The last weekend for Casino Pier's outdoor rides was October 11, and Breakwater Beach is closed for the season. The pier's arcade stays open all year, but only Friday through Monday. Casino Pier also says its opening and closing times can change with the weather and the crowds. If you know the boardwalk from July, by late October it is a weekend place again.
A block inland, the calendar is filling up. Gallery 619 at 619 Boulevard has paid workshops on Saturdays through November and into December. A fine-dining restaurant that opened on the Boulevard this summer plans to stay open through the winter. The Seaside Heights Business Improvement District spent this fall trying first-time events built to stretch the season. The boardwalk now gets the big December days, and the Boulevard hosts the regular weekends between them.
The Boardwalk Runs a Four-Day Week Now
The Casino Pier arcade's Friday-through-Monday schedule is a good guide to the boardwalk until spring. Lucky Leo's lists an 11 a.m. opening Monday through Saturday and a 10 a.m. opening on Sunday. It says closing time depends on business and weather, so call ahead for a weeknight visit.
Lucky Leo's also hosts the first open-to-all event of November. Its School Break VIP Party runs Sunday, November 1, from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m., with a wildlife show, gift card giveaways, a buffet and a gift basket drawing at 3 p.m. It's an easy morning for grandchildren who are off from school, and it ends early enough to grab a late lunch in town afterward.
The boardwalk's biggest fall day has already happened. Saturday, October 24, brought the first annual Halloween in the Heights. Kids decorated pumpkins by the Carousel, played on inflatables at Casino Pier and trick-or-treated at participating businesses, and the evening ended with Hocus Pocus on the Carteret Avenue Stage. Halloween in the Heights joins Restaurant Weekend on the list of things Seaside Heights tried for the first time in 2026.
The Boulevard Picked Up the Slack in 2026
Shorebeat reported that the Business Improvement District billed its first-ever Restaurant Weekend, October 2 to 4, as a way to stretch the shore's season into fall. Fourteen restaurants offered prix fixe dinners, discounts and drink specials. The full list is worth saving for winter dinners:
- PJ's Place
- Hooks Bar & Grill
- The Ocean View Restaurant
- Breakin' Bread Eatery on the Boulevard
- Chef Mike's Legacy
- Seaside Social House
- Lobster Lounge
- Henry's
- Spicy Cantina
- Hemingway's Cafe
- Klee's Bar & Grill
- Beachcomber
- Jimbo's Bar & Grill
- Maruca's Draft House
Being on that list in October doesn't mean a restaurant keeps the same hours in January. Winter hours change from place to place, so check before you go.
Chef Mike's Legacy is the clearest sign of the shift. Chef Mike Jurusz opened the fine-dining restaurant in July at the Hershey property on the Boulevard. Shorebeat reported that it will stay open year-round, which it called a departure from a boardwalk restaurant scene that often quiets after Labor Day. A summer opening with a twelve-month plan is unusual for a barrier island town where much of the dining has followed the summer crowds.
Klee's Bar & Grill still posts the kitchen hours it labeled "Winter 2025/2026" on its website. They run 11 a.m. to 9 p.m. Sunday through Thursday and until 10 p.m. on Friday and Saturday. Last winter's schedule gives you a rough idea, but call to confirm this season's hours before planning a dinner around them.
Gallery 619 Fills the Saturdays
The busiest off-season calendar in town belongs to Gallery 619 at 619 Boulevard. It's a joint project of the Borough of Seaside Heights and the Business Improvement District, with space for ten resident artists. Programming includes exhibitions, art classes, paint-and-sips, music, yoga and photography. It's a small, inexpensive room, and right now it hosts more regular winter programming than the boardwalk does.
Four workshops are on the books between now and the holidays. Each is run by a different local maker, and each has its own registration.
| Date | Workshop | Time | Cost | What you take home | How to register |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Sat., Nov. 7 | Sip & Paint Frames | 4 to 6 p.m. | $35 plus $0.88 fee | Three wooden 4x6 frames | Boozy Brushes |
| Sat., Nov. 21 | Tiers & Cheers with Bee Stamped By Dawn | 2 to 4 p.m. | $55 per person | Your choice of one piece | BeeStamped.com |
| Sat., Nov. 28 | Sea Glass Canvas | 6:30 to 8 p.m. | $35 | Two canvases | Email [email protected] |
| Sat., Dec. 19 | Holiday Cookie Charcuterie | 6 to 9 p.m. | $35 for one board, $55 for two | Decorated cookie boards | Shore Cookies, in advance |
A few details matter when you book. The Sip & Paint Frames session is a Boozy Brushes workshop with all painting supplies included. At Tiers & Cheers, you choose between a vintage three-tier saucer stand, a teacup jewelry nest or a teacup bird feeder, and supplies are included in the $55. The Sea Glass Canvas night with Saltwater and Sand is adults-only and BYOB. The Holiday Cookie Charcuterie evening includes materials and refreshments, and you need to register ahead.
The November 28 session lands on Thanksgiving weekend, so it works for out-of-town family who want something to do on Saturday night. The December 19 cookie boards come out six days before Christmas.
December Brings the Crowd Back to the Boardwalk
Between the Gallery 619 Saturdays, the boardwalk gets two days at full summer volume.
Saturday, December 5: Tree Lighting. Mayor Vaz, the Borough Council and the Business Improvement District present a day that starts at noon. Plans include carousel rides, an iceless skating rink, coffee and hot chocolate, snow, carolers, Santa and Mrs. Claus, and fireworks. The Ocean County Tourism listing says the full schedule is coming soon. Check the Tree Lighting page the week before for the exact spot and times.
Thursday, December 31: First Night. First Night runs on the boardwalk from 1 to 5 p.m., with family entertainment at Casino Pier Arcade, Lucky Leo's, the Shake Shoppe and Coin Castle. Fireworks are planned for 5 p.m., weather permitting. An afternoon New Year's Eve means younger kids see fireworks before dinner, and the adults still have the evening.
Both December events bring back the boardwalk's best-known places, the Carousel and the arcades, for one day each. On every other winter weekend, the arcades stay on their shorter schedule and the Boulevard carries the rest of the calendar.
The Boulevard's Biggest Project Is Headed to Court
The Boulevard is also where Seaside Heights' largest proposed building was planned. In an October 16 report, Shorebeat said the borough had ended its deal for a 10-story mixed-use project at the former "steel structure" site near Hamilton Avenue and the Boulevard. The plan had included housing, a restaurant, retail, parking and a rooftop pool. A lawsuit over the redevelopment is pending, and oral arguments on the borough's motion to dismiss are set for Friday, November 6. For now, the Boulevard's winter activity comes from a year-round restaurant and an art space with Saturday workshops, not from a new building.
Here's how the rest of the season looks from the Boulevard. November has a Sunday arcade party and three Saturday workshops at Gallery 619. December has the Tree Lighting on the 5th, cookie boards on the 19th and fireworks over the boardwalk at 5 p.m. on New Year's Eve.
If winter in Seaside Heights has you thinking about a place you could use well past Labor Day, I'm happy to talk about what's open, what's coming and what that means for your plans. Brenda Weld is a phone call away. Let's Connect.
