Let’s start with some honesty: I love making fun of New Jersey. 

The state is an easy target. After all, it sits right next to New York, which just so happens to be one of the coolest places on Earth, packed with world-class restaurants, iconic attractions and enough things to do to make its neighbor seem, at times, a little… expendable.

But after a few days in the Garden State, I’m here to admit that Jersey deserves more credit than I usually give it. It’s the birthplace of Bruce Springsteen, America’s patron saint of blue-collar rock. It’s also the diner capital of the world, with more than 600 diners serving disco fries, cheeseburgers and mile-long menus at practically any hour. And I’d be remiss not to mention that the world’s first boardwalk opened in Atlantic City back in 1870. In other words, the state isn’t exactly the cultural wasteland New Yorkers like to pretend it is. 

While visiting, it hit me: certain parts of New Jersey aren’t trying to be New York and that’s exactly the state’s appeal. After spending a few days there with my kids, I realized the area works because it offers the opposite of the city’s nonstop energy. There’s room to breathe, fewer crowds and a pace that makes it surprisingly ideal for a quick family getaway when you need a break from everything New York is all about.

When brainstorming a quick pre-camp getaway, our requirements were surprisingly simple: with four little kids in tow, we didn’t want to spend half the vacation in the car or spend a staggering amount of money on flights. We needed a beach, a pool, family-friendly restaurants within walking distance and enough to do that we wouldn’t have to load four kids in the car every few hours.

Connecticut, Pennsylvania and upstate New York were all contenders. But after hearing rave reviews from friends—and knowing a few people with homes in Deal, New Jersey, the ultra-exclusive Jersey Shore enclave often dubbed the “Hamptons of New Jersey” (I’ll resist the jokes… for now)—we started looking at hotels nearby.

That’s how we landed on the Bungalow Hotel, a boutique property about two miles north of Deal that checked virtually every box.

Guests of Bungalow get full access to the pool and beach at its sister property, Wave Resort, just a five-minute walk away. (Wave has the splashier lobby, but its rooms are smaller and, with four kids, square footage is the real luxury.) The stroll there quickly became one of our favorite parts of the trip, taking us along the boardwalk past candy stores, bookstores, restaurants and enough ice cream shops to convince me that sugary milk might be the Jersey Shore’s biggest industry.

Bungalow itself feels less like a hotel and more like the place your most interesting aunt would own if she decided to open a boutique property by the beach. The staff is warm without being overbearing, the lobby is colorful and inviting, with a pool table, oversized couches, a small bar vibe and an outdoor patio where guests gather over complimentary morning coffee and pastries before heading to the beach.

Our room was simple, spotless and surprisingly functional, with a king bed, bunk beds the kids immediately claimed as their own and just enough space for a few days away. Most importantly, with only four floors, we never really had to wait for an elevator.

Leaving the hotel to access both the pool and the beach was a bit annoying but the very easy walk became part of the routine. The pool at the Wave has a swim-up bar serving cocktails, frozen drinks and wine, loungers and cabanas available to rent if you’re planning to spend the whole day there. The beach is just across the boardwalk, complete with chairs and towels, and I have to give a shout-out to the beach attendants who somehow managed to haul loungers through a 100-degree heat wave with smiles on their faces. Those are the people quietly carrying the Jersey Shore on their backs (literally).

The boardwalk also became our unofficial itinerary. We wandered into The Book House more times than days spent in the state, leaving with books for me, books for the kids and, inevitably, a handful of Squishmallows and squishies because apparently that’s the currency of childhood in 2026. 

As for food, one of the biggest draws for us was the abundance of kosher options. Salt is a polished steakhouse that could hold its own against many of New York’s best kosher restaurants, while Soya delivers excellent sushi in a sleek setting. Pepe’s was our go-to for pizza (just know it doesn’t sell slices) and LBK handled the inevitable chicken nuggets and burgers that every family vacation seems to require. For those who don’t keep kosher, Sirena offers Italian fare with ocean views, McLoone’s serves dependable American classics, Lana is a cozy wine and tapas spot and Rooney’s is an excellent seafood restaurant right on the water.

Maybe that’s what surprised me most about this little stretch of the Jersey Shore. New York is built for walking, too, but walking there usually means weaving through crowds, dodging delivery bikes and wondering why someone is honking when nobody’s moving anyway. Here, we pushed a stroller from the hotel to the beach, then to dinner, then for ice cream and eventually back again, all without once folding it into the trunk of the car. It was quieter, easier and, blasphemy!, relaxing.

Were out expectations low? Certainly. Has New Jersey been unfairly cast as New York’s punchline for too long? Maybe. Either way, I’ll continue making the jokes… all while driving to the state for my next long weekend out there.

A South Jersey summer camp is bringing Black history to life through hands-on learning centered on the Underground Railroad.

The Lawnside Historical Society kicked off its Underground Railroad summer camp Monday, giving middle school students the opportunity to visit sites tied to the fight for freedom and learn beyond the classroom.

“I was excited,” 10-year-old summer camper Harlan Jenifer III from Lawnside said. “I was happy to learn about my heritage and history.”

On Day 1, the Lawnside Historical Society brought students to the home of Peter Mott, a free Black man who opened his house as a place of refuge for freedom seekers escaping enslavement.

“The most interesting thing I learned so far was that this house was in Lawnside,” 13-year-old summer camper Stacey Johnson from Somerdale said. “I didn’t realize that the Underground Railroad was connected to New Jersey at all at one point.”

The weeklong camp includes scavenger hunts, tours and writing activities designed to deepen students’ understanding of what they learn in school.

“You will not find Peter Mott’s name most likely in the history books, but I want students to know that Lawnside, alongside Free Haven and Snow Hill, had a big part in the Underground Railroad,” Joyce Fowler, vice president of the Lawnside Historical Society, said.

Camp leaders said the program goes beyond traditional classroom lessons, highlighting details such as coded communication and the ways enslaved people navigated their journey to freedom.

“A lot of times the teachers don’t go into the study of the communication that enhanced and actually had to do with the struggle for freedom,” camp director Jacqueline Miller Bentley said.

Throughout the week, students will visit additional Underground Railroad sites across South Jersey, including Mt. Zion AME Church in Woolwich, Gloucester County, and museums.

Harlan said the camp has already changed his perspective.

“I just thought it was a history of something that was back in the past that I didn’t need to care about,” Harland said. “But right now, it’s making me want to learn more about it.”

The camp runs through Friday, when students will present paintings, poems and other creative projects inspired by what they’ve learned.

Mother Nature has a way of being unpredictable, which can leave residents in the dark.