Can you swim on the bay side of Stone Harbor?
The town’s swimming beach is the Atlantic shoreline, reached through the dunes. The bay side is salt marsh and back water, not the beach with tags and dune crossings.
The marsh
The bay side of Stone Harbor
Salt marshes, boating, and the Wetlands Institute on the western side of town.
Stone Harbor’s bay side has a different character from the oceanfront. Salt marshes, boating, and the Wetlands Institute define the western side of town, while 96th Street remains the center for shopping and dining.
The road in
From the south, you reach Stone Harbor across the marsh on Stone Harbor Boulevard. The Wetlands Institute sits on that boulevard, beside the marsh, which is why it works as a stop on the way in or the way out.
From the north, the Garden State Parkway connects through Avalon. That drive stays on the island. It does not replace the boulevard as the marsh approach.
What people do there
The institute is the public stop: a coastal education and research center. Hours and admission are theirs to set. Confirm both before you go.
Marinas and boating are on this side of town as well. Hours and slip access come from those operators. If a rental includes bay access, that detail is on the listing.
How it changes a week
An oceanfront week can ignore the bay until the drive home. A week that includes the institute, or a rental the operator places toward the boulevard, should treat the marsh as part of the plan rather than a wrong turn.
The numbered streets still run toward the ocean. A week on the bay side still uses 96th Street for meals and shops.
Questions
Common questions
Where is the Wetlands Institute?
On Stone Harbor Boulevard, beside the marsh, on the way into town from the mainland.
Keep reading
Related pages
Wetlands Institute
The marsh-side center on the boulevard.
Guides
Both ways onto the island.
Beaches
The ocean side, for comparison.
About the town
Ocean, marsh, and 96th Street in one layout.