Seven Presidents Park facts for kids

Seven Presidents Park is a beautiful oceanfront park located in Long Branch, New Jersey, USA. It is managed by the Monmouth County Park System. The park gets its name from seven U.S. Presidents who enjoyed spending time in the area.

These presidents were Ulysses S. Grant, Rutherford B. Hayes, James A. Garfield, Chester A. Arthur, Benjamin Harrison, William McKinley, and Woodrow Wilson. In 1869, President Grant even called Long Branch the nation's "Summer Capital" because so many important people visited.

What to Do at Seven Presidents Park

This park has a mile of public beach and covers about 38 acres of land. It's a great place for many activities. You can go swimming in the ocean or try surfing the waves.

The park also has a snack bar where you can grab a bite to eat. There are sheltered areas for picnics and a volleyball court for games. You'll find showers and changing rooms too.

Fun for Everyone

Seven Presidents Park features a special playground called Tony's Place. This playground is designed so that everyone, including kids with disabilities, can play and have fun. It even won an award for its design!

If you like wheels, there's a park and rink for skaters and skateboarders. The park also has protected sand dunes which are important for the environment.

Every September, the park hosts the Monmouth County Park System's annual Sprint Triathlon. This event combines swimming, cycling, and running. There is an admission fee to enter the park from Memorial Day weekend to Labor Day weekend. You can buy daily, seasonal, or multi-day passes.

Protecting Nature at Seven Presidents Park

Seven Presidents Park is an important natural area. It is a protected place for many plants and animals. The sand dunes are a natural home for birds and plants. They also help protect the beach from big storms.

The park system works hard to keep the environment healthy. They plant special beach grass to make the dunes stronger. This helps prevent erosion, which is when sand is washed away.

Special Birds and Their Reproduction

Two types of birds that are rare or in danger of disappearing now breed at the park. These are the Least Tern and the Piping Plover. It's a special place for them to build nests and raise their young.

Many other kinds of birds can be seen in the park too. You might spot seaducks, loons, gannets, gulls, and alcids near the beaches. Some common birds include the razorbill, the surf scoter, and the long-tailed duck.

Sometimes, Brant geese can be seen on the athletic fields during bad weather. In winter, a group of Bonaparte's gulls lives in the park. Farther from the beach, you might even see orange-crowned warblers or white-winged crossbills.

Park History and Surfing

In the late 1800s, Seven Presidents Park was a famous spot for entertainment. A local businessman named Nate Salsbury brought his Buffalo Bill Wild West Show here. Famous performers like Buffalo Bill Cody, Annie Oakley, and Chief Sitting Bull were part of these shows.

Locals have been surfing at Seven Presidents Park for many years. It was one of the first places along the Jersey Shore where surfing was allowed. A group of local surfers, called the Kiernan Surfing Association, even made a special agreement with the park owner. This agreement meant that surfers would not be removed from the water by the police.