Why is there a Discover Seaside Heights website?

That's me, sitting in the chair and wearing the sunglasses. I grew up spending my summers in Ortley Beach. I watched the fireworks from my grandfather's sundeck every Wednesday night and Casino Pier was always looming off in the distance whenever I was at the beach. I must confess that I did not go to the boardwalk often, even though I could easily walk there whenever I wanted. This made Seaside - bright lights, busy crowds, and the shear raucousness of the place - seem like a world apart. While I didn't frequent the boardwalk I did go there plenty of times over the years. I have memories from many different years of being on the boardwalk with my family or friends.

My grandfather also liked to take me and my brothers crabbing in the bay. This either meant we headed to the dock in Seaside with our traps or we went seining near the Toms River Bridge. The memories I have of crabbing in Seaside are some of the happiest memories of my childhood.

There are two things that top all the many reasons I like visiting Seaside today. One is the fond memories that can be stirred up walking the boardwalk, seeing so many familiar places and for those places that have changed - trying to remember what used to be. It is also great fun to sit on the boardwalk and watch the crowd during a summer's evening! There are so many different kinds of people - groups of teens, families with their children, and even older folks that are just out for a walk. And within each of these groups is a wide range of nationalities, dress and behavior. People watching was something I loved even when I was a kid visiting the boardwalk. The individuals have changed but it is still the same wonderful and interesting mass of humanity.

I decided to make this site, in part, to help me reminisce about the past. I believe I can enjoy this more if we can remember and celebrate Seaside's past together. Not only is it more fun but we can also learn from sharing our memories, photographs, and knowledge with one another.

My other motivation for building the site was to provide a good resource that could help people to find what they need when they are planning a visit or are actually in Seaside.

Hopefully you enjoy visiting this website and your next trip to Seaside Heights!

If you would like to contact me, please use my contact form or send me an email at: