The Jersey Shore typically suggests a very specific type of good time in popular culture — the Asbury Park boardwalk, beach bars at Seaside Heights.
But, last summer, I discovered a different side of the coast at Island Beach State Park, a 10-mile barrier island of white-sand beaches, coastal forest, and rolling sand dunes between Barnegat Bay and the Atlantic — an unspoiled idyll perfect for a lazy afternoon of kayaking, surf fishing, and sunbathing (sans the crowds).
