You don’t have to be a local to enjoy “local summer“ at the Jersey Shore. But I strongly suggest you do!

The water is at its warmest in September, and the crowds are way down. It’s that time of year the residents of the Jersey Shore look forward to the most.

Still plenty of beautiful, warm weather, and they get to enjoy the towns they live in without hundreds of thousands of people invading their streets, their supermarkets and their shops.

If you don’t have kids and don’t care about the amusement being open during the week, then it’s ideal for you. Some of the seasonal businesses are closed, but there are plenty of the year-round businesses that are alive and well happy to see you. The service is usually much better since their staff is not overwhelmed.

The high school and college kids who had many of the jobs for the overcrowded summer season are back in school. There are plenty of locals, young and old, that make their living still happily working at the stores and shops that remain open.

Even on weekends, things are much calmer and fun. Plenty of the families that come for day trips on the weekends in summer are busy with their kids on soccer fields miles away inland.

If you can take a weekday off during September, treat yourself and go to the shore! You're welcome.

This is the beach the day after Labor Day looking from the south end of the Atlantic City beach toward Ventnor.

Dennis Malloy / Townsquare Media
Dennis Malloy / Townsquare Media
loading...

If you look up the beach toward the usually mobbed beaches of Atlantic City, you see only a few very happy beachgoers.

Dennis Malloy / Townsquare Media
Dennis Malloy / Townsquare Media
loading...

Not every lifeguard stand is manned, but there are plenty of them that are, and swimming is a joy.

Dennis Malloy / Townsquare Media
Dennis Malloy / Townsquare Media
loading...

The water even seems clearer this time of year.

Dennis Malloy / Townsquare Media
Dennis Malloy / Townsquare Media
loading...

Yep, there's plenty of room at beautiful waterside restaurants.

Dennis Malloy / Townsquare Media
Dennis Malloy / Townsquare Media
loading...

Boat traffic is down to a trickle and there are plenty of boat rental places still open.

Dennis Malloy / Townsquare Media
Dennis Malloy / Townsquare Media
loading...

LOOK: Here are the 50 best beach towns in America

Every beach town has its share of pluses and minuses, which got us thinking about what makes a beach town the best one to live in. To find out, Stacker consulted data from WalletHub, released June 17, 2020, that compares U.S. beach towns. Ratings are based on six categories: affordability, weather, safety, economy, education and health, and quality of life. The cities ranged in population from 10,000 to 150,000, but they had to have at least one local beach listed on TripAdvisor. Read the full methodology here. From those rankings, we selected the top 50. Readers who live in California and Florida will be unsurprised to learn that many of towns featured here are in one of those two states.

Keep reading to see if your favorite beach town made the cut.

Stunning Jersey Shore rentals, steps from the beach

Here are 10 houses along New Jersey's coastline for an Insta-ready beachfront staycation.

Opinions expressed in the post above are those of New Jersey 101.5 talk show host Dennis Malloy only.

You can now listen to Dennis & Judi — On Demand! Hear New Jersey’s favorite best friends anytime, anywhere and any day of the week. Download the Dennis & Judi show wherever you get podcasts, on our free app, or listen right now.

Report a correction 👈 | 👉 Contact our newsroom

More From SoJO 104.9 FM