Seaside Heights

Seaside Heights is the Shore's loud, neon boardwalk town, the one most outsiders picture when they think Jersey Shore. Made nationally famous, or infamous, by the MTV show filmed here, it draws a split crowd: young adults out for the bars and nightlife, and families after a faster, ride-and-arcade kind of beach day. The boardwalk is the whole draw, anchored by Casino Pier and its waterpark, with cheap pizza, sausage-and-peppers stands, and games running the length of it.

History Seaside Heights grew into a classic boardwalk resort over the twentieth century and became a household name when MTV's "Jersey Shore" filmed here starting in 2009. Superstorm Sandy hit hard in 2012, and the image of Casino Pier's Jet Star coaster sitting in the ocean became one of the storm's defining pictures. In September 2013, a boardwalk fire destroyed much of the rebuilt walk and the neighboring Funtown Pier, which was never rebuilt. The town rebuilt again, and Casino Pier added a new coaster, Hydrus, in 2017.

What makes it unique Seaside Heights carries a dual identity that no other Shore town wears as openly: a rowdy nightlife reputation from the TV era and a family boardwalk at the same time. Casino Pier anchors it, and the town leans into the spectacle, louder and faster than the quiet residential beaches just north and south. It is built for the boardwalk, not for a quiet beach week.