For those of you who live in Long Branch but are not from Monmouth County, the activities you may want to do seem limited. The West End is filled with different places to go out to eat, or grab a drink, but after the first few times it could get repetitive.
The great thing about West Long Branch and Long Branch is that both towns are surrounded by numerous fun and different activities that will keep you entertained and always finding something new to do.
Red Bank is definitely a town you should check out if you want to get out of the West End for a day. They have numerous great restaurants of all different varieties, so whatever you are in the mood for, there is something for you.
For example, there is Juanito’s, a Mexican restaurant, Siam Garden for those of you who love Thai food, and Front Street Trattoria, an Italian restaurant. Red Bank also offers a diverse bar scene.
If you are looking to dress up for a night out on the town, check out Red, The Downtown, or Taste. For a more casual low key night, stop in The Globe or Brannigan’s. The shopping is great in Red Bank as well. According to onlyoneredbank.com, the stores include, Urban Outfitters, Dor La Dor, and Hi-Def.
One store to check out is Funk and Standard Variety Store, which is a quirky little store that offers different trinkets and books that will keep you entertained for days.
Also stop in Backwards Glances, a thrift store that has everything from vintage records to posters, to vintage rock tees. The best part about all these places in Red Bank is everything is walking distance from one another.
However, Red Bank is not the only place filled with things to do. For example, if you are feeling like you need a change of scenery one fun option could be to check out a concert. PNC Bank Arts Center is only about a half hour away, and according to ticketmaster.com, they have new shows monthly, all of which are reasonably priced.
Also, for those of you who love holiday lights, every holiday season they have a holiday light show you can drive through with your friends.
Most know that Monmouth is only an hour and a half train ride to New York City, so why not take advantage of it?
At any given time there are different festivals, concerts, and activities that are fun to take part in. NYCGO.com has a full list of events and concerts and shopping for the entire year. You can even plan your day trip with them to maximize your fun and activities.
Senior Alana Silva says, “I like to take advantage of my surroundings, I am also from Monmouth County, so I know a lot of different places to go and things to do that are not just in the West End. My friends and I like to take advantage of the fact that Long Branch is so close to New York City, so we are always looking up different festivals and restaurants we can go to online.”
Now that it is getting colder and deeper into wintertime, going to the beach is not such a great option of things to do.
Instead of going to the beach, why not go to a mountain? New Jersey is lucky enough to have Mount Creek, the Poconos, and Camelback.
They are only a few hours’ drive away so take the day and go snowboarding or skiing with your friends.
If you don’t know how, take a lesson, or hang out in the lodge. It’s important to take full advantage of your surroundings so when it’s time to graduate and you have to move back home, you know you have fully taken advantage of everything Monmouth has to offer.
PHOTO COURTESY of pruzak.com
