Locals Guide to Asbury Park
This article is sponsored by the local audiologists in Asbury Park, NJ at EarSpa and Your Home Audiologist. We hope that you enjoy learning more about the historic neighborhood of Asbury Park and how it has evolved over the years.
A Brief History of Asbury Park
Asbury Park is known as a popular beach destination along the Jersey Shore, easy to get to from Pennsylvania, New York and New Jersey. What about the early years and developing history of this popular beach destination?
Early Years
Going back to 1871, Asbury Park was developed as a residential resort, developed by brush manufacturer James A. Bradley. Bradley named the area after the first American bishop of the Methodist Episcopal Church, Francis Asbury. A Methodist camp meeting in the south at Ocean Grove led Asbury Park to be developed as a “dry town”.
Bradley developed the Boardwalk, an orchestra pavilion, changing rooms and the pier at the south end of the boardwalk. The success of these businesses brought in other businessmen like Ernest Schnitzler who built the Palace Merry-Go-Round on the site that would eventually become the Palace Amusements complex.
The Plaza Hotel was also built during these early years alongside many other grand hotels. There was a housing growth in the 1890s that led to a range of Victorian architecture being built alongside a downtown area that was flourishing.
1920s - 1990s
The boardwalk area dramatically changed in the 1920s, when the Paramount Theatre and Convention Hall were built up alongside a Casino Arena, Carousel House and two pavilions. The 1930s were a turbulent time for the area, with “beach improvement bonds” going into default, rental rates being below normal rates, and even a law went into place that changed control of Asbury Park Beach to the governor instead of the municipal council.
The New York Yankees had spring training in Asbury Park in 1943 to help conserve rail transport efforts during World War II. The opening of the Garden State Parkway in 1947 began to change the travel market, and the Asbury Park exit opened in 1956 allowing for an easier route to the popular beach destination.
Asbury Park began to decline as a shopping destination due to the opening of Monmouth Mall in Eatontown. The Great Adventure theme park and drive-through safari in Jackson Township, also provided people with a different option for boardwalk amusements. Palace Amusements was closed in 1988 and demolished in 2004, while the carousel at Casino Pier was sold to an amusement park in Myrtle Beach in 1990.
Present Day Asbury Park
Since the early 2000s, Asbury Park has been undergoing a revival period. Many of the previously shut boardwalk pavillions re-opened in 2005. Many buildings, including par of the Casino building, have been demolished or have been going through renovations. Part of the old Casino building has been used as temporary art installations, although much of it is left unrestored. Other areas of the boardwalk have already been remodeled into a public market, food vendors, and of course restrooms for beach goers.
Hurricane Sandy roared through the beach town in October 2012, causing destruction to the beach, boardwalk and surrounding community. In 2013, Asbury Park was one of the few beach towns to re-open for the summer season. Thankfully, much of the boardwalk had not been too badly damaged.
LGBTQ+ Community in Asbury Park
Since the 1950s, Asbury Park has been a growing LGBT community. Gays from New York City purchased and restored the Victorian homes after property values plummeted. The Garden State Equality organization is also headquartered in Asbury Park. Jersey Gay Pride parade is hosted here every summer, drawing in hundreds of thousands of visitors. Notable establishments include:
Georgiees
Project R.E.A. L.
S. Laurent Social Club
Empress Hotel
multiple clubs and restaurants
Popular Asbury Park Sights To See
Asbury Park has long been a popular destination for beach goers, but that’s not all this town has to offer. Many historic hotels have been completely renovated, or torn down and rebuilt. This includes the Berkely Oceanfront Hotel, The Empress Hotel, St. Laurent Social Club, Asbury Park Inn, Oceanic Inn, The Asbury hotel and others.
Being so close to New York and Philadelphia, it is no wonder that Asbury Park has a well developed music scene. First gaining prominence in the 1960s, the Sound of Asbury Park (S.O.A.P) was a combination of rock and roll, rhythm and blues, soul and doo-wop. The Stone Pony is a popular music destination and has hosted a number of up-and-coming bands on their way to fame. Bruce Springsteen has even released his debut album called “Greetings from Asbury Park, N.J.”, much of his early years were spent in Asbury Park. The New Jersey Music Hall of Fame was founded in Asbury Park in 2005.
The West Side of Asbury Park was traditionally home to African American music, hosting artists such as Duke Ellington, Josephine Baker, and Bobby Thomas. Cuba’s club, previously the Turf Club, hosted Billie Holiday, Tina Turner, Little Richard and the Four Tops.
Popular present day music venues include:
Stone Pony
Asbury lanes
The Saint
Convention Hall for large events
Paramount Theatre
Wonder Bar
Asbury Park Brewery
Empress Hotel
The Baronet
The Kingsley Theater
Asbury Park is also part of the Urban Enterprise Zone, which comes with benefits to encourage employment and investment. In addition to this, shoppers can also have a reduced tax rate of 3.3125%, or half of the statewide rate. This benefit is only at eligible merchants and is set to expire in September 2025.
Surfing is a popular sport that residents and visitors take part in, especially in the winter months when the surf is rougher. There is an annual cold water surfing battle that happens every winter. Other notable places of interest:
Springwood Park
Kula Urban Farm and Cafe
Wheeler Park
Murals across the boardwalk and city
Asbury Park Tattoo Convention
Garden State Film Festival
Our Local Office
EarSpa and Your Home Audiologist are based in Asbury Park offering at home services for your audiology and holistic ear health needs. Services can include hearing tests, balance tests, tinnitus relief, ear cleanings, and hearing aids. In addition to traditional audiology services, Dr. Srour specializes in a holistic approach to ear health the can have benefits for your entire body health. Auriculotherapy and ear acupressure using ear seeds can help you find relief for many different symptoms by targeting the central nervous system.
Contact our Asbury Park audiology office to discuss your hearing concerns or to schedule a hearing test.
Your Home Audiologist NY & NJ
At Home Visits - We Come to You
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(347) 695-6309
EarSpa New Jersey
By Appointment Only
305 Bond St Suite 301D
Asbury Park, NJ 07755
(347) 695-6309
