Nelson Ave Park and Playground

If you’re in Beach Haven and need a spot that actually has its act together, this is it. The park stays clean — like, genuinely clean — which puts it ahead of half the playgrounds on LBI. Kids 2 to 12 have room to run on the open grass field, and the bay views make it the kind of place where parents don’t mind sticking around for a while. Restrooms on-site, benches to actually sit on, and it’s dog-friendly, so the whole family shows up. The pickleball scene has picked up too, with the beach and a nearby pond making the whole area feel like more than just a playground stop.