Good beaches nearby?

[rainbow-spork.livejournal.com]

Pardon me if this has been asked/discussed before, but I can't figure out which tag it would be labeled under. Can anyone recommend one of the beaches nearby? I have a car, but I'd rather it would be less than an hour's drive. Half-hour would be better.

Comments

[modlin.livejournal.com]

Crane Beach is almost an hour (near Ipswich), but it's one of my favorite places ever.

[ron_newman]

Singing Beach, Manchester-by-the-Sea
Lynn/Nahant Beach

[wishful-knicker.livejournal.com]

seconded on crane's-- While singing beach is awesome, isn't there zero parking for non-residents?

And Lynn/Nahant beach is known for being very polluted and allowing waste dumping that other beaches do not (from boats)-- This is all according to internets who who knows how reliable it is? Anyone have better references than mine?

[warlord-mit.livejournal.com]

I third crane's beach. It's probably the most beautiful sand beach in the state.

[thismightbejess.livejournal.com]

I am ridiculously pleased that everybody loves Crane's Beach! (I grew up in Ipswich, so I take this personally.)

Both Wingaersheek and Good Harbor are lovely beaches as well, but small, so on nice weekend days they can be very crowded. Crane's also becomes mobbed--but it is 5 miles long. If you walk far enough, you'll find some space.

[clevernonsense.livejournal.com]

for singing beach, there's some street parking that's open to non-residents, but the better option would be to just take commuter rail, which can get you there pretty quickly

[rebeccacceber.livejournal.com]

even if you take the commuter rail, you still have to pay $5 to enter the beach.

[icecreamempress.livejournal.com]

Yes. But it's still easier than parking, and the commuter rail + admission is cheaper than many parking fees alone.

[offroadpath.livejournal.com]

Nahant Beach is my go-to... clean, close-by, relatively pretty, and cheap parking ($3 weekdays -- it might be $5 on the weekends now). On hot days/weekends it starts getting crowded around 11am.

Crane and Good Harbor are awesome, but the parking fees are high ($20-25). Not bad if you can split it among a carload of folks, tho'.

[grapefruiteater.livejournal.com]

I don't know about Crane, but at Good Harbor, the rate goes down later in the day. We got there after 4:00 pm a few Sundays ago, and it was $15 instead of the usual $25.

An aside: It's highway robbery what towns charge for beaches around here. Massachusetts needs more state parks on the ocean. Jones Beach and the Fire Island beaches work that way, and they're much cheaper—I think Robert Moses costs $8 per car in the summer and is free after 6:00 pm and during much of the offseason.

[eclecticavatar.livejournal.com]

If you're not opposed to freshwater ponds/lakes, Walden is actually really nice. It can be just as crowded as any of the ocean beaches on hot summer days, but it's nearby and the water and beaches are kept very clean for swimmers.

There's a $5 fee to get in, as it's a state park, I believe.

I also recommend "Pleasure Bay" which is in Southie near Castle Island. Easy to get to via public transportation and beautifully maintained.

[artguychris.livejournal.com]

The water level at Walden is REALLY high after all the rain and the water has encroached into a good chunk of the beach real estate. I went a few weeks ago and the main beach area was pretty crowded.

If you've been before, the water was about 3 feet up the retaining wall to the left of the main beach. There's usually a narrow strip there for people to sit.

Local beaches

[pch1.livejournal.com]

Try Kings beach up in Swampscott. It's on the other side of the rotary from Nahant beach. You can park on the street next to the beach,and best of all it's free!

Re: Local beaches

[rainbow-spork.livejournal.com]

Thanks, Kings is where we ended up going! We were only planning to spend a few hours at the beach anyway, so it was perfect.

[emcicle.livejournal.com]

it's a hike, but salsbury beach has nice waves and a little arcade/board walk area.... haven't been in awhile, don't know what parking costs. and can't remember the name of the town its in... it's up near haverhill, on the NH border.

