on weekdays, $10 a day on weekends.
For more information go to www.state.nj.us or www.friendsofislandbeach.com.
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