Blogging Break in Brigantine Beach

It’s been awhile since I wrote a Daycation post. And, that’s because it’s been awhile since I’ve TAKEN a daycation! Or, any kind of getaway whatsoever. Husband and I had great plans for a winter snowboarding getaway this past February, but my concussion ruled that out completely. Since then, we’ve both been chomping at the bit for a little time away.

Husband got tickets for Warped Tour in Atlantic City, which is a 2-day music festival about 3 hours from where we live. He originally was planning on driving back and forth on the concert days, but I decided to carpe diem and use the opportunity to book a little beach vacay for myself in the nearby island town of Brigantine Beach. While my husband attended Warped Tour, I’d be sunning myself on soft, white sand with the ocean crashing softly around me.

I brought along my laptop, thinking that I could get ahead on some blog work in the evenings, but I ended up never even taking it out of my suitcase. I had a complete blogging break…and, it was wonderful. I emerged from our getaway feeling rested, refreshed and restored. All the “re”s.

However, I still managed to capture some great Brigantine Beach moments that I wanted to share with you all. Prepare yourself for a virtual vacation – many, many photos are about to come your way!

We lucked out and were able to stay at our friends’ beach house, which was absolutely lovely. Our hosts were the paragon of hospitality, unfailingly generous and kind in sharing their home and weekend with us. As a bonus, their house was just 2 short blocks from the ocean. I got a lot of beach time in, as well as reading time, both on the beach and on the house’s lovely front porch.

I’ve been through Brigantine Beach once or twice before, but I never really had a chance to explore the town. Let me tell you — it’s adorable. There’s a small main street with some restaurants and beach-y souvenir shops, and no matter where you go, there’s water everywhere you look. The Atlantic Ocean is on one side and the bay is on the other.

Brigantine’s houses are a charming mishmash of older beach cottages and new build homes (the latter is thanks to Superstorm Sandy, I suspect), and the landscaping for most of the houses is stunning. The Brigantine Beach flower game is fierce. I saw so many gardens overflowing with delicate butterfly bushes, robust purple coneflowers, and big beautiful hydrangeas. I got some great ideas for the Cottage garden as I was walking to and from the beach.

We arrived in Brigantine Beach around mid-morning, and we were pretty proud of ourselves for beating all the shore traffic. After we “checked in” to the beach house, we walked over to a farmer’s market we passed on our way into town. Unfortunately, I don’t have any photos of the market; I was too busy sampling pies, fresh produce, and popcorn, and inspecting all the stalls. Definitely one of the best farmer’s markets I’ve been to, especially since there were cute beachy things for sale along with the food.

We decided to grab some lunch before dropping Husband off at Warped Tour. I had scoped out the Crab Shack Seafood Market/Restaurant ahead of time online, and I was determined that it be our first stop for food.

True to its name, it’s a little hole-in-the-wall shack on the main road in Brigantine Beach; these types of places are my favorites for seafood. Right when we walked in, the owner told us what had just come in that morning. There was a ton of good-looking fish and shellfish there that I would have loved to cook at home, but since we were on vacation, we simply ordered our food and then headed outside to grab a seat in the patio section.

I love eating outside, even in the sweltering heat – of which there was plenty that day – and Husband kindly indulged this passion of mine. The outdoor seating area at the Shack is adorable; festive flowers, bright umbrellas, and a bit of nautical décor to remind you, lest you should forget, that you’re only steps away from the nearest beach.

Our food came out quickly, and I feasted on my own clam sampler platter: a dozen steamed clams with drawn butter, and about a ½ pound of fried clams. I love most seafood, but fried clams are a favorite I only indulge in a few times a year.

Husband got a fried Florida grouper sandwich that could have fed an army. We washed everything down with ice cold sodas, another food luxury we allow ourselves on vacation.

After lunch, we made the 10-minute drive to Atlantic City to drop Husband off at the music festival. Once back in Brigantine, I made the short walk to the beach with our hosts. And, that’s when I fell in love with Brigantine Beach.

It has the softest sand (especially for New Jersey!) and relatively mild waves. Plus, there are lots of sand dunes with beach grass, which I love and rarely find during my usual Point Pleasant beach trips.

