Somers Point, New Jersey, is the place most travelers see only through a windshield. They exit the Garden State Parkway, crawl across the Route 52 Causeway toward Ocean City, and never realize that a few blocks off the highway lies one of the Jersey Shore’s most walkable bayfront districts, with historic inns, working marinas, serious food and some of the best sunset views on Great Egg Harbor Bay. If you usually drive straight through, this is the side of Somers Point you have been missing.
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From Highway Pit Stop To Bayfront Village
For many visitors, Somers Point is a blur of highway ramps and gas stations. Exit 30 funnels traffic from the Garden State Parkway directly onto Route 52, the main bridge to Ocean City. It is easy to assume Somers Point exists only as a service stop: a place to grab fuel, a coffee and maybe a fast-food burger before continuing to the island. What the ramps and signage do not reveal is that just south of the highway, Bay Avenue runs along a protected waterfront lined with marinas, historic houses and low-key restaurants that feel more like a small working harbor town than a suburban corridor.
The contrast becomes clear if you take ten minutes to turn right toward the bay instead of straight toward the bridge. Within a few blocks the chain stores give way to shingled cottages, small apartment houses and boat yards. The grid of streets drops gently toward Great Egg Harbor Bay, and you begin to see masts, docks and the low marsh islands beyond. Somers Point was a maritime village long before it became a parkway exit, and that older identity is still visible in its Bay Front Historic District, an 82 acre area roughly between Shore Road and the bay that is listed on the National Register of Historic Places.
This hidden village feel is one reason locals quietly prefer Somers Point to the busier resort towns across the water. The bayfront has the things shore travelers want, from seafood to sunsets, but on a smaller, more everyday scale. Fishing boats idle at the docks; kids bike along the sidewalk; regulars claim the same bar stools all summer. For a traveler used to crowds and boardwalk lights, it can be disarming in the best way.
Because the town is compact, you do not need to be a seasoned planner to enjoy it. Park once near Bay Avenue or Kennedy Park and you can easily walk between the bayfront park, the municipal beach, several restaurants and the marinas. Even in peak season, it often feels like you have stumbled into a side entrance to the Jersey Shore that everyone else forgot.
The Bay Avenue Waterfront Most People Never See
Bay Avenue is the spine of Somers Point’s waterfront. On a summer evening it is a steady but relaxed procession of people walking from marinas to dinner, cyclists coasting to the beach and locals catching a breeze from their porches. The street is dotted with landmarks that rarely show up in statewide tourism brochures but loom large in local life. A small city-owned transient marina opened in 2019, bringing visiting boaters directly into the bayfront district. A few steps away, the municipal William Morrow Beach hosts free concerts on Friday nights in summer, drawing residents who roll up with folding chairs and coolers to listen to cover bands as the sky turns pink over the marsh.
Many travelers know Somers Point only as “the place with the Crab Trap,” the busy seafood restaurant visible from the Route 52 Causeway. That spot is popular and convenient, but it is only one piece of a wider dining scene along the bay. A short walk down Bay Avenue leads to one-of-a-kind taverns housed in 19th century buildings, family-run Italian restaurants and relaxed bars where the dress code runs from flip flops to boat shoes. Anchorage Tavern, for example, operates from an 1888 building listed on the National Register of Historic Places, with a wraparound porch facing the water and a menu that balances pub staples like wings and burgers with seafood pastas and nightly specials.
Closer to the bridge, Tavern on the Bay sits directly over the water with its own 60 slip marina. Here you can watch boats glide in and out while you eat on the deck or from the second-floor dining room, where large windows frame the Route 52 bridge, the Great Egg Harbor Bay and the barrier island beyond. For a traveler used to Ocean City’s dry-town rules, it can be refreshing to linger over a glass of wine or a local beer with a panoramic view instead of rushing back to the highway.
What makes Bay Avenue feel different from more commercialized waterfronts is the mix of uses. Charter boats share space with kayaks, small apartment buildings sit next to long-established restaurants and you will still see working boatyards where hulls are hoisted from the water in shoulder seasons. The effect is less postcard-perfect than genuinely lived in, which can be a welcome change for visitors who have spent the day in carefully curated resort districts.
