ocean grove: part one

over the weekend we took a trip to ocean grove, new jersey to celebrate our anniversary.  we had never been to ocean grove before, so we were excited to explore the town and to spend some time at the beach.

ocean grove is a quaint little town nestled between asbury park and bradley beach.  the town was founded in the 1800s as a methodist summer camp meeting site.  walking around the town makes you feel like you took a step back in time.  the streets are lined with dollhouse-style victorian homes, cute inns, and charming bed and breakfasts.

we spent two nights at the historic lillagaard which is a victorian tea room and a bed and breakfast.  it was decorated with so many little knick-knacks and the owners were as sweet as could be.  the lillagaard was just a few steps away from the beach.  we could see the ocean from our room, and there was an awesome view of the beach from the second-floor balcony.

it rained during our drive to ocean grove on thursday, and all day on saturday too.  (the pouring rain was no match for our umbrellas.  we got totally soaked.)  luckily, however, it was beautiful and sunny on friday, so we did get a chance to get out and walk around while staying dry.  we got a chance to swim in the (very cold) ocean too.  the beach was so clean and peaceful.  it was not crowded at all like some other jersey shore points that we have been to in the past.

instead of driving, we walked everywhere while we were there.  (sore feet and worn out bodies are a sign of a successful trip for sure.)  in addition to walking all around ocean grove, we also spent some time exploring asbury park and bradley beach too since they were both so close.

we tried out several different restaurants and cafes in the area.  since we were at the shore, we had a ton of seafood.  we also had some really great ice cream too.  (i'm still dreaming about the cinnamon ice cream that i had.  it was so good!)

it was such a nice little weekend getaway, and we had a really great time!

love, laurie