Avon-By-The-Sea: Atlantic Beaches and Maritime Impressions

Avon-By-The-Sea is a coastal community on the Atlantic Ocean. White sand beaches, designated surfing areas, and a non-commercial boardwalk shape the waterfront experience; at Shark River Inlet, there is also a marina, drawbridges, and boat traffic. You can consider whether you’d like to focus your stay more on beach days, maritime observations, or walks. These interests offer a practical starting point when looking for a vacation rental for your trip.

Beach and Atlantic Coast

In summer, the clean, white sand beaches invite you to relax, swim, and sunbathe. There are also designated surfing areas along the coast. If you enjoy combining different activities by the water, you can include these options in your travel plans; if you prefer a quieter beach day, sunbathing and relaxing offer a different focus. The options described range from activity in the surfing areas to a break on the sandy beach.

So, when choosing where to stay, it’s helpful to start by asking which Atlantic experiences interest you most. Should the beach be the main focus, or would you also like to explore the boardwalk and boat traffic at the inlet? You can tailor your vacation rental search to the type of trip you want, without needing to combine the different experiences into a single itinerary.

The Boardwalk

The non-commercial boardwalk is furnished with Victorian-style lamps, benches, and pavilions. It’s a pleasant place to walk and relax. Along the Atlantic, it runs from Norwood Avenue to just south of Washington Avenue.

Amenities include bike racks, showers, drinking fountains, pavilions, and restrooms. Together with the benches and lamps, these specific features contribute to the character of the walkway. You can include the boardwalk in your daily plans as an opportunity for a walk or a relaxing break. If you mainly want to spend time by the sea, you can consider the beach and boardwalk as different, but equally coastal, interests.

Marina and Shark River Inlet

Shark River Inlet forms the southern boundary of Avon-By-The-Sea and serves as a passage for excursion and private boats. You can watch the drawbridges and boats coming and going. This adds a maritime perspective to your stay that differs from the open Atlantic beach: here, the focus is on boat traffic and bridges.

The marina at the inlet has facilities for launching kayaks and paddleboards. If you’re interested in activities on the water, this is a distinct consideration when choosing the focus of your vacation. The marina facilities and watching boats come and go offer two different starting points for your plans.

Lake, Bell, and Local History

Sylvan Lake lies north of Avon-By-The-Sea and is known as the peaceful home of the town’s famous swans. The lake offers a different emphasis from the Atlantic and the boat traffic at the southern inlet. If you’re interested in the local swans, you can add Sylvan Lake to your list of things to discover.

The bell of First Baptist Church also tells the story of the town. It was preserved in January 2016 and moved to the lawn in front of the Municipal Building on Main Street. On August 4, 2025, two bronze plaques were installed on the bell. They bear the inscriptions from the front and back of the bell, which are difficult to read due to its age. Visitors can scan the QR code on the bell to learn more about it and the former First Baptist Church.

Another cultural reference is “Postcard Ponderings,” an oral history film about Avon, New Jersey. Along with the bell, it points to the town’s history, while the beach, boardwalk, and inlet appeal to other interests. For your trip, you can consider whether local history, as well as the coast, is part of the stay you’re looking for.

If you’d like to include more places in your travel plans, you can also find Neptune City, Tinton Falls, Belmar, Eatontown, Monmouth Beach, Hazlet, Upper Freehold and Howell.

For the broader travel overview: Monmouth.