Kennedy Park, Dog Beach And The Open Bay
Travelers who never leave the highway also miss Somers Point’s wide-open water views. Kennedy Park, a few minutes’ drive from Bay Avenue along the bayfront, sits on a coastal bluff, one of only two such bluffs in New Jersey. From its grassy edge, the Great Egg Harbor River and bay open in a broad sweep of water and marsh, with low islands and passing boats visible in almost every direction. On summer weekends, families use the boat ramp to launch small fishing boats, while anglers line the shore with coolers and rod holders. The park’s playground and pavilion host neighborhood events and small festivals that rarely make the wider tourism radar.
Just down the shoreline, unofficially known “Dog Beach” runs along the base of the Route 52 Bridge. It is a stretch of sandy bayfront where locals bring their dogs for off-leash swims, especially in the shoulder seasons when regular beach rules on nearby islands are strict. At low tide, the sandbars extend, giving dogs room to splash in shallow water while owners chat along the bulkhead. Travelers driving over the bridge might glimpse this scene for a second but will not feel the salty spray or see the expressions on the dogs’ faces unless they pull off and walk down.
The waterfront here feels notably less groomed than many Atlantic-facing beaches. Driftwood collects along the high tide line, marsh grasses poke up from the sand, and the wind can blow briskly across the bay. For some, that rawness adds to the appeal, a reminder that this is an estuary as much as a recreation area. Birders keep an eye out for ospreys and egrets, especially early and late in the day, when the low sun throws long reflections across the water.
Because Kennedy Park and the nearby shoreline sit on the mainland side of the bay, they often remain accessible and relatively quiet even on days when parking on the island is difficult. A traveler heading home after a crowded afternoon in Ocean City can detour here for half an hour of fresh air, watch the last boats return to their slips and still be back on the Parkway in minutes.
Walking, Biking And Bridging The Gap To Ocean City
Another part of Somers Point most drivers never notice is that it has become a small hub for cycling and walking routes that connect the mainland to the barrier islands. The reconstructed Route 52 Causeway, completed in 2012 at a cost of around 400 million dollars, includes a separated bike and pedestrian path. This wide path runs alongside the four lane bridge and offers expansive views of Great Egg Harbor Bay, the marsh islands and both Somers Point and Ocean City skylines. Scenic overlooks with benches and interpretive panels allow walkers to pause above the water while traffic hums on the adjacent roadway.
On the Somers Point side, the causeway path connects into the Somers Point Bike Path and other local routes. Cyclists can ride from inland towns like Northfield and Linwood along a former rail corridor, pass through Somers Point’s tree lined neighborhoods and continue over the causeway into Ocean City without needing to share lanes with highway traffic. Another relatively new improvement is the multi use path on the Garden State Parkway Great Egg Harbor Bridge between Somers Point and Upper Township. This roughly 1.5 mile path, separated from traffic by a barrier and fencing, gives pedestrians and cyclists yet another elevated vantage point over the bay.
For travelers, these paths transform Somers Point from a place you drive through into a place you can move through slowly. It is entirely feasible to park in Somers Point, rent a bike from a local shop, ride across the bay for a few hours on the Ocean City boardwalk, then return for a relaxed dinner along Bay Avenue as the sky darkens. The journey back over the water at dusk, with the causeway lights reflected in the bay, is often one of the day’s quiet highlights.
Even without a bike, walking sections of the causeway path can be rewarding. Many visitors park near the Somers Point entrance and stroll partway across to watch ospreys hunt over the marsh or to take sunset photos. What begins as a functional bridge reveals itself as an elevated front-row seat to one of southern New Jersey’s most underrated estuaries.
Food, Drink And A Night Off From The Boardwalk
Somers Point’s dining scene offers another reason to slow down rather than speed through. The town has developed a reputation among South Jersey residents for its concentration of independently owned restaurants and taverns, especially along Bay Avenue and Shore Road. Food writers have singled out the area for its mix of fine dining, casual bar food and bayside decks, many with prices that are still moderate by peak shore standards. That mix makes the town particularly attractive to Ocean City vacationers looking for a night out that includes both a cocktail and a change of scenery from boardwalk pizza and ice cream.
