Constitution Beach

dden gem! Such a peaceful spot to unwind while watching planes take off and land — perfect for anyone who loves great views and a bit of quiet time.

Wonderful beach! Has a nice cafe with tons of food,very affordable, great up close view of the planes taking off which is awesome! We even got lucky with free kayaking!!!! 😀Yes it’s a little rocky to get to the water. But worth it!

How I've never been here before is a shame!!! Great, clean beach. Not crowded at all. Benches and a little snack shack. We went because my son loves watching the planes. We usually catch the view in Winthrop but they had changed flight patterns so came here! The view was perfect!! We found our new spot!

I call Constitution Beach my work office. When I get behind in work emails or work tasks, I use their parking lot, open my laptop and try to catch up with some of my work. It’s peaceful and I can watch the planes taking off from Logan.

Pleasant beach spot directly off the Blue Line T Orient Heights stop. There’s a bath house / restrooms, a playground, beautiful trees. It’s across from the airport runway and next to the Belle Isle Marsh.

Great for a day trip. I loved looking at the planes take off so close to Logan Airport and the kids enjoyed seeing the train nearby too. There's a large playground, kayaking and space to bike ride and walk with excellent scenery. The sand is very rocky so bring your water shoes!!!

Nice small beach for a good walk 🚶‍♂️or sunbathing ⛱. There are a few playgrounds where you can play basketball and other games 🏀 as well as playgrounds for kids and plenty of space for having a picnic 🌭on the grass is you don't like the sand. It's adjucent to the airport so it can be loud sonetimes ✈️

All that you expect from an awesome beach. Enough parking, kids play area, grassy areas, picnic tables, seats, bathrooms, snack shop and if you cross the blue bridge you can get to Dunkin Donuts. Also accessible by the blue line. To top it all it’s free.

I've lived in downtown, Boston for 14 years... How have I never been to Constitution Beach?!? The only reason I didn't give it five stars is the sharp, rocky sand... So, bring water shoes to go swimming. This is definitely one of "Boston's hidden gems" because no one ever told me about it... and there was hardly anyone here at all on this hot, August weekend. I had a relaxing day, soaking up the sun, and watching the planes take off from Logan airport across the water. THE DEAL: Boston's Constitution Beach offers free, fun in the sun for the whole family, and it's only a quick 20 minute drive from downtown!

I absolutely love this beach! It's conveniently located with super easy parking. There is a great snack shack on sight and prices are reasonable. Bathrooms and showers are also right there! There's a children's playground and outdoor showers as well!!! This beach appears to be dog friendly. There are also free kayaks available (seasonally) with no time limit! I highly recommend this awesome summer spot. It is also great for a walk in the cooler seasons!

1st time visiting this area and decided to check out the beach here . Was nervous that on a hot July Saturday sunny afternoon that beach would be crowded and would be difficult finding parking. To our surprise there was ample free parking in the beach parking lot that runs the length of the horseshoe shaped beach. What a great view of the Boston-Logan Airport runway that sits just across the bay from the beach. Nice beach pavilion with beach facilities and food concession facilities. Pretty well kept beach with such a great view for a aviation buff like me. Relaxing enjoying sitting on a quiet beach and hearing the rumble of jet engines , smelling the jet A exhaust and watching the many planes landing and taking off.

Constitution beach accessible from Bennington St., East Boston via a large staircase or ramp. For a small beach in the city you can't ask for more. Accessible by bus train walking or automobile. Great place to let your dog run during the winter months. Awesome little local beach give it a thought next summer.

3.5* Constitution beach is a pretty decent spot considering it's accessible by public transit. It is arguably cleaner / nicer than Revere and much more convenient to access compared to Pleasure Bay. That being said, the sand is a bit grotty and rough, the water can be cleaner and the view of the airport leaves much to be desired. Breaking it down: Pros: - transit accessible - relatively clean - life guards around - decent parking situation - no Green heads (local flies found in North Shore beaches) Cons:- sub-par sand - airport view (and sound) Overall this is still the best city beach and worth a visit on the days where getting out of town is too much trouble.

Went this past week & due to Summer approaching the concessions & Bathroom were actually open... The bathroom here was actually cleaner than my bathroom at home... I posted pics.... It was just unusually clean for a public bathroom on the beach... But I cant assume it would look that way in the height of summer beach going... The food stand was suprisingly cheap, we only got the boys little ice cream things but the menu was up (posted pics of that too)... and it was very affordable... My only thing is my son isnt aware yet that you actually have to SIT when going down a slide (hes 22 months) so he just walks down all the slides & causes me to gasp quite often, I think next year I will enjoy the park alot more, but the beach & the grounds are completely wonderful!

Living next to a beach is a true joy. Especially after work on a hot summer day. Nothing feels better than jumping in not some cool water after a sweaty day at the grind. It's never busy here plus there is ample parking for tons of people. Their are a few places to eat, wash off & just chill. Summertime activities go beyond just dipping your toes in the water, like kayaking. This place is truly unique in the fact that it faces one of the runways of Logan International Airport, so their is a constant hum of airplane engines. It's jarring at first but you get used to it. In the wintertime people can be found walking their dogs, themselves or taking in the view of the City of Boston. There is also a public ice skating rink on the grounds for some added fun. There is also a path that goes all the way to Piers Park which is perfect for walking or cycling.

