Down by the sea: The Ocean Grove Beach   (Photo: courtesy of Ocean Grove Chamber of Commerce)

Ocean Grove/Asbury Park, N.J.
A honky-tonk Jersey Shore gem gets rediscovered by bargain-hunting Fire Island exiles.
Holy smokes! What happened here? Thought domenic Santana when he returned to Asbury Park for the first time in twenty years in 1998. Still reeling from seventies race riots, subsequent redevelopment disasters, and a history of shady politics (the FBI raided City Hall this January), this community of 17,000 sometimes seems more like a banana republic than the fabled seaside resort of Santana's youth. But a growing influx of entrepreneurs and New York professionals -- especially gays and lesbians -- is rediscovering the town, attracted by its diamond-in-the-rough boardwalk, edgy diversity, and spacious fixer-upper houses. "I used to never cross a bridge or tunnel except to go to the Hamptons," says Barbara Butcher, who, with partner MaryAnn Vitiello and Vitiello's son, moved here last year. "I love the diversity, the houses, the character. It's fabulous." And with the Victorian charm of Ocean Grove -- an immaculate enclave first built as a Methodist retreat -- just next door, it's no wonder that the area is booming again. "Asbury's development madness is turning into a real gold rush," continues Santana, who moved his family here from Jersey City in 2000 to reopen the Stone Pony club, which Bruce Springsteen made famous. "The place is really coming up."

• Things To Do "Our lives revolve around house renovations and decorating–faux pas gossip," jokes Vitiello, referring to her circle of fellow newcomers. But music and nightlife still reign in Asbury Park. The waterfront Convention Hall and Paramount Theatre host regular concerts, while summer music festivals and local bars and lounges cater to everyone from club kids and jazz lovers to the rocker-and-biker set. New York nightlife impresario John Dorian, of Rebar and Suite 16, is opening two restaurants, Harry's Roadhouse and 660 Cookman, next month. By day, downtown's antique shops and galleries are buzzing with shoppers. Ocean Grove offers quaint strolls and restaurants, and the beaches are clean and uncrowded. "I prefer it here because you can have the time of your life," says Gary Thomas, half of a gay Manhattan couple who traded in their Fire Island weekend share for a home of their own in Asbury. "Or you can just relax."

• Sightings Russell Crowe, James Gandolfini, Jon Bon Jovi, and the Boss himself have all been spotted at the reopened Stone Pony. And Paradise -- a sprawling gay club owned by former Madonna producer Shep Pettibone -- books the likes of Cyndi Lauper and Taylor Dane. (Still no sign of Madonna, "but you never know," Pettibone says coyly.)

• Tale of Two Beach Towns "The psychological barrier between us is definitely diminishing," insists Malcolm Navias, a New York expat who moved from Ocean Grove to Asbury Park this year. It wasn't so long ago that Ocean Grove was gated off from Asbury at night. On Sundays, Ocean Grove's beach is still closed until 12:30 p.m. and you can't buy alcohol no matter what day of the week it is. "It's nice for brunch, but I would never live there," declares Asbury newcomer Bernard Figueroa, who now commutes to Manhattan from the house he shares with his partner, Ted, and their 6-year-old son. "It's too uptight."

• Buying in Asbury "Prices have increased dramatically in just three years, but when you compare us to the surrounding towns, we're still a very good buy," explains longtime Asbury Realtor Bruce Donaldson. Houses in varying conditions -- from bungalows and Victorians to Neo-Colonials and Tudors -- go for between $125,000 and $500,000 (averaging about $225,000). Values decline as you move from the more affluent north end to the somewhat seedier southwest. Rentals are scarce, though a market is developing.

• Renting in Ocean Grove "There's not much left to buy here," says 30-year Ocean Grove real-estate veteran Arlene Fox. But rentals are more plentiful. The average three-bedroom house ranges from $750 to $2,000 per week, or $8,000 to $20,000 for the season.

• Recommended Realtors In Asbury Park, Bruce Donaldson (732-775-0655), John C. Conover (732-531-2500). In Ocean Grove, James J. Pentz (732-988-7271), Arlene Fox at Diane Turton (732-775-2774).

• Weekend Visits The best overnight options are in Ocean Grove, with its many bed-and-breakfasts (check oceangrovenj.com for listings). The newly relocated Moonstruck restaurant (opening June 2; 732-988-0123), offering Continental fare, is the place toeat out.

-- ARIC CHEN

Cape May, New Jersey
A Victorian-era time capsule down the Shore.
Cape May, the country's oldest oceanfront resort, was a vacation getaway for P. T. Barnum, Civil War generals Robert E. Lee and William Sherman, and even Abe Lincoln. After a fire destroyed most of the whaling village in 1878, it was rebuilt with Victorian gingerbread-style houses. The city was designated a national historic landmark in 1976, and the nineteenth-century charm has been preserved; slate sidewalks are lit by gaslights and surrounded by intricate plantings and flower gardens. "There's just a wonderful character about it," says one yearly visitor.

• Things To Do All of Cape May's beaches are open to the public for a small surcharge ($17 for the season, $4 for the day; children under 12 are free). The boardwalk is a little tame by Jersey Shore standards, but the one in nearby Wildwood is loaded with amusements. Grown-ups who've had their fill of the Ferris wheel can make the 30-to-45-minute trip to Atlantic City or easily fill afternoons in Cape May antiquing, bird-watching, biking, golfing, boating, or taking historic-house tours.

