It was as if the crowds just couldn't get enough of being at the Shore. As the sun set, people flocked to the Boardwalk here in Ocean City.
At Prep's pizza, the pies were flying, as hungry customers indulged the traditional boardwalk dinner.
"It's the right thing to do, my daughter wanted to come down, we brought a couple of friends and now we're having pizza," said Charles Heintz.
And what's a night at the shore without ice cream? Kohr's custard was one of many dessert spots where the lines were long, but the customers were happy.
"The best way to start off the Memorial Day weekend and kick off to the summer," said Toby Tomlinson.
"It was perfect. Just a perfect day," said Lorie Smith.
After dinner, some people went shopping, as many others walked the boards, and hundreds, especially families with children, hit Playland's Castaway Cove.
There were friendly games of Skeeball, daring thrill rides, and more sedate trips on the train.
But the parents watching their son play arcade games, and the grandparents watching their granddaughter ride the merry-go-round, all agreed that holiday weekends like this make for great family memories.
"It's all about the kids," says Andrew Fisher. "The rides the video games, walking the boardwalk and the beach, you just can't beat it."
"Just to see them grow up and enjoy the shore just like we did when we were young," said Charlie Satterfield, who now comes with his kids and grandchildren.
While some folks head home, everyone is hoping for another picture perfect day at the shore on Sunday.
Earlier in the day, people grabbed their umbrellas, chairs and towels to stake out a great spot on the sand for the day.
It was the perfect start of the long holiday weekend at the Jersey Shore with lots of people on the beach in Ventnor, catching some final rays.
For as far as the eye could see along the beaches of the Jersey shore, people were out doing just what they have been hoping to do Memorial Day weekend all through the cold winter and wet spring months; catching rays, digging in the sand, surfing and playing in the waves.
"This is fabulous. You know every year you just wait for this weekend and it couldn't be better than this," says Taylor Quigg. "The kids are having a good time, we're going in the water, we're getting ice cream, we're making sandcastles, and we're having a great time."
In Ventnor, grilling is allowed on the beach over the holiday weekend, and Kevin Huntsinger was taking full advantage, barbecuing hamburgers for his kids, nieces and nephews and extended family.
"It's great grilling on the beach. It's awesome," said Huntsinger. "It's the best thing that Ventnor ever did was to let us grill on the beach. It's beautiful out here, a beautiful day. Everybody comes down here to hang out in Ventnor."
And of course, the beach always has a magical attraction for kids.
"We've been finding crabs," says Jordyn Harris. "We got like a bunch."
And the kids never seem to mind the cold temperature of the ocean.
"It's not so bad once you get used to it," Jordyn said.
That was also the assessment of almost four-year-old boogie boarder Allie Zwerling agreed with, even though she's a girl of few words.