Residents head to Jersey Shore to escape heat wave in Philadelphia: "Couldn't have asked for any better weather"

It was a breezy and beautiful night at the Jersey Shore Thursday.

Many beachgoers say they came to Ocean City to escape the scorcher back home because it was way cooler at the beach.

The beach and the boardwalk were packed, and many cooled off in the ocean.

"We said, what can we do to cool off? And heard it was 15-20 degrees cooler down the shore. Here we are! The water is crisp, like an ice-cold plunge," said Deb Blevins, who is from Greensboro, North Carolina.

CBS News Philadelphia caught up with Rose and Jim Merritt. They said they just arrived on Thursday.

"It's so much cooler on the boardwalk," Rose Merritt said. "We thought we would be dying up here."

They said they are looking forward to the holiday weekend spent with family.

"Hopefully, watch the fireworks," Jim Merritt said.

Even though it's hot and humid all weekend, many people said they aren't letting that stop them from celebrating the Fourth of July. They say they are making the best of their time down the Jersey Shore.

"We will have to see how it goes," Grace Bareford said. "Getting another umbrella."

While it's no doubt a hot one across the region, the shore Thursday night was the place to be.

"We couldn't have asked for any better weather. Again great memories at the Jersey Shore," said Rob Basile, is from Swedesboro, New Jersey.