Here is a little guide to help make your trip into and out of Asbury Park as stress-free as possible.
Map
Key
Orange Dot – 705 Bond Street (Our House).
Green Area – Suggested parking area when visiting us. Parking near our house isn’t horrible, but the Green Area between Asbury Ave and 3rd Ave tend to have the best odds of finding parking.
Blue Area – Most of Asbury Park has unrestricted parking (no permits/meters), however, as you get closer to the beach, metered parking becomes more prevalent. EVERYTHING east of GRAND AVE requires you to pay for parking (meter or lot).
Red Area – While this is not “restricted” per se, your odds of finding parking as you go south of Sewall Ave are limited. Heading toward downtown puts you into a labyrinth of one-ways (all headed in the wrong direction).
Yellow Dot – Silverball Retro Arcade – Entrance on boardwalk.
LOT—There are two pretty accessible public parking lots close to the Arcade. (The pricing on each lot is dynamic and may be different at each location.)
Parking App
If you choose not to park in a lot, you’ll need the Asbury Park Parking App. You can download it here!
Suggestions/Hints/Tricks
Good news first: Parking in Asbury isn’t terrible. But it is Memorial Day Weekend, and for many of you, this is your first time coming to Asbury Park and we want you to come back. So…here is a little “inside baseball” to help make your AP parking experience a little more enjoyable.
Fast/Easy Option – It is just that: fast and easy. Metered parking (including handicap spots) is available all along Ocean Ave near the Silverball Retro Arcade. In addition, there are two lots close to the venue. Meters are a set rate (I think it’s $3/hour). The lots use dynamic pricing. So depending on the time, crowd, weather, etc…lots could be $10 or $40 for the day.
Park & Walk Option – While the lots are by far the easiest way to navigate this situation, I’m not one to spend other people’s money, so there is a pretty easy alternative to the beachfront parking scene, but you’ll need a little patience (and maybe good walking shoes). You can try parking near 705 Bond Street in the area I’m calling the “Green Zone.” It’s free parking that’s close to your final destination (our house), but will require a little bit of time and luck to find a great spot (especially if parallel parking isn’t your jam.). It’s about a 12-minute walk to the Arcade from our house. I do that walk twice a day on purpose, even in winter, so it’s totally doable…plue pretty pleasant.
NOTE: The only thing I ask of the park-and-walkers is to try and avoid walking on Asbury Ave after 2:30 pm (as that’s how Bern and I will be getting to the Arcade…and believe it or not…I think she really has NO idea that there is a surprise happening.). All of the numbered avenues heading east will get you to the Arcade faster than walking down Asbury Ave.
The Gen Z Option – If you are inclined to use “ride-share” scooters, Asbury Park provides Veo Scooters at the Boardwalk for a fee. There is a scooter parking/return right around the corner of our house at the corner of Sewall Ave and Emory St (across from the park/near the dog-walk station).