Anchorage Tavern is often mentioned as a local benchmark: a historic taphouse with wood paneled dining rooms, a long bar and a menu that might feature crab cakes, prime rib and a long list of draft beers. Gregory’s, a family run bar and liquor store operating since the mid 20th century, is another institution where regulars know each other by name and specials like crab night can draw lines out the door. At the other end of the bayfront, Tavern on the Bay leans into its waterfront location, with an outdoor deck over the marina that captures soft evening light and steady breezes.
More recent additions reflect changing tastes. Josie Kelly’s, an Irish style public house in a former auto dealership building, brings live music, a lengthy whiskey list and modern pub fare such as fish and chips or shepherd’s pie alongside lighter salads and vegetarian options. Somers Point Brewing, tucked into a low slung building not far from the bay, pours small batch craft beers that have become popular with both locals and visitors, from crisp lagers for hot beach days to seasonal ales that nod to shore life.
Prices across town generally sit below those at trendier island restaurants, although they vary widely depending on the venue and time of year. A casual plate of fried flounder at a neighborhood spot might cost only slightly more than a typical chain restaurant meal, while a full seafood dinner with appetizers and drinks at a waterfront restaurant can still come in lower than comparable meals in nearby resort towns. For families, the ability to mix an inexpensive early dinner with a post meal stroll along the bay or ice cream at a mom and pop shop can stretch vacation budgets without feeling like a compromise.
History In Plain Sight: Somers Mansion And The Bay Front District
Somers Point’s history is easy to overlook from the driver’s seat, but it is embedded in the streets above the bay. Somers Mansion, a three story brick house built in the early 18th century, stands on a hill overlooking the water near Shore Road. It is one of the oldest existing houses in Atlantic County and a reminder that this area was a maritime crossroads long before parkway ramps and causeways. From its grounds, visitors can look down toward the bayfront and imagine the smaller wooden wharves and sailing vessels that once lined the shore.
The surrounding Bay Front Historic District preserves a concentration of 19th and early 20th century houses that reflect Somers Point’s development as a resort and boatbuilding center. Many of the double porches, narrow lots and modest frame homes that line streets like Higbee, New Jersey and Delaware Avenues remain intact, lived in year round rather than maintained as museum pieces. You can walk a few blocks inland from Bay Avenue and see this architectural story unfold in real time, from saltbox style houses to Craftsman bungalows and mid century cottages.
Unlike better known historic districts that operate as attractions with tickets and formal tours, Somers Point’s is woven into daily life. Children ride scooters past houses on the register; residents sit on front steps in the evening; construction projects go before a local historic preservation body that aims to balance change with continuity. For travelers interested in how shore towns evolved from working waterfronts to modern bedroom communities and vacation hubs, a simple self guided walk here can be illuminating.
Because the district lies so close to the modern waterfront, it also offers a way to appreciate Somers Point as more than a transient summer spot. Standing at a corner where you can see both older houses and the glinting water of Great Egg Harbor Bay helps connect the past and present in a way that highway views never can.
Planning A Stop Instead Of A Drive Through
To experience Somers Point’s better side, you do not need to redesign your entire shore itinerary. You simply need to allocate an hour or two away from the highway. One straightforward approach is to build Somers Point into your arrival or departure day. Instead of racing over the Route 52 Causeway as soon as you exit the Parkway, turn into town, park near Bay Avenue or Kennedy Park and take a short walk along the waterfront. Even a half hour sitting on a bench at William Morrow Beach, watching kids play in the shallow water and boats shift in their slips, can reset the mood after time in traffic.
Another option is to treat Somers Point as your evening base if you are staying in a dry town like Ocean City. Many visitors now dine in Somers Point several nights a week, combining daytime boardwalk and beach time with dinners at Anchorage, Gregory’s, Josie Kelly’s or Tavern on the Bay. Ride share services and local taxis operate between the towns, though many families simply drive over, as the distance is only a few miles. Parking around Bay Avenue can be tight in high season but is generally manageable if you arrive slightly earlier than peak dining hours.