[emcicle.livejournal.com]

ah, there you go, it's Salisbury beach, and you can find out more about it at salisbury-beach.org

[ron_newman]

The beach may be nice but I always find the adjoining commercial district to be really run-down and depressing. The only saving grace is the array of pinball and video games.

[rebeccacceber.livejournal.com]

my personal favorite is Wingaersheek in Gloucester. It's pretty far though, Nahant is much closer. Nahant is pretty nice but not as quite as nice as Gloucester but you can still have a pretty awesome beach experience. I've also had some good times at Revere beach which is literally across the street from the T and free. The few times I've been there I haven't really noticed more trash then other beaches where there are tons of people, and in fact there might be still some awesome sand sculptures there left from the competition in July.

[duffless2323.livejournal.com]

While Nahant is in theory only half and hour away, it takes me well over an hour to get there due to beach traffic. I have found my favorite beach is Horse Neck, in Newport Point, MA. It's a bit over an hour away, however since it's mostly 95 and Route 24, the is little weekend traffic, plus it's cheap to park, amazing waves and dunes. I find it much nicer, warmer etc than other nice beaches like Cranes and way less money, I think it's 5 bucks to park.

[ron_newman]

Google Maps does not know of a place called Newport Point, MA. Can you link a map showing this place? Thanks.

[duffless2323.livejournal.com]

sorry, it's Westport Point, MA

[rumpleteasah.livejournal.com]

I'm going to say that while I was living in Revere, the beach was pretty much the ONLY positive. Take that as you will.

while on the topic of beaches (Ipswich Essex Explorer)

[mamabunny72.livejournal.com]

^ I heard/read about this shuttle service to Ipswich, departs from North Station on weekends and holidays until early September: http://www.ipswichessexexplorer.com/

[entrochan.livejournal.com]

For something really close, try Winthrop.

For something really nice, try Plum Island.

Two More...

[sundaisy-summer.livejournal.com]

I second Walden! It's about half an hour from Davis and really nice! On hot, hot days and weekends it gets a little crowded (and you may have to wait to get in), but once you are in, you can move from the busier beaches to one of the quieter spots. They strive to maintain the ecosystem, so it appears to be a nice clean beach and even on the crowded days is nice!

Another freshwater beach a little further away is Cochichuate State Park in Natick. That is about a forty-five minute drive from Davis. In addition to the beach, there is a full-service canoe/kayak rental place at this park.

Someone else mentioned it, but there is a $5 park entrance fee. For frequent flyers, a $35 pass gets you in to state parks all across MA all summer. Some libraries also have passes.

Happy Beaching!

[purpless77.livejournal.com]

The beaches suggested are all awesome. But are probably further away then what you're looking for. I second Revere, Winthrop and Walden pond as great nearby options. I also wanted to add a few other suggestions. People have varying opinions on them but since I was a kid I've gone to Sandy beach in Winchester. It's on the upper Mystic lakes near Arlington. Another option is the Arlington Reservoir, there are also the harbor beaches, etc.
http://www.town.arlington.ma.us/public_documents/arlingtonma_recreation/res

You might want to check out the MDC site.
This is for Saltwater beaches.
http://www.mass.gov/dcr/recreate/oceanSwim.htm

This one is for Fresh Water beaches.
http://www.mass.gov/dcr/recreate/inlandSwim.htm

This is the info to the DCR beach hotline,
http://www.mass.gov/dcr/waterQuality.htm

For water quality reports.
http://mass.digitalhealthdepartment.com/public_21/beaches.cfm

Hope this was of some help.

[ron_newman]

The tag is not ideal, but I put it under 'parks'.

parking fees

[el-cubano-15.livejournal.com]

Does anyone know why these towns with beaches charge so much for parking? I find the charges at Singing Beach to be especially outrageous. $5 to enter the beach? What the hell is that?

Re: parking fees

[rainbow-spork.livejournal.com]

I assume it's so that they have money to do things like keep the beach clean, and fund other municipal entities that make the town a nice place to visit. As one of my friends so eloquently said in a related conversation earlier this evening, it's not like it's being spent on hookers and blow.