• Social Scene For the "cottagers," as the folks from Philadelphia, Baltimore, and D.C. who've summered in Cape May for generations are known, socializing revolves around private tennis, yacht, and beach clubs. "They do the martini cocktail-hour thing," says a New York weekender. The rest settle for leisurely dinners at 410 Bank Street or the Pelican Club, which overlooks the ocean from the penthouse of the Marquis de Lafayette.

• What's New On June 7, Congress Hall, one of the oldest hotels on the beachfront, will reopen after a three-year renovation, sporting a Tiffany-blue ballroom and a zebra-print lounge.

• Property Values The fantasy of living in a turreted Victorian home complete with cupola and gazebo is what drives the real-estate market here. "Cape May houses have to have clashing colors," says a New Yorker who visits every summer. "Bright canary yellow with hot-pink shutters. Velvet couches and crystal chandeliers. Everything has something dangling off it -- tassels and bows. It's so bizarrely flamboyant and fun." A Victorian within walking distance of the beach (few are actually on Beach Drive) will set you back at least $600,000. A single-family home on the water will be in the $1 million–$1.5 million range. During the season, most properties are rented on a weekly basis. Beachfront condos or large Victorian bungalows go for $1,250–$4,000 a week. A six-bedroom Victorian cottage within walking distance of the water goes for $4,800 a week, but $7,000 is not unheard of. A three-bedroom ranch is $2,500.

• Recommended Realtors Homestead (609-884-1888 or homsteadrealestate.net), Tolz Realty (609-884-7001 or tolzcapemay.com for sales listings only), and Manzoni Realty (609-898-8200 or manzonirealty.com).

• Weekend Visits A stay at the Chalfonte (888-411-1998 or chalfonte.com; doubles start at $135) is a classic Cape May experience: The oldest hotel in town, it has no A/C (ceiling fans and ocean breezes suffice) and few private bathrooms. Locals rave about a garden brunch at the Mad Batter (609-884-9619). For an old-school raw-bar spread, get your bib on at the Lobster House (609-884-8296), which also has a fish market and a docked schooner where guests can sip their cocktails.

-- SARAH BERNARD

Great Barrington, Massachusetts
A bucolic Berkshires town where the arts-and-leisure crowd converges.
nestled among small new england towns like Lenox and Norman Rockwell's Stockbridge, Great Barrington has been a summer retreat for sophisticated New Yorkers since the nineteenth century, when Nathaniel Hawthorne, Henry David Thoreau, Edith Wharton, and Herman Melville kick-started its evolution from mill town to arts-and-culture epicenter. But Great Barrington is still a rural town, and the most coveted second homes are often tucked away on dirt roads. "We love that we can dress down in jeans and sneakers yet still get our fill of Manhattan-worthy arts," says one weekending couple. "Some of the galleries -- and many of the restaurants -- are as good as those in the city," says another. "But minus the attitude."

• The Great Outdoors Active types hike the two-mile loop around Benedict Pond in Beartown State Forest or head just a few miles north to Monument Mountain, where a 2.6-mile climb to the summit brings you to an idyllic picnic spot with spectacular views. There's also excellent fly-fishing (Green River and Williams River are hot spots for trout and small-mouth bass), horseback riding, and boating. Benedict Pond and the Housatonic River draw canoe and kayak enthusiasts.

• Artists' Colony Hot tickets include Tanglewood, where the Boston Symphony Orchestra plays every weekend in July and August, and Jacob's Pillow, New England's most popular modern-dance festival. "There's also the Norman Rockwell Museum and great antiquing along Route 7 between Great Barrington and the Connecticut border," says one Fifth Avenue resident who's had a second home in Great Barrington for almost ten years. And there is a slew of local galleries to explore, including the Loring gallery, Joyous Spring Pottery, and Holsten Galleries, known for its large selection of Chihuly blown glass.

• Summer Gossip "Seiji Ozawa's retirement announcement was all anyone talked about last year," groans one second-home owner. "People were actually placing bets on who was going to take over the BSO!" Now that the baton has been passed to James Levine, vacationers are gossiping about who got tickets to the farewell performance and who was shut out. "It's such a touchy subject," says one lucky attendee.

• What's New Bizen, the always-packed Japanese restaurant on Railroad Street, is expanding into the space next door and will showcase owner Michael Marcus's pricey handmade pottery as well as a traditional Japanese tea ceremony. The Mahaiwe Theatre, a movie theater built in 1905, is being renovated and will house the Berkshire Opera Company. Although funding has been slow, and the company is staging only one major production this year (The Turn of the Screw), residents still think "it's going to do wonders for the town's cultural quota." Talk about an embarrassment of riches.

• Property Values Summer rentals are available in Great Barrington (ranging from $2,500 to $30,000 per month), but second homes are more common. You'll find an equal number of Victorian homes, lakeside cottages, and farmhouses; the most expensive are secluded, with large acreage and mountain views or proximity to a lake or pond. "The main draw is Tanglewood," says Dorian Held, who has been selling vacation homes to New Yorkers for almost twenty years. "Everyone wants to be within a fifteen-minute drive." Recent sales include a four-bedroom Victorian a short walk from town for $557,500; a three-bedroom contemporary with a pool on a quiet country road for $570,000; and an 1850s farm house with six bedrooms on 33 acres for $660,000.

• Recommended Realtors Dorian Held at Wheeler & Taylor Realty (413-528-1006), Apple Hill Realty (413-528-3458).

• Weekend Visits Stay at the Wainwright Inn, a modest bed-and-breakfast in a converted Victorian within walking distance of downtown (413-528-2062 or wainwrightinn.com; rooms start at $150). Book a table well in advance at Aegean Breeze, a new Greek restaurant that serves delectably fresh charcoal-grilled whole fish (413-528-4001).

-- TARA MANDY