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Sandy Hook, Highlands, NJ

Photo: Szeremeta, CC BY 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons. Cropped and resized.

Sports & OutdoorsOutdoor AdventureFamily Favorite

Sandy Hook

Swim at ocean and bay beaches, tour a historic lighthouse and walk the old Army post of Fort Hancock.

128 South Hartshorne Dr · Highlands, NJ

About Sandy Hook

Sandy Hook is a barrier spit about six miles long at the southern entrance of Lower New York Bay, run by the National Park Service as part of Gateway National Recreation Area. You can spend the day on oceanside or bayside beaches, then head to Fort Hancock, a former Army post open to visitors. The Sandy Hook Lighthouse, built in 1764, is the oldest working lighthouse in the United States and offers tours. There is no entrance fee, though beach parking carries a daily charge in summer.

  • #beach
  • #lighthouse
  • #national recreation area
  • #historic fort

Printable maps

What's around here?

The closest stops to Sandy Hook, ordered by straight-line distance. A few more like it, plus some different kinds of fun so you can build a full day.

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    Luna Park

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    Transit: reachable by public transit

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  • Attractions
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    New York Aquarium

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    Transit: reachable by public transit

    7.9 mi awaySwitch it up: Attractions

  • Sports & Outdoors

    Deep Cut Gardens

    Check prices

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    8.2 mi awayMore like this

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    Calvert Vaux Park

    Check prices

    Walk the Gravesend Bay waterfront, watch shorebirds, or catch a ball game at a Brooklyn park built from Verrazzano-Narrows Bridge fill.

    Transit: reachable by public transit

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    Marine Park

    Check prices

    Walk the Salt Marsh Nature Trail along Gerritsen Creek, launch a kayak or play a round of golf in Brooklyn's largest park.

    Transit: reachable by public transit

    11 mi awayMore like this