Long Branch summers are full ones — Pier Village crowds, Seven Presidents Oceanfront Park beach days, boardwalk evenings that run long. When the day winds down and the family votes for ice cream, locals know the homemade stuff is a short drive inland.
Ryan's sits on Route 35 in Oakhurst, about fifteen minutes from the Long Branch oceanfront. It's the difference between grabbing a cone somewhere and making a stop that's part of the tradition — a family-owned counter where the ice cream is made fresh in small batches.
Why Long Branch makes the trip
The board runs two dozen homemade flavors deep, plus milkshakes, Italian ice, and 100% dairy-free Dole soft serve — enough range to settle any back-seat debate on the ride over.
Long Branch celebrates hard, and we keep up: custom ice cream cakes for birthdays and graduations (48 hours' notice), gift cards for teachers and neighbors, and quarts for the freezer at the Shore house.