Jersey Shore Locals Pre-Memorial Day Weekend Bucket List

Okay, so it might still be a little colder than we'd like to hit the beach, but still, until May 15th, you can bring your pups on the sand at Asbury Park's 8th Ave. Dog Beach!

While my favorite days to go to Great Adventure are still the 'slightly-rainy-but-not-enough-to-close-the-rides' days, pre-MDW, you can still enjoy the park will relatively short lines for even the most popular coasters!

Enjoy a Saturday night meal at your favorite waterfront restaurant...without a 2-3 hour wait to be seated!

Monmouth Park Racetrack opens for the season on May 14th!

There's nothing quite like watching the sunrise from the beach, but pre-MDW, it's especially peaceful!

Lakewood BlueClaws games are incredibly underrated. They're amazingly fun and seriously affordable (you can't beat $1 beers on Thirsty Thursdays!) Not that there's really a BAD place to catch the games, but before the summer crowds come, you can get the best seats in the stadium!

Ocean Grove is an adorable town, but I tend to avoid it during the summer because the parking and traffic situation makes me twitch! Definitely on my to-do list over the next few weeks is heading to Nagle's or Day's for some amazing ice cream -- without the lines!

Summer mini-golf sessions can sometimes require a lot of patience if the people in front of your or behind you are playing at a different pace than your group. With fewer crowds now, you'll have a better chance to play at your own pace at any of the courses around the Jersey Shore (like the new Casino Pier Smuggler's Quay course in Seaside Heights!)

Head to the boardwalk arcades and get easy access to the best games to build up your ticket stash before the boards get mobbed! (Protip: Skee-ball at Lucky Leo's in Seaside Heights is where it's at!)

Whether it's going southbound on a Friday, northbound on a Friday, or just anywhere near the sand...driving is about to get a lot more frustrating. Enjoy the (relatively) tame roads and clear left lanes while they last!