Bay Head has kept its quiet, historic character since 1886, and it's still a real, year-round Jersey Shore beach town.
Bay Head sits at the quiet end of the Jersey Shore, a stretch known for boardwalks and arcades, and it's spent nearly 140 years deliberately staying out of that scene.
Founded by the Bayhead Land Company and incorporated in 1886, the borough was laid out with wide lots and Shingle-style architecture meant to feel more like a private retreat than a resort strip.
It's one of our overlooked coastal towns, and its entire historic core, more than 500 buildings, is protected as a National Register district.
About 930 people live in Bay Head year-round, on a slim strip of land between the Atlantic Ocean and Barnegat Bay.
What to Expect When You Visit Bay Head, New Jersey
Bay Head Beach draws collectors for its unusually good sea glass and seashell hunting, a quieter alternative to the busier beaches nearby.
The Bay Head Historic District covers 440 acres and includes 549 contributing buildings, mostly Shingle-style and Colonial Revival homes built between 1877 and 1940.
The Bay Head Yacht Club anchors the bay side of town, a longtime center for sailing on Barnegat Bay's calmer waters.
Just south, Island Beach State Park protects 3,000 acres of undeveloped barrier island, the longest natural stretch left on the entire Jersey Shore.
Built to Stay Quiet
The Bayhead Land Company platted the town in the 1870s, and Bay Head incorporated as its own borough on June 15, 1886, taking its name from its position at the head of Barnegat Bay.
Architect Wilson Eyre Jr. and his contemporaries designed many of the town's early homes in the Shingle style, a look that valued understated, shingle-clad exteriors over the ornate Victorian trim popular in nearby shore towns.
The Bay Head Historic District was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 2006, formally protecting the character its early planners intended, and one home within it, the L. Ron Hubbard Residence, was separately listed in 2018.
Unlike the boardwalk towns that grew up around it, Bay Head never built one, a deliberate choice that's kept it quieter and more residential than its Barnegat Peninsula neighbors for well over a century.
Plan Your Visit
Bay Head sits in northern Ocean County, about 70 miles from both New York City and Philadelphia.
Street parking is limited and permit-only in summer, so a bike or an early arrival makes it easier to reach the beach. Neighboring Mantoloking's quiet public beach is a short walk south for those who want even fewer crowds.
The town stays walkable year-round, with the historic district, Twilight Lake, and the yacht club all within a few blocks of each other.
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