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Here is a rundown of the southern Jersey Shore towns that I am familiar with. Sorry if I offend anyone.
Atlantic City - The adult's playground. Go here for the shopping and trouble, avoid if you actually want to go onto their free beach. It's not the cleanest beach I've seen.
Ocean City - The family beach. It's a dry town, so you won't find any bars or restaurants that serve any adult beverages. The beach is cleaner, but crowded. There's a $5 beach tag fee for the day, or $10 for the week. I believe it was recently (last few years) voted as one of the best beaches in Jersey, but I could be wrong. They have a really nice boardwalk and with plenty of great food places to check out.
Sea Isle City - One of my personal favorites. You can drive straight down from OC to here. This is where a lot of bars are and you are most likely to find one to your liking. I was there for Memorial Day Weekend and visited the Ocean Drive (lots of college kids) frequently. Shenanigans, I think, was a bar geared towards the older crowd. They also have beach tag fees similar to Ocean City, but if you avoid the parts of the beach that have lifeguards, you can probably avoid purchasing a tag (further north). If you go here, La Costa is a nice hotel to stay at since it's in the middle of all the bars (if you're into that) and WaWa is across the street.
Avalon - I've only been here once and it was a day trip. There wasn't really much to do, but there are bars in town. It's very beautiful here and it's also very upscale. Some local celebrities from Pennsylvania frequent here from what I've heard. I know for a fact that Joe Paterno has a house in town.
Stone Harbor - I've driven through here once and wish I could give more details, but I knew a bunch of kids from my high school would go here every summer. Not sure if they charge to go on the beach or not.
Wildwood aka Wildhood - This has the worst rap amongst everyone I've ever encountered. If you're under the age of 14 and you really want to have fun on the boardwalk, this is the place to be. There are lots of games to play and a small amusement park as well. The beach is free, but it's also filthy. If you're looking for high school kids and young college students up to no good, this is the place to be. I went here last summer on a whim and quickly left after I realized I was surrounded by kids on their senior week trip (I went in mid-June). There are also plenty of hotels/motels/inns to accommodate your lodging needs.
Again, sorry if I offended anyone with my critique. And I did mention a lot of adult activities in this post, so please use good judgement and don't drink and drive.
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