New England's Top 10 Beaches

Sandy Shores at Block Island Beach, RI 1

New England’s beaches are not only plentiful, but beautiful, which is hardly a problem unless trying to make a top 10 list. Visitors and locals are spoiled for choice. Beaches range from wind-swept, rugged coastlines to sugar-sand beaches with entire towns built up around them. WorldWeb.com’s top 10 selection of New England beaches looks at the best of both worlds.

OLD ORCHARD BEACH, ME

Old Orchard Beach is comprised of a long stretch of Maine’s south-western coast. A popular hot spot for tourists for over 100 years, it's much more than its 7 mi (11 km) of sandy beach. A 500-ft (152-m) pier and boardwalk jut out toward the vast blueness of the ocean. And if that isn’t interesting enough, an amusement park exists to entertain visitors.

	The Pier at Old Orchard Beach 2

Old Orchard Beach is also a town of the same name, with most businesses being built around its namesake. As though they were washed up from the sea, boutiques and bistros dot the surrounding landscape, along with arcades, amusement rides, galleries, souvenir shops, fast food restaurants and accommodation options galore. This is a classic American seaside town that allows its visitors to relive their childhood, and a place to set new family-holiday traditions.

COAST GUARD BEACH, ME

Also in Maine, Coast Guard Beach offers a very different experience from Old Orchard Beach. Part of the Cape Cod National Seashore, the beach’s protected landscape encompasses 40 mi (64 km) of sand beach, cliffs, marshes and ponds. Its rugged, natural vista includes course sand piled up in undulating dunes that spill into the ocean, creating a wild and breathtaking site, perhaps best described in the 1800s by Henry David Thoreau: “A man may stand there and put all America behind him.”

The beach can be accessed at Eastham. Its water is cold, but it has waves big enough to satisfy boogie boarders. Explore the area by taking a walking tour guided by a park ranger, or simply enjoy the quiet, serene beach.

OCEAN BEACH PARK, CT

Boasting sugar-sand beaches, Ocean Beach Park is New London’s sweet spot. More of a park than a beach, admission is charged to get into the beach grounds. Along with the obligatory sun-basking, visitors can partake of mini-golf, a swimming pool, waterslide, nature trails, picnic areas, a playground, amusement rides, an arcade, state-of-the-art health club and sidewalk café. Events occur throughout the summer and include a classic car parade, magic show and live music.

The Red Cliffs at Aquinnah Beach3

AQUINNAH BEACH, MA

Located in Nantucket, Aquinnah Beach’s majesty is owed to her famous cliffs comprised of varying shades of red clay and providing a dramatic contrast to the backdrop of an ultramarine sky. Formerly named Gay Head by 17th-century British sailors, and more recently known as Moshup Beach, the area has now been re-instated with its original First Nations moniker. The cliffs are protected as is the surrounding clay that can be found on the public beach in clay pits and are thus off limits except to the local Wampanoag band. The public beach here is sandy with some rocky outcroppings. While nude bathing is not permitted on the island, that is not so evident here. Visitors can avert their eyes by looking upward to the historic Gay Head Lighthouse, built in 1844 to keep watch over the Devil’s Bridge shoals.

SILVER SANDS STATE PARK, CT

It’s difficult to imagine that people would choose such a beautiful site to dump their garbage, but this area now preserved as the Silver Sands State Park was a landfill until 1977. Restored to its natural glory, this Milford beach can be accessed by way of a 200-ft (61-m) boardwalk from the parking lot to an expansive stretch of flat, sandy land.

	The Beach at Waterfront Park 4

Its highlight is

CARSON BEACH, MA

Carson Beach undulates for 3 mi (5 km) of south Boston’s shoreline. Accessible by subway, its easy access contributes to its popularity with locals. A rehabilitation of the area bestowed the beach new sand along with architectural and landscaping improvements, which include shade shelters, benches and a fishing pier. A walkway, which stretches from Castle Island to the Kennedy Library, runs along the water’s edge making for an ideal walking and biking trail. The Edward J. McCormack Bathhouse offers change rooms, toilets, drinking fountains, chess tables and even bocce ball courts.

WATERFRONT PARK LAKE, VT

Burlington hugs Lake Champlain, an expansive body of water of nearly oceanic proportions and with depths that are equally mysterious. Below its surface lurks the maybe-mythical water creature, Champ, along with shipwrecks, one of which being a 54-ft (17-m) gunboat commanded by Benedict Arnold during the Revolutionary War. Waterfront Park is a starting point for divers who want to explore its depths, or for sailors who simply want to fish or float. Also located here, the Burlington Community Boathouse is a full-service marina, housing a café, and a place to register for diving and sailing charters. Shops, boutiques, restaurants and bike paths all surround the area. Those looking for sand frolicking can find it nearby at North Beach, Leddy Park and Oakledge Park.

HAMPTON BEACH, NH

Having some of the country’s cleanest waters is reason enough to visit Hampton Beach. Popular with tourists for over 100 years, the area is seeing revitalization with the Hampton Beach State Park Redevelopment Project. Complementing the beach is the village of the same name, comprised of galleries, gift shops, boutiques, bistros, ice cream parlors and seemingly endless accommodation options making it the quintessential beach town. It’s entertainment central down at the beach as well, with events like the Sand Sculpture Competition, Annual Seafood Festival, Catamaran Regatta plus 80 free evening concerts throughout the summer and fireworks every week.

CRESCENT BEACH, RI

Located 13 mi (21 km) off the coast of Rhode Island is Block Island, a small, pork-chop-shaped parcel of land with big appeal. It has 17 mi (27 km) of useable shoreline, affording it with an array of beaches, each one suitable for different activities. Crescent Beach is of the sandy variety, making it perfect for land lubbers, while water babies can enjoy the shallow tide pools with a lifeguard on duty. Best of all, it is a relatively quiet escape away from the madding Rhode Island crowd. Take a day trip to Block Island by ferry or stay a while in the island’s one and only town, New Shoreham.

	Narragansett Town Beach 5

NARRAGANSETT TOWN BEACH, RI

Rhode Island has no shortage of beaches, but Narragansett Town Beach stands out due to its superb surfing opportunities. While bigger waves are found in the winter months, the summer offers a good opportunity for beginners. The half-mile of public beach serves the crowd with amenities like lifeguards, restrooms, first aid, food concessions and cabana rentals—making the beach experience comfortable and hassle-free. The town is further served by plenty of accommodations, restaurants, attractions and recreational activities.


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