Born and raised in Philadelphia, our "go-to" vacation place was always one of the New Jersey beach towns. Easily accessible from the city, the trek "down the shore" was always an adventure and something we planned for and looked forward to for months.

Sea, sand and sun for the young; boardwalks, restaurants and nightlife for everyone else. We never grew out of the beach vacation because the memories made at the Jersey shore call us back year after year.

The term "Jersey shore" is used to describe an incredible coastline that runs over 120 miles long from Cape May, where Sunset Beach visitors can see the remains of a World War II bunker on the beach, to the northern most shores of Sandy Hook, which New York City workers dream about all week long.

Follow the Garden State Parkway north or south, and you hit all 40-plus beach towns the Jersey coast offers. Each town has a vibe and personality all its own — and its own bragging rights — and each beckons sun and fun. Here are some favorites.

The southernmost beach towns are Wildwood and Cape May, the last exits on the Garden State Parkway and the end of New Jersey's coast. With the widest beaches, these towns could not be more different.

Cape May offers visitors a glimpse into Victorian seaside living and original mansions with gingerbread woodworking, wide porches and inviting restaurants and stores.

Cape May, off the mainland via a narrow bridge, offers visitors a glimpse into Victorian seaside living and original mansions with gingerbread woodworking, wide porches and inviting restaurants and stores. A pedestrian mall allows for a quiet afternoon of shopping, dining and tour-taking off Washington Street, while wandering around residential streets shows how a mid-18th century marine town has emerged as a year-round destination and merged with today's family lifestyles.

Continuing north on the parkway, plan an afternoon or overnight in one of the Wildwoods — North, Crest, Diamond Beach — and bring your appetite for food and fun. The website says it all: "The Wildwoods' award-winning Boardwalk features 38 blocks packed end to end with stores, shops, water parks, eateries, live entertainment and amusement piers with over 100 rides and attractions. The sights, the sounds and the smells of the Wildwoods Boardwalk are pure sensory overload!"

The Wildwoods' Boardwalk features stores, shops, water parks, eateries, live entertainment and more than 100 rides and attractions.

Venturing off the Parkway and continuing north on the Coastal Highway, travelers will hit Avalon and Stone Harbor, largely residential areas with a large summer crowd appeal due to their local feel at restaurants, bars and the beach. Townsends Inlet and Sea Isle City are next and draw crowds of all ages due to the active bar and fishing scene in town. A small boardwalk, called The Promenade, services these visitors but only with concerts, shows and shopping; no wild rides here.

Ocean City is a family-friendly beach town with no alcoholic beverage service or sales and a boardwalk that young parents both love and fear.

Ocean City is a family-friendly beach town with no alcoholic beverage service or sales and a boardwalk that young parents both love — because it caters to younger children at Playland on 11th and Boardwalk — and fear, because getting the kids to leave is almost impossible without a few tantrums.

For the gamers and gamblers among us, Atlantic City is a quick jump from Ocean City and hosts round-the-clock dining, drinking and gaming along its boardwalk — the nation's first, built in 1870. Visitors here often stay in nearby towns of Brigantine and Somer's Point to avoid the hustle and bustle of the casino night (and day) life.

Atlantic City hosts round-the-clock dining, drinking and gaming along its boardwalk — the nation's first, built in 1870.

Don't forget a quick stop in Margate on your way into AC and say hello to Lucy, a six-foot tall elephant at the town's center. Unless you know a Margate resident, you can't stay here because this town has zero hotels.

The Northern New Jersey beaches have a much different feel from the Southern Jersey beaches, housing relaxed communities with sentimental names like Loveladies, Harvey Cedars, Ship Bottom, Point Pleasant, Ocean Grove and Barnegat Light. Spring Lake is known as "one of the more refined spots on the Jersey Shore with stately homes, quiet beaches and a non-commercial boardwalk."

Perhaps the best-known New Jersey beach town is famous — not so much for its shoreline, which is considered the best in the state — as for a 1973 album by Bruce Springsteen named "Greetings from Asbury Park." The town has made a comeback in recent years after a series of unfortunate economic events. Worth a stop, though, to visit the Stone Pony where Bruce is known to pop in and play a set or two. Asbury Park also boasts a newly revitalized boardwalk and downtown area.

Sandy Hook's beaches feature a skyline view of New York City.

Ending your northern trek is Sandy Hook, with a skyline view of NYC and the Sandy Hook Gateway National Recreation Area which offers four miles of fishing, sunbathing and camping.

When you are planning a coastal beach drive or vacation, be "shore" that New Jersey is on your list. You won't be disappointed and will wonder why it took you so long to visit.