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Spring Lake A New York Times article claimed that “it’s not so much what there is to do, it is what there is not to do that makes Spring Lake special.” The prime attractions, of course, are the quiet boardwalk and pristine beach, plus the parklands surrounding the town's namesake lake. One could spend hours walking the streets and admiring the gardens and manicured lawns of Spring Lake, where commercial lawn services must rank as the town’s single most prosperous business niche. Check out the manicured masterpiece surrounding the residence at 301 West Lake Drive. The whole lawn is clipped to one-fourth inch high and maintained daily like a putting green. Within easy striking distance are Atlantic City, New York, Philadelphia, gambling, racing, arcades and what have you. From these you can return quickly to the refuge of Spring Lake. The Beach. Two miles of wide beach (continually restocked with fresh sand) and New Jersey’s longest non-commercial boardwalk separate the Atlantic Ocean beach from sand dunes and Ocean Avenue. Spring Lake's boardwalk contains only a few pavilions with benches and two larger pavilions harboring saltwater pools, rest rooms and food stands at either end. Beach passes are sold here, although most inn guests are given passes by their hosts. Even on chilliest days, lots of people stroll or jog on the boardwalk. Theater. The Spring Lake Theatre Company has expanded its repertoire and schedule to stage eight shows year-round in the Spring Lake Community House. The English Tudor building built in 1923 by a former mayor and state senator includes a library and a 360-seat theater. Tickets are in the $15 to $20 range and sell out early; call (732) 449-4530. Gazebo Concerts. The town recreation commission sponsors outdoor concerts in Potter Park on varying nights roughly every other week in summer. Jazz bands, the Atlantic Wind Ensemble, the Ocean Grove Band, the Happy Days String Band, a folksinger and an Irish balladeer were among recent performers. Townspeople and visitors bring chairs or blankets and pretty well fill the park. St. Catharine’s Church, Third and Essex Avenue. Built beside the lake between 1901 and 1907 by a wealthy resident as a memorial to his daughter, this striking edifice resembles the Romanesque St. Peter’s Basilica in miniature and is well worth a visit. Two 800-year-old bronze standards from Rome line the entrance to the church. The high altar is made of the same Carrara marble used by Michelangelo and the stained-glass windows were made in Bavaria. A professor from Rome painted the interior frescos. The church is one of two in the same parish in Spring Lake, a heavily Roman Catholic community. The total enrollment of Spring Lake’s single public elementary school is less than that of the parochial school. Shopping. Four blocks of tree-lined Third Avenue are home to small stores run by committed owners and an unusually high number of real-estate offices. Perhaps the biggest drawing card is the Irish Centre, which features all kinds of Irish imports reflecting the resort’s heritage. Another is the old-fashioned Spring Lake Variety Store filled to the brim with all kinds of things, including beach chairs hanging from the ceiling. Clothing and accessories are more sedate specialties of The Camel’s Eye, Village Tweeds and Courts & Greens, whose names indicate their priorities. Adorable bears clad in little smock dresses are in the windows of Teddy Bears by the Seashore, where two former Macy’s buyers offer discounted clothing for children and their parents. We admired the cute clothes at Samantha’s. Spring Lace is a mercantile confection full of lace and Victoriana (much of the Victorian lace on windows and tables at local inns was obtained here). Some of the most sophisticated cards, stationery, books and desk accessories we’ve seen anywhere are stocked at Noteworthy By-the-Sea, now in an expanded location next to its original store. New stores and galleries seem to pop up at every
visit. We know innkeepers who covet every single item at Kate &
Company, where country pine furniture and home accessories are
imaginatively displayed. We admired an intricate cathedral bird-cage
show table for $995. Fine American crafts are among the “irresistibles,”
some made by the owners, at The Moon & Sixpence. Art
enthusiasts admire the offerings of the Spring Lake Gallery,
Evergreen Gallery, ArtEffects and Thistledown Gallery. Sweets lovers get their fill at the Third Avenue Chocolate Shoppe and Jean-Louise Homemade Candies, where the day’s special at one visit was chocolate-covered grapes. Snacks are available to eat in or take out next door at Freedman’s Bakery. Gourmet pizzas and sophisticated entrée specials are offered at the Spring Lake Gourmet Pizzeria, a sleek and squeaky clean place that lives up to its claim of being “not just another pizzeria.” The Spring Lake Bottle Shop is the place to pick up a good bottle of wine for restaurants where you bring your own. Historic Allaire Village, Allaire State Park, off Route 524, Allaire. This outdoor living-history museum re-creates the days of New Jersey’s early iron industry. Interpreters dressed in the work clothes of the 1830s portray the daily life and times of early iron workers and their families at the historic Howell Works, an industrial community established between 1822 and 1850 when bog ore was smelted. They demonstrate early crafts and open-hearth cooking in some of the twelve houses and buildings in a restored village. Other buildings include a snack bar and a general store/museum shop. The Pine Creek Railroad displays six antique trains, two of which offer ten-minute rides. Listed on the National Register, this mini-Sturbridge is part of 3,061-acre Allaire State Park just west of Spring Lake. (732) 938-2731. Grounds open year-round, 8 to dusk. Visitor center open daily 10 to 4, Memorial Day to Labor Day; Wednesday-Sunday 10 to 4, rest of year. Buildings open Wednesday-Sunday 10 to 4, May-October. Parking, $3 weekends in summer.Material excerpted from Inn Spots & Special Places / Mid-Atlantic, by Nancy and Richard Woodworth. Copyright 2003. Wood Pond Press E-mail feedback to: Home
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