Best of all? Brigantine Beach is amazingly peaceful. Although it was pretty packed with people, there was still plenty of space for newcomers, and there was no noisy boardwalk to compete with the sound of the waves. I also loved that you could see the casinos of nearby Atlantic City looming in the distance; it gave the long stretch of beach before it an otherworldly feel.

However, we were only there a few hours when a storm started to move in. We could see the heavy, dark clouds gathering in the distance, and I was able to get some great photos before we were driven off the beach by thunder and rain. Which was totally fun to get caught in, I have to say. Thunderstorms are way more fun down the shore.

I spent the rest of the afternoon reading on the beach house front porch until it was time for dinner. We went to the local Italian spot, Andre’s, which was good but insanely busy. We had to wait awhile for our food, and by the time it arrived, I was just this side of hangry. Hence why I wasn’t able to snap a picture of my meal – rigatoni with vodka sauce and grilled shrimp – before I gobbled it all down.

It continued to rain off and on throughout the evening, so apart from picking up Husband from Day 1 of Warped Tour, I didn’t venture off the porch again until it was time for bed.

The next day dawned clear and bright; all the storm clouds had cleared out and left behind a perfectly blue sky. Husband and I took a morning walk on the beach, and this was probably my favorite time of the entire trip.

Although Brigantine Beach is never crowded, it’s pretty much deserted in the morning, apart from the odd fisherman or dedicated runner. It makes you feel like you’re the only person in the world and that the sandy stretch is your own personal playground.

We were able to walk along the shore with the waves gently lapping at our ankles, and I picked up shell after shell for the little collection I decided to start.

The beach is a little uneven, so the water left quite a few tidepools once the tide had recdeded, and, of course, I had to go inspect them for stranded sea life. I did actually stumble across a horsehoe crab, which I valiantly picked up and threw back into the water so he could gain his freedom.

After our beach walk, we headed to brunch at Yianni’s  Café, which our hosts recommended to us. We actually ended up eating here twice over the weekend. It’s clearly a hot spot in town, and once we were seated and looking at the menu, we could see why. Yianni’s offers a variety of freshly made fruit smoothies, all served in frosty mason jar mugs.

Pretty much every table had at least one smoothie sitting on it, and ours was no exception. Husband ordered the “Banana Berry” with bananas, blueberries, strawberries, honey, and yogurt, and I ordered the “Sunrise Sensation,” with peach, mango, and banana. The smoothies were wonderfully refreshing and exactly what we needed after our walk on the beach in the hot sun.

In addition to the great smoothies, the food at Yianni’s is fantastic. They serve heaping portions of hot, fresh food to keep you fueled all day long. Since I like to eat as much seafood as I can get when down the shore – even for breakfast – I ordered an egg white omelet with crab meat, Swiss cheese, tomatoes, and spinach.

Seriously, guys? This was one of the best omelets I have ever had. Fried to perfection and filled with lots of melty cheese and TONS of fresh, shredded crab. The omelet came with crispy home fries and rye toast, and the home fries were so good that I made sure to order them the next morning, too.

After stuffing ourselves silly, I drove Husband over to AC for Day 2 of Warped Tour, then returned to the beach for some solo reading and tanning time. I was probably on the beach for about four hours, which is my idea of heaven. I ate dinner at the beach house with our hosts, then indulged in some more reading on the porch, in accordance with the “Porch Rules.” There was also a lot of relaxing and feeling the breeze going on.

On my way to pick up Husband from the end of Warped Tour, I noticed the sun setting over the bay in one of the most spectacular sunsets I have ever seen. I quickly pulled over to snap a few photos, which, as beautiful as they are, don’t even do it justice.

We stopped at the local ice cream stand, Aunt B’s, to finish off the night. Aunt B’s has a ton of flavors, and they serve some of the largest cones I’ve ever seen. Again, I was too busy gobbling down my ice cream to take a photo, but, believe me, this place is good. I got a waffle cone with blueberry cheesecake and toasted coconut ice creams, and Husband indulged in a very large s’mores sundae.

We were up and off early the next morning, though not without another walk on the beach and a stop at Yianni’s for breakfast. We spent only about 48 hours in Brigantine Beach, but this quiet island community easily won us over. In fact, we’re already planning to go back down there one more time before the summer is through.

Are you planning any getaways this summer? I would love to hear where you’re going in the comments below!