What to Do in Spring Lake When It Rains

Every week at the shore has one. Sometimes two. The forecast turns, everyone stands at the window, and somebody says the thing about how they should have gone to Florida.

A rainy day here is not a lost day. Here's the list, organized by how far you have to go.

Don't go anywhere (0 minutes)

Start here, because most people skip it and shouldn't.

A rainy morning is the best morning of the week to do nothing. The house is quiet, nobody's rushing to claim beach chairs, and the whole schedule collapses in a good way.

Covered gazebo, TV, coffee, rain coming down ten feet away. The hot tub is better in the rain than in the sun. That's not a consolation prize, it's the actual reason to have one.

If you're going to read a book all week, this is the day.

Walk anyway (5 minutes)

The boardwalk in the rain is close to empty and genuinely worth seeing. Two miles of boards, gray ocean, nobody on it. Bring a jacket and go early.

Then get breakfast somewhere and take a long time about it. A rainy day is the one day where a two-hour breakfast makes sense.

Asbury Park (about 15 to 20 minutes north)

The default rainy day destination on this stretch of coast, and it earns it.

The Silverball Retro Arcade is the reliable one. Rows of pinball machines and vintage arcade games, and it works for kids and for adults who suddenly remember they're good at pinball. You can spend an hour or the entire afternoon.

Asbury Lanes covers bowling and a diner in one building, though check whether they have a private or ticketed event before you drive up.

Cookman Avenue is the walkable shopping stretch, with the Shoppes at the Arcade giving you a two-level indoor option so you're not getting soaked between stores.

And the Stone Pony is there, which is worth walking past even if nothing's on.

Red Bank (about 30 minutes north)

Better if you want a town rather than an attraction. Walkable downtown, real restaurants, bookstores, and the Two River Theater if there's a show running.

This is the grown-up rainy day. Less good with small children, very good with a long lunch.

With kids who need to move (30 to 40 minutes)

Rain plus a seven-year-old plus a rental house is a bad combination, and at some point somebody has to burn off energy.

The indoor climbing and trampoline places inland handle this. So does iPlay America in Freehold, which is essentially a boardwalk that moved indoors, about 30 minutes west.

The move nobody makes

Cook. A rainy afternoon is the best cooking afternoon of the week, the kitchen is built for it, and it turns the day into something instead of a delay.

Or take the night off entirely and I'll come cook it.

One note on the forecast

Shore weather moves fast. A 60% chance of rain frequently means a wet morning and a clear afternoon. Check the radar rather than the daily forecast, and don't write off the day at 9am.