Mule Barn Tavern Coming To Tip Of Sandy Hook

MIDDLETOWN, NJ — We are practically tripping over all the new bars opening in the Middletown area this year.

The latest news today is that a building that used to be the old mule barn at Sandy Hook’s Fort Hancock is being turned into a bar/restaurant.

This was confirmed by the National Park Service, but it was first reported in the Asbury Park Press. It will be called the Mule Barn Tavern and is aiming to open by July 4th weekend.

It will have an outdoor patio overlooking Sandy Hook Bay and will face west, so by mid-summer you can sit back with a cold drink and watch the sun set over Raritan Bay.

Locals are already saying they hope it will be a nice replacement for the Sea Gull's Nest, a beloved local watering hole inside the park that was destroyed during Superstorm Sandy and never reopened.

The National Park Service has been trying to redevelop the Officers' Row of housing at the tip of Sandy Hook for decades now. The owner of Mule Barn Tavern is leasing the property from the National Park Service; he had to put all the work and expense in of turning the old animal shed into a tavern.

This comes on the heels of this week's news that a new brewery, Ross Brewing, will open this Friday afternoon (1 p.m.) next to the Belford Seafood Co-op, and steps from the Belford ferry terminal. They will have a grand celebration party all weekend long; look for celebrity bartenders to stop by and pour beers. If you snap any good photos of celebs, send them to carly.baldwin@patch.com

Also, the abandoned Fort Monmouth Army base is trying to reawaken as a local bar/nightlife scene:

Craft brewery Birdsmouth Beer opened there this past October. They are located at 675 Oceanport Way in Oceanport.

Also, a massive new sports bar called Baseline Social is supposed to open right next door. It will be located right next to Birdsmouth Beer, but is currently still under construction.

Baseline Social is owned by three experienced Monmouth County restauranteurs, Andrea Pappas, Greg Bartz and Phil Villapiano, the owners of Deal Lake Bar + Co in Loch Harbor.

Once Baseline Social opens, it's supposed to have huge LED TVs, five virtual golf bays with full-swing technology and outdoor fire pits.

New Brewery Opens Friday In Belford Section Of Middletown