Look closely to see the dolphin jumping out of the water (top right)
Over the years I’ve done a lot of travel features here on the blog that focus on visiting Wildwood and/or Cape May in New Jersey. While I love Wildwood and Cape May, I enjoy visiting Stone Harbor too!
If your unfamiliar with southern New Jersey, Stone Harbor is an island to the north of Wildwood and Cape May. Matter of fact, Stone Harbor and North Wildwood are connected together via a toll bridge. Each island offers it’s own unique flavor.
One of the things I love about Stone Harbor is that its a LOT less congested than Wildwood or Cape May. There is no boardwalk, but in the downtown business district you’ll find a ton of gift shops, restaurants, cafes, boutiques and other retail stores for your shopping & dining pleasure.
Another great thing about Stone Harbor is that you’ll only find a handful of hotels & motels on the island. Seriously, there are less than 10 of them! If you’re a tourist, you’ll have better luck renting a house or condo for a week, than trying to book a room in a hotel. Just my 2 cents on that!
The drive into Stone Harbor is absolutely gorgeous! We like to come down route 9 and then cross over onto the island via the main entry road and bridges. The one bridge will give you some gorgeous views of the harbor and the bay side areas.
When driving in and off of the island, you want to be very careful that you don’t run over any of the turtles! You’ll see a ton of turtle crossing signs along the road and many times you’ll see the turtles crossing the road. Please drive carefully and if you see one of the turtles on the road, avoid it or park alongside the road and help the turtle get across. Way too many turtles are being killed every year by motorists!
The beaches on the island are NOT FREE and if you’re visiting during the tourist season, you’ll have to buy beach tags if you plan on using the beach. The beaches here are nice & wide and will accommodate thousands of tourists who flock here every year. Plus, they take very good care of their beaches and they’re always clean!
We love visiting Stone Harbor in New Jersey and every time we’re down at our vacation house in Wildwood, we make a point to spend some time up in Stone Harbor too! It’s an absolutely beautiful area to visit!
Stone Harbor looks beautiful and I love that it is a small island and less congested than other places.
I haven’t been to Stone Harbor in years. My memories are wonderful. Except I did get a parking ticket the last time I was there!
I have never been on the coast that far north. I love the beach and being a midwesterner love the pictures. It looks like it would be beautiful. You have green and a beach which would be amazing . Stone Harbor sounds interesting too in that it is a part of an island chain.
I’ve never been to New Jersey, but the photos you post make me want to see it. Stone Harbor looks beautiful.
Stone Harbor in New Jersey looks so Beautiful and peaceful. Thanks for the Heads up about the Baby Turtles. Poor little things have a Hard time making it into the water. I hope the motorists pay attention. would love to go to Stone Harbor in the future we shall see. Loved this Post~~