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Writer's pictureR.C. Staab

Monmouth Co/7 Presidents: Fees Increase. Historic Surfing Beach. No Buffalo Bill in Sight.


Surfers congregate in late April at Seven Presidents Oceanfront Park. All photos by R.C. Staab

Don't let the name confuse you. The only beachfront park run by Monmouth County doesn't have that much do with presidents. This 38-acre park between the ocean and Ocean Avenue in Long Branch is better known for surfing, skate boarding and a place for kids and families. In 2022, the daily admission fee has increased 25% from $8 to $10. The other fees remain the same as referenced at the end of this story.


More than 50 years surfers have ruled

Fifty years ago, one could smoke or drink at the beach but it was considered too dangerous to surf. In the early 1960s, surfing enthusiasts discovered the large, long waves off the jetty at the end of Kiernan Boulevard in Long Branch, but they weren't allowed to use what was then a private beach. They did it any way. Acknowledging the challenges of trying to keep surfers out of the water, the land owner struck a deal that would allow the surfers to lease the beach for $1 a year, under the condition that they would patrol the beach, perform their own lifeguarding duties and keep it clean. The cost of providing insurance to protect the club owner was covered by charging each surfer a $20 annual membership fee, a fair amount in 1965. Thus, the Kiernan Surfing Association was born. The Association has long since dissolved, but their legacy lives on. Monmouth County Parks continues to set aside part of the beach for surfing.

Skateplex

A block from the beach is the Skateplex which the County opened in 2005 and significantly renovated in 2015. Last year, a second skating area was added, making it one of the premier public skating parks in New Jersey. The two different fenced-in areas offer floating ramps, stairs, planters and stainless steel grind rails while incorporating the existing bowl. Experienced skaters or novices are welcome, but users under 17 must wear a helmet. Bikes and scooters are not permitted.



For the younger kids, Tony's Place is an award-winning, universally accessible playground closer to the beach dunes. It's a joint venture of the County, Challenged Youth Sports and Friends of the Park.


No Presidents vacationed at or near the park

They may have walked, rode or driven by the site, but none of the seven presidents who visited Long Branch stayed in a home, apartment or hotel at the site. Read more about the seven presidents in a subsequent story about Long Branch at www.thecitypulse.com/jerseyshorewalk.


Former beach home built by Nate Salsbury

But Buffalo Bill vacationed here, right? No way pardner!

Buffalo Bill wasn't a fan of the beach and the East Coast per a letter to a friend in 1896, writing "...country is good enough for me -- Every mans (sic) likes are not exactly the same -- I expect." Bill's business partner in Buffalo Bill's Wild West, Nate Salsbury, however, was a prominent developer who favored Long Branch. In 1900, Salsbury built nine mansions or "cottages" on the site of Seven

 

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Presidents Park. It was called The Reservation and promoted as an upscale seasonal rental community. Eventually, the houses became run-down, and the city of Long Branch razed all of them except for one home that is used as the park's administrative offices. The County took over the property in 1977 to create its only beach park.


Bill did bring his shows to Long Branch on two occasions. On June 5, 1899, Long Branch was a stop on the tour of Buffalo Bill's Wild West and Congress of Rough Riders of the World show at an empty lot at "Riverside and Atlantic avenue", presumably not at The Reservation or on prime beachfront property. A truncated version of that show, Buffalo Bill's and Pawnee Bill's Great Far East Show, arrived for one day on June 8, 1909.


Everyone's favorite stop after the beach is next door

By the park and visible from Ocean Avenue is Strollo's "lighthouse."

Tips for Visiting Seven Presidents Oceanfront Park

Road Access & Parking: Just south of Monmouth Beach there are two access points from Ocean Avenue, one by the Skateplex and one at the stoplight at Joline Avenue. There are about 1000 parking spaces with the main lot holding 700. Parking is free most of the year. There is a fee on weekends from May 29 to June and daily from June 19 through Labor Day. The cost of a season parking pass is $75 and can be purchased at the county site or on site during Memorial Weekend. A pass does not guarantee a space. The daily parking fee is $10. Parking does NOT include access to the beach.

Amenities: There are outdoor showers and changing areas, guarded swimming sections, an award winning children's playground, designated areas for surfing, a snack bar, sheltered eating areas, volleyball area and the Skateplex. Through the county's park website, visitors can reserve a picnic tent for up to 50 people.

Beaches: Similar to the parking, the beach is free most of the year. Separate from the parking fee, a beach season pass is $75 and can be purchased at the county site or on site during Memorial Weekend. The daily beach access fee is $10. On the beach side, the demarcation is not clear from Monmouth Beach to the north or the main Long Branch. A beach badge/pass at one beach is not good at other beaches in Monmouth Beach or other parts of Long Branch. Pets are not allowed from April 1 to October 31 at the beach and never in the rest of the park. People 17 years and under and actively military are admitted free. The season pass for people 65 years and older is $30.

Skateplex: Free year round. People under 17 years old must wear a helmet. See parking guidelines above.


Looking north from Long Branch's main beach at Seven Presidents park.

Follow Jersey Shore author and expert R.C. Staab as he recounts his 2021 walk of every beach along the 139 miles of the Jersey Shore coastline from Sandy Hook to Cape May. Read all updated stories at www.JerseyShoreWalk.com.

 

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