Toms River is a town on the central Jersey Shore in Ocean County. It sits on the Toms River where it widens into Barnegat Bay, and serves as the gateway to some of the best beach towns on the coast.
The historic downtown, right on the river, is pleasant for a wander. The Ocean County Courthouse anchors the centre of town, and the Waterhouse Museum tells the story of the town from its colonial origins through the 19th century. Paddleboat rides on the River Lady take you out into Barnegat Bay. The dining scene is typical of the Shore — diners, Italian-American restaurants, seafood places, and chains along the main strips.
Cross the Tunney-Mathis Bridge on Route 37 east and you reach the barrier island beaches. Seaside Heights and Seaside Park have the classic boardwalk experience: rides, games, sausage sandwiches, funnel cakes and enormous slices of pizza. Island Beach State Park, at the southern end of the peninsula, is a different world — ten miles of undeveloped barrier beach, one of the last on the Atlantic coast, with dunes, osprey nests and good surf fishing. Back on the mainland, Insectropolis — a museum dedicated entirely to insects — is one of those wonderfully odd American roadside attractions worth a stop.