Ron Jon Surf Shop, Ship Bottom, NJ: World’s Largest Surfboard
Ron Jon Surf Shop, Long Beach Island, NJ
Who’s heading to the Jersey Shore this summer?! We should all do our part to support tourism in this area during its first season following Hurricane Sandy. (Jersey Strong!) We were there just a few months ago, while the re-building was still taking place. We discovered several Jersey Shore landmarks that weekend, including Lucy the Elephant in Margate, and the original Ron Jon Surf Shop – home to the world’s largest surfboard—in the town of Ship Bottom on Long Beach Island.
This is the original location of the Ron Jon surf shop, where the company’s first store opened in 1961. Today’s version is more than 8,000 square feet, with four levels of retail.
You’ll find everything you need for a beach vacation, or a beach bum lifestyle, including swimsuits and apparel, footwear, snorkel gear, beach bags and towels, sunglasses, sunscreen, sand toys, souvenirs, and an entire skateboard section. The Boy found a pair of “cool” flips flops, and The Girl pounced on a pink sundress with bohemian flair.
In the middle of it all stands the world’s largest surf board – 24.8-feet long, and 55-inches wide.
Of course, there’s a floor dedicated to surfboards and all related gear. This is The Girl’s rendition of “hang loose,” as taught to her by her uptight, 40-something suburban mom.
Interesting side note: the Ron Jon flagship location in Cocoa Beach, FL is the world’s largest surf shop. It’s 50,000 square feet, and is open 365 days a year, 24 hours a day.
Wow, what an amazing shop. And amazing pictures. Looks like it is worth visiting even if you don’t surf lol.
As a Floridian I would have to opt for the Cocoa Beach option since it’s so much closer to home, but I will try to find another way to show my support for NJ.
There are many places in New Jersey that are still recovering from the hurricane, so visiting locations that were affected by the storm is a really nice suggestion! The pictures of this surf shop look fantastic, and I’ll definitely give it a try. What New Jersey beaches and boardwalks are open to the public again? Last time I tried visiting them, I was forced to turn back because of the work that was being done to fix them up.
my sister used to work here, we grew up in titusville which is just north of cocoa beach!
How awesome! I love to surf, though I am not so good at it but I reckon I could spend hours in this place.