It’s officially summer, folks. ☀️
Before we jump into what you can expect from the season, here’s what we’re getting up to today:
Fee or no fee: A guide to where you will — or won’t — have to shell out to enter and enjoy Shore beaches.
Take cover: Why do some severe storms come with no warning?
A colorful mystery: A handful of wandering peacocks seem to be lost.
☂️ Your weekend weather outlook: There’s rain in the forecast, but Sunday should be clear.
— Paola Pérez (outdoorsy@inquirer.com)
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Planning a beach trip? I’m sure you considered the cost of fuel and snacks already, but be sure you’re aware of required beach badges, too. These are prepaid entrance fees for visitors.
Most beaches charge weekday and weekend rates, or offer seasonal tags, but a few of them are free. For instance, no beach tags are required at Atlantic City, Corsons Inlet State Park, North Wildwood, Sandy Hook, Strathmere, Wildwood, and Wildwood Crest.
Here’s a breakdown of the price tags for the rest of the Shore.
🌊 P.S. Be sure to check out my colleague Amy Rosenberg’s Down the Shore newsletter. From town happenings to debates about playing loud music on the sand, she’s got it all covered. Sign up here.
News worth knowing
Is it going to get super hot again? Will the drought conditions ever end? Here are some some summer solstice expectations, with El Niño and the moon as major players.
At least 10 hikers have died over the last 50 years at a popular Poconos trail. The state has begun a project to make it safer.
Peacocks were recently spotted wandering a Camden County borough. Local police don’t know where they came from.
The drought in New Jersey made it easier for wildfires to burn more than 27,000 acres in 2025. Almost all the fires were caused by the same thing.
🌳 Your outdoorsy experience
Last time, I asked you to tell me where you go for a moment of calm. Bonnie Zetick wrote in with her pick, the Winterthur Museum, Garden & Library:
Winterthur! Calm, something different blooming every time you go, trails or tram to get around.
When I was working, if I had half a day off, let alone a whole day, I would head to Winterthur on Route 52 near Wilmington, Del. Winterthur now has a self-guided museum of the American Decorative Arts, permanent as well as temporary exhibits so always something to see that I’ve never seen before. Then you have the gardens! Lovingly developed and planned by Henry Francis du Pont, you will see spectacular colors, birds you may never have seen before, seasonal displays of azaleas (think Mother’s Day), mums, the house of 175 rooms (not all accessible to the public) dressed up for Yuletide, trees, some of which are very old — all lovingly cared for by knowledgeable, courteous, and committed staff. Winterthur also plays a leadership role in conservation, the latest techniques for care of these gardens, and research in their stewardship of this beautiful place. I love Winterthur!
Thanks for sharing, Bonnie. I love that they also publish seasonal playlists on Spotify.
📧 What are you enjoying out there? This is your spot to shine. Send your special stories and moments in an email — with a picture, if you have one. You may see it featured here.
🎤 Now we’re passing the microphone to Tony Wood, our resident expert on all things about the atmosphere.
Never in the history of meteorology have so many been so warned so often about severe weather.
Yet so many of those cardiac-challenging smartphone alerts and fireball images on laptops and TV screens appear to evaporate without incident.
In other cases, flooding downpours and damaging winds show up hours later than forecasts had suggested.
And atmospheric mayhem has been known to occur with little or no notice.
The short answer is, the science has limits, and so do the humans. — Tony Wood
It’s all in Wood’s report. Discover the challenges and intricacies of weather forecasting in our area.
Paola’s picks
☀️ A song: “Weather Instrument” by Starcleaner Reunion.
❤️ An appreciation post: “The beautiful and mighty Wissahickon.”
🐦 A good read: Unlikely birds with Tom Pluck.
🍿 An activity: Watch Hoppers at Thomas Stokley Playground (Friday, free), and stop by City Tavern’s reopened garden.
🦟 A lifehack: How mosquito experts protect themselves in the summer.
A sparkling view
👋🏽 This newsletter is taking a break in observance of the Fourth of July. Rest assured, we will be back July 10. Until then, have fun and be safe out there.
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