Less than ideal weather on Friday and Monday of Fourth of July weekend didn't keep visitors away from the Jersey Shore during the holiday weekend.
Despite less than ideal weather conditions on Friday and Monday evening of Fourth of July weekend this year, shore towns were busy with large crowds and steady business throughout the weekend.
"Friday was bad for us because of the weather, but the other days were a lot busier than normal," Avi Erdi, of Shoreline Apparel on the Seaside Heights Boardwalk, said Monday morning as crowds were starting to pack the beaches and boardwalk.
"The weather was perfect for us the other days, people are buying a lot of stuff for the beach," Erdi added. "So it's been a good weekend for us so far."
At Gracie and the Dudes Homemade Ice Cream at Pier Village in Long Branch, workers said the popular ice cream shop was extremely busy throughout the weekend - even before the city's annual Oceanfest celebration brought hundreds of thousands of visitors to the Long Branch area on Monday.
"There was a non-stop rush for a good three hours on Sunday, it was very busy," Emily Schneider, an employee at Gracie and the Dudes, said on Monday. "Overall, we've been very busy this summer, it's been insane. And today, I've seen steady flow of traffic heading to the beach and we'll be open until 11 p.m. tonight for the fireworks, so I have high hopes."
Englewood resident Rachelle Sussan brought her young children - Sophie, 3, and Abraham, 1 - to the beach in Long Branch on Sunday and then again on Monday.
"It's relaxing here, and they enjoy getting to spend the whole day on the beach," Sussan said.
Traffic heading away from the shore remained heavy on Tuesday morning, as northbound traffic on the Garden State Parkway and Route 35 in Ocean County had moderate delays as of 10 a.m.
It was that way most of the weekend, as the crowds arrived early Saturday morning and either stayed throughout the holiday weekend or kept returning each day.
"Fourth of July weekend is time for celebration, so you want to be with your friends," said North Brunswick resident Jackie Jefferys, 28, told NJ Advance Media while on the beach in Asbury Park with a group of friends on Saturday.
Rob Spahr may be reached at rspahr@njadvancemedia.com. Follow him on Twitter @TheRobSpahr. Find NJ.com on Facebook.