5 NJ boardwalks nominated for best in nation. Pick your favorite

The folks at USA Today are at it again. In their 10Best series, they’ve nominated twice as many boardwalks from around the country as they need. It’s your job to cast a vote for your favorite to cement their top 10.

Now, is there any other state that understands boardwalks like New Jersey does? We have the oldest boardwalk in the world. We also have the longest in the world. They happen to be one and the same.

The Atlantic City Boardwalk started as a temporary structure and later became and permanent. It opened June 26, 1870. The boardwalk is iconic and it stretches 5 and a half miles.

So you’ll never convince me that the state that invented them doesn’t have the best boardwalks in the world. But I understand USA Today is a national site and has to cater to everyone and cast a wider net. If they want to pretend in the 10Best boardwalks that some are better than New Jersey’s, let them. But you can at least vote for one of these five Jersey boardwalks to give us a good showing.

The Jersey nominees

Ocean City boardwalk

In a town where you still can’t buy alcohol, the family atmosphere is everywhere on these two and a half miles of boards. I spent a year living in Ocean City just two blocks from the boardwalk and strolled it every day in all four seasons. Beautiful place.

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Wildwoods boardwalk

Packed for partying with bars and restaurants, the boardwalk stretches 38 blocks. A constant bombardment of sights and sounds and smells of summer, it has an amusement pier with over 100 attractions. Watch the tram car, please!

Seaside Heights boardwalk

This was my quintessential go-to boardwalk as a kid and a teenager. While the town has attempted to change the image to something more family-friendly, we’ll always lovingly remember it for tattoos, colorful crowds, and “Jersey Shore”’s Snooki.

Point Pleasant Beach boardwalk

It’s only a mile long, but this boardwalk has more than you need, even an aquarium. The nightlife is strong with great clubs and restaurants. Our own Big Joe Henry knows this place like the back of his hand.

Atlantic City boardwalk

As we already covered, this is the very birthplace of boardwalks. With all that history and the many transformations the city has seen, you know this makes their top 10.

To vote and to see which other states’ boardwalks we're competing with visit here.