Travel After Divorce

Not knowing much about beaches in NY one would never imagine such a giant, state park beach could offer so much. On this day we originally meant to go to the pool (which I’ll discuss), but instead found ourselves meeting friends on the warm sand in bright sunshine.

GETTING TO THE BEACH

Being close by I’m used to the trip, but the fact that you can approach this giant state park from 3 separate parkways makes it accessible to anyone. (*Fun Fact*- the name “parkway” was invented when this park was build and literally means “way to get to the park”.

Once you get close the water tower which resembles a pencil comes into view where the 3 parkways meet. The journey is filled with draw bridges which have panoramic views of the passing by boaters enjoying a summer day on the water. For only $10 a day, there are over 10 parking fields depending on what activities you want to take part in.

A BIG LIST OF THINGS TO DO

Just to start out, there is a gigantic bathhouse pool which is olympic sized and even has a smaller ankle deep pool for young kids. There’s no shortage of the amount of lifeguards all around, and the overall feeling of safety is wonderful in this bathhouse that resembles the inside of a castle.

Leaving the front of the pool you find yourself smack in the middle of 4 miles of boardwalk with an array of runners, walkers and a dedicated bicycle lane which actually goes almost the entirety of Nassau County NY.

This day we ended up on the sand, but MANY trips with my beautiful girlfriend have led us to walk hand in hand seeing all the other options to enjoy your time at this park. Baseball fields, Basketball Courts, Cornhole boards, shuffleboard courts, miniature golf, are all available to name a few. If you somehow haven’t had enough there is an adventure park within with zippiness and climbing obstacles.

Every field has its dedicated snack bar/restaurants that offer anything from pretzels to fish and chips with a beautiful outdoor bar smack in the middle.

BEACH TIME

After bringing our towels with us, we realized we need a beach umbrella and purchased one for not that much money for our future trips. The giant beach requires a long walk to the water, but there is a huge blue rubber mat guiding you.

The surf is way too cold in June, but still bathers were in the waves under the careful eye of lifeguards stationed in big white chairs every 100 ft or so. Again this state park keeps a feeling of safety about it.

After snacking on our sandwich and relaxing while reading in the sun it was time for our friends to come meet us. Simple directions and we were located on our little patch of sand. This might be one of my favorite places to spend time with my girlfriend as it mixes relaxation with time to love one another.

FUTURE TRIPS

Living so close to this great park has led us to create our very own “beach kit” complete with umbrellas, chairs, coolers, and a wagon to carry it all. Keeping our wagon close by we can guarantee that there will be the quickest getaway from home to fun in the sun. I would highly recommend couples and even people on dates to spend time at Jones Beach.

Remember…. it’s the time together that means the most. NOT expensive or needless destinations. Love our new lives of travel for this simple $10 day trip!!