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JONES BEACH STATE PARK

Jones Beach

Jones Beach State Park is a state park found in New York. It is located in southern Nassau County, in the small town of Wantagh on Jones Beach Island, an island connected to Long Island by the Meadowbrook Parkway and Wantagh Parkway across the Great South Bay.

The park comprises of 2,413 acres with 6.5 miles of ocean beach frontage and a half mile of bay frontage developed for still water bathing. It is famous for its excellent beaches with 10 km in length facing to the Atlantic Ocean and furnishes one of the most popular summer recreational locations in the New York City area. It is also the most popular and heavily visited beach on the East Coast with an estimation of over eight million people visiting the beach each year.

Jones Beach State Park is the most popular of all Long Island State Parks and derives its name from Major Thomas Jones who came to Long Island in 1692, built, near Massapequa, the first brick house on Long Island and eventually acquired a total of 6,000 acres. In fact, he also owned a part of what is now Jones Beach. Around the year 1700 he established a whaling station on the outer beach near the site of the present park. Thomas Jones passed away in 1713.

Jones Beach State Park opened to the public on August 4, 1929. On that day Governor Franklin D. Roosevelt, Governor Alfred E. Smith, and Commission President Robert Moses were the principal speakers. Its success and popularity were immediately perceptible. In 1930, the first full year of operation, a million and a half people visited the park. In July, 1931, the West Bathhouse with swimming and diving pools opened. The Wantagh Causeway soon became overcrowded and serious traffic delays occurred every Sunday.

On November 3, 1931, the Town of Hempstead voted to suggest to the State of New York that all of Short Beach, the area between the Park and Jones Inlet, together with a right of way for an additional causeway from the mainland, near Freeport, to the Park. In 1933 Commissioners served on the board of the Jones Beach State Park Authority that built, maintained and operated the causeways to Jones Beach, some park facilities that includes the Jones Beach Theater and the Southern State Parkway in Nassau County.

The park offers surf bathing along its 6.5 miles of ocean beach, one-half mile of bay beach for still water bathing and two swimming pools. The west end of the park provides superb surf fishing, a boat basin and undeveloped areas that are home to a variety of wandering birds and native plants. The park is also a home to the Theodore Roosevelt Nature Center which includes environmental displays about the seashore, educational tours and programming for all ages.

There are lots of attractions at Jones Beach like museums, mini-golf courses, pools, surf fishing areas, picnic tables, recreation programs, playground, Performing Arts Theater, etc. Swimming has always been the top attraction. Few places offer facilities for such fine surf bathing, still water bay bathing and swimming pools with diving and wading pools. It also has a two mile boardwalk and a "Castles in the Sand" photo collection at the East Bathhouse which depicts the development of the Long Island State Park and parkway systems.

Additional attractions include deck games, basketball courts, miniature golf and beach volleyball. Jones Beach also hosts the popular Bethpage Federal Credit Union Annual Memorial Day Weekend Air Show. There is said to be a new and exciting restaurant located at Jones Beach called Singletons Seafood Shack where you can dine with water views.

The popular board walk strikes a contrast with the wild part of birds and plants. People love to stroll and watch the ocean. There is an interesting collection of photographs on this stretch on the history of Long Island development.

Directions: 33 miles from Manhattan via Meadowbrook Parkway South and Wantagh Parkway south to the Park. Wantagh, New York 11793

Via Public Transportation:

From Manhattan: LIRR to Freeport, then buses to Jones Beach. Call 718-217-5477
Bus from Freeport: The information # for patrons is, 516-228-4000 and it's option #2. The bus will start on May 24th. The bus route/# is JB62 out of Freeport.
From Queens & Nassau: MTA Long Island Bus. Call 516-228-4000

Via Auto:

From Westchester, Manhattan, Bronx, Brooklyn, Queens: LIE East or Grand Central Parkway East to Northern State Parkway East to Wantagh Parkway South to Jones Beach State Park or Belt/Southern State Parkway East to Wantagh Parkway South to State Park.

From Eastern Long Island: Northern State Parkway West or Southern State Parkway West to Wantagh Parkway South to State Park.

Seasons/Hours: Open year round.

Contact Information: Box 1000
Wantagh, NY 11793
Phone: (516) 785-1600

Jones Beach Theatre Website:
www.tommyhilfigerjonesbeach.com

 

 
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