Downtown Ocean Grove A “town for all seasons,” Ocean Grove has something for everyone all year round. The one-square-mile “dry” town offers visitors one mile of pristine beachfront and scenic boardwalk, according to Ocean Grove Chamber of Commerce member Lois Hetfield.
There is much more to Ocean Grove than the beach and boardwalk, though. The town is host to a number of large annual events, as well as year-round entertainment of all varieties.
Before the summer season officially starts, Ocean Grove will host its seventh annual Music and Arts Festival on May 7. Located in the Bishop Janes Tabernacle and occurring rain or shine, the event will run from 10 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. and will feature live music every hour on the hour, starting at 11 a.m.
Artists representing a variety of mediums — everything from pastels and oils to pottery and jewelry — will also be present showing and selling their works. The event is free to the public.
Residential area of Ocean Grove Art aficionados are also encouraged to visit either of Ocean Grove’s galleries, the Main Avenue Galleria, 57 Main Ave., or Tumblety HowellArt, located at 45 Pilgrim Pathway.
The following weekend, women are invited to leave their husbands at home —or fishing on the beach — as Ocean Grove celebrates Women’s Weekend, May 13-15.
There will be a variety of events to cater to the physical and mental well-being of women all weekend long. On Saturday, participants can indulge in recurring Frantastic yoga sessions, angel counseling sessions, chair massages and life coaching, all at the HistoricWomen’s Club.
Saturday also holds a number of onetime activities, such as a floral arrangement seminar, afternoon tea and biblical dream interpretation and a drawing class sponsored by the Main Avenue Galleria.
Great Auditorium The fun doesn’t end there, though, as Sunday brings even more activities — from jewelry making to narrated horse-andcarriage rides — for women to round out their relaxing and fun-filled weekend.
While most of the events are free, some do charge a $10-$15 participation fee.
A number of the hotels and restaurants will also have specials and discounts throughout the weekend.
The Saturday after Memorial Day, visitors will be treated to one of Ocean Grove’s two “giant” flea markets. The Giant Spring Flea Market will have 370 vendor spots covering a three-block area. Shoppers will be able to find everything from antiques and umbrellas to socks and jewelry within the market’s confines. There will also be 13 food vendors on hand to sate any hunger pangs after hours of browsing.
Tents in a row in Ocean Grove Also starting around Memorial Day, at “the most important thing in Ocean Grove” — the Great Auditorium — is the annual summer concert series, according to Hetfield.
On Saturday nights, the entire family is invited out for entertainment at the Great Auditorium. Starting May 28 and running through Sept. 10, there will be performances by a variety of musicians and groups, including Abba on July 9, Linda Eder and Steve Tyrell on July 16, the David Crowder Band on July 30, and two doo-wop shows, on June 25 and Sept. 3.
The Auditorium, which holds up to 6,500 people, also hosts a variety of other events, such as twice-weekly organ concerts (Wednesday nights and Saturday afternoons) on one of the largest organs in the world, and church services, which occur at 10:30 a.m. and 7:30 p.m. on Sundays, starting June 12.
If staying in Ocean Grove, visitors have the option of choosing among five oceanfront accommodations, or one of the many houses, condominiums, bed and breakfasts, inns and hotels available off the boardwalk. Tourists can find a room from as little as $50 for a single room to over $500 for a penthouse apartment at one of Ocean Grove’s hotels.
Many of Ocean Grove’s hotels are open year-round, but it is best to check before booking a room in the offseason.
The hottest accommodation in town, though, is unavailable to even the wealthiest visitors. Starting May 15, 114 tents will be erected and surround the Great Auditorium. The tents, a nod to the founders of Ocean Grove, who originally lived in tents, sit about 2 feet from each other and, while appearing small, are equipped with a full kitchen and full bath. Each tent lessee must furnish the inside and take care of the 1-foot garden surrounding the tent. The tents are then taken down Sept. 15.
Leases of the tents, if not handed down through generations, are awarded to members of the Ocean Grove Camp Ministry Association for their service and dedication to the organization. Hetfield added that there is a 10-year waiting list to become a lessee.
With everything in Ocean Grove located within three blocks of the oceanfront, though, any accommodation is a good choice, Hetfield said.
“Once you’re here, you don’t need your car,” she added.
Even traveling to Ocean Grove, one doesn’t need a car, because the NJ Transit North Jersey Coast Line services the town, as does the Academy Bus line, which departs from New York City.
To complement the accommodations, Ocean Grove also has a number of restaurants to tantalize tourists’ taste buds. Sea Grass, at 68 MainAve., offers diners an upscale, fresh and sustainable dining experience in a warm, friendly environment.
For more casual fare, visitors may want to consider Yvonne’s Café, 54 Main Ave., which serves breakfast, lunch and dinner seasonally.
Ocean Grove also offers something for every taste in between, from bakeries — such as the Ocean Grove Bake Shoppe, 55 Main Ave. — and coffee shops — Barbaric Bean Coffee Roasters & Café, 48 Main Ave. — to the Cheese on Main cheese shop, 53 Main Ave., and Wall Street Delight, 3 Wall St., that serves, among other things, delicious juices, according to Hetfield.
There’s “a wide range of something for everybody,” Hetfield added. Best of all, to some, is that none of the restaurants or stores is a chain enterprise.
Tourists, too, shouldn’t miss the shopping opportunities in town, ranging from women’s boutiques that Hetfield says could compete with those of New York City to stores stocked with flowers and Ocean Grove souvenirs and just about everything else imaginable.
Hearkening back to earlier times, Ocean Grove still maintains an old-fashioned hardware store, Ocean Grove Hardware, at 51 Main Ave.
“People love [it]. You don’t see them around much anymore,” Hetfield said of the store.
For more information on accommodations, eateries, services or stores, please visit www.oceangrovenj.com. For more information on the Ocean Grove Camp Meeting Association and Great Auditorium events, please visit www.oceangrove.org.