Outdoor oriented travelers might plan an entire day that starts with a bike ride along the Somers Point Bike Path, continues with a walk or ride over the Route 52 Causeway and ends with a casual bayfront dinner while the sun sets over the marsh. Because much of the waterfront is free to access and concerts on the city beach are typically free to attend, it is possible to enjoy a full day here without spending heavily, beyond food and any incidental rentals.
The broader point is that Somers Point rewards slowness. The very things that do not register at 45 miles per hour, such as the smell of marsh grass, the mix of working boats and pleasure craft, or the curve of a 19th century porch railing, become visible when you park, walk and linger. For travelers used to treating the town as a gap between where they are and where they want to be, reframing it as a destination, even a small one, can make the entire shore trip feel richer.
The Takeaway
Most travelers experience Somers Point as a means to an end, a necessary junction between the Garden State Parkway and the barrier islands. Yet just a few blocks from those ramps lies a bayfront community with its own identity: historic streets, live music on a small municipal beach, marinas tucked beside casual restaurants, and walking and biking paths that float above the marsh. It is a place where mainland practicality meets shore leisure, more modest and more lived in than many resort towns, but no less rewarding for those willing to pause.
On your next drive to or from Ocean City, consider giving Somers Point more than a passing glance in the rearview mirror. Park near Bay Avenue, walk to the water, and let the combination of bay breezes, everyday harbor life and small town hospitality introduce you to the side of Somers Point that so many drivers never see. You may find that the highlight of your shore trip happens not on the island at all, but in the little bayfront town you used to drive through without stopping.
FAQ
Q1. Is Somers Point worth a stop if I am just driving to Ocean City?
Yes. Even an hour in Somers Point can be worthwhile. You can park near Bay Avenue, walk along the bayfront, grab a casual meal or drink, and be back on the Route 52 Causeway in minutes.
Q2. Where should I go first if I only have a short time in Somers Point?
For a quick introduction, head to William Morrow Beach and the nearby stretch of Bay Avenue. From there you can see the bay, marinas, a few historic buildings and several restaurants within a short walk.
Q3. Are there good views of the water without going to the barrier islands?
Yes. Kennedy Park offers a wide bluff top view of Great Egg Harbor Bay and River, and the Route 52 Causeway path gives elevated panoramic views of the marshes and both Somers Point and Ocean City.
Q4. Can I walk or bike from Somers Point to Ocean City safely?
Yes. The rebuilt Route 52 Causeway includes a separated bike and pedestrian path. Many people walk or cycle between Somers Point and Ocean City using this route, especially in good weather.
Q5. What is the nightlife like compared with Ocean City?
Ocean City is a dry town, while Somers Point has bars and taverns with full service. Expect relaxed but lively spots along Bay Avenue and Shore Road, with live music on many summer nights.
Q6. Are Somers Point’s restaurants family friendly?
Most are. Restaurants like Anchorage Tavern, Gregory’s, Tavern on the Bay and several casual pizza and sandwich shops welcome children and offer kid friendly menus alongside seafood and pub fare.
Q7. Is there a beach in Somers Point?
Yes. William Morrow Beach on the bayfront has a small sandy area, gentle water, lifeguards in season and a stage that hosts free summer concerts. It is especially good for younger children.
Q8. Where can I bring my dog to the water?
Local dog owners often use the bayfront stretch near the Route 52 Bridge, sometimes called Dog Beach, especially in the off season. Rules can change, so it is wise to check local guidance before you go.
Q9. Is parking difficult near the bayfront in summer?
Parking can be busy around popular restaurants and the municipal beach on peak summer evenings, but arriving a bit earlier than usual dinner hours or using side streets typically makes it manageable.
Q10. Can I visit Somers Point outside of summer?
Yes. Somers Point is a year round community. While some seasonal businesses scale back in colder months, many restaurants, the bayfront paths and Kennedy Park remain open and are pleasantly uncrowded.