Constitution Beach is not well known and could be called a "Hidden gem". Sand, grass, beautiful willow trees, picnic tables, play area for kids, snack concession, lots of free parking, even restrooms, this place has it all. I have never seen it overly crowded even on warm summer weekend afternoons. The best part for kids is seeing the planes taking off and landing on the other side of the water. It's definitely a city beach with Blue Line trains passing by, a Dunkin Donuts and Burger King a short distance away on Bennington Street. Despite its proximity to the city and the airport, the water seems quite clean and there are lifeguards on duty, Overall this is a great place to have a picnic or sit on a bench and watch the planes. For those without cars, it is a short walk from Orient Heights Station.

I am so sick of some of the people on YELP who are complete MORONIC IDIOTS. .(yes I'm a Masshole, Deal with it) =) I'm being frank and honest, like most Massholes =) Again (Deal with it) (or move) =) (one lest Cahh...on the road...) Anyway....back to my review.....\ Constitution beach is not Hampton beach , Salisbury Beach , Horseneck beach, or Singing Beach or Good harbor beach. It never will be. It is a CITY / URBAN beach. That said its not going to be full of services and other things like other beaches.. What it is is it is convenient to the city about 10 min train ride from Boston , even less from Eastie.. - walkable now via the rail trail or bikeable.... What it is is pleasant. You have a place you can bring the family for a picnic lunch by the water or walk to it via the East Boston Greenway. It has open green space for the city of East Boston. You have a great view of planes to take off if you're watching someone leave from the airport or arrive its fun to try to see their plane come in or take off. use www.liveatc.net (KBOS) and make sure you have flash player installed. or (windows media player). and then use www.flightradar24.com to monitor the plane route.) You have quick easy access via a pedestrian bridge over to the other side of Bennington st where they have ROYAL ROAST BEEF and seafood, a great stop for lunch/dinner and the ice cream place right there and a BK (Burger King). You have a little snack shack on the beach itself. You have a great place to fly kites on winy days. (just be mindful of the planes landing) You have a great photo op spot. you have a playground for the kids. You have an Ice Rink right there for the neighborhood. You are a five min walk from Orient heights station. You have free Day parking at the beach. You have a great community gathering spot. Sure there are some issues with glass and other things on the beach but that should be solved by wearing sandals or beach shoes.. I'd recommend those at any beach these days with the needle issue and opioid epidemic never hurts to be safe. beach shoes should be the norm these days or waterproof sandals esp if you have children You guys know its an urban beach so you shold take precautions. Anyway stop bashing the beach its a good place and I've always had a blast there. It actually gets quite crowded in the summertime. oh and don't swim across to the airport side of the bay or past the ropes.

How about a pro con list? Pro: 1. Calm Waters 2. Amazing view of the Airplanes taking off and landing at Logan. 3. Great multi-age playground with what looked like handicapped friendly swings and ramps. 4. Concessions - $ Cash only. (ATM is barley a 5 min walk away.) 5. Very receptive lifeguard staff. - early in our visit a lifeguard waded out to my children and I to let us know t be water tested positive for bacteria that morning and we were at risk if we kept swimming. (This is a common thing in water supplies and a short time layer after the water was retested it was cleared). Point here is the diligence the lifeguards took to speak to every person on the beach. 6. Not crowded at all. 7. Showers to un-grime. 8. Shade and picnic tables. 9. Nice sand without scary public health hazards. 10. Perfect for children learning how to swim, felt more like a lake than the ocean. Con: 1. ...I can't think of one. Or two Or any. :)

This place looks really nice these days. I'm impressed. This "back to the beaches" program the city/state is doing might actually be working....? There is a decent sized park, some bathrooms, a concession stand, and it's easily accessible by car or T, Orient Heights stop. I don't have a kid, but if I did I'd probably bring it here, and watch some planes, and dip our feet in the water, ecc. Plus... if you've made it this far, you get to eat from Santarpio's, which makes it THAT much better!

While I personally don't have any use for this beach...if you are looking for a closeby one and live in East Boston, this is perfect. If you want to do some amaaazzzing plane watching, this is your place, baby! There is plenty of parking, is easy to get to by car and subway. If taking the T get off at orient heights and walk over, its very close. If you get hungry there is a Burger King and Royal Roast Beef across the street (directly) and a few other places so its a very convenient place. I feel like this is a nice date place because of the plane watching and convenience, thats just me so whatev. Enjoy.

Great little city beach. Let's get this straight, I'm not saying this is a five-star beach the way Siesta Key in Florida is. This isn't the French Riviera. I'm rating t five stars for what it is, a little city beach. You're not coming all day, just for an hour or two, maybe a picnic. And for that, it's perfect. My kids (okay me too) loved catching the little critters, hermit crabs, rock crabs, razor clams, and even a few other guys. You can't swim past the knee-deep line, but I don't think I would anyhow. It's not the cleanest. But that's not an expectation at a beach like this. Here's why five stars: * 10-minute subway ride from the city, five minute walk from the T station, so convenient (and no parking worries) * tons of shells and critters to be found, my daughter was in heaven * watch planes take off and land right across the way, so fun! * pretty little beach, beautiful for picnic, chillin, or a little wading * doesn't have to be an all-day ordeal with packing tons of shit to camp on the beach all day, just hit it for a couple hours and then zip back to boston And do yourself a favor, after you're done go hit up royal roast beef across the street for a fantastic fish sandwich.

Not a bad beach...friendly people and free parking. Good place to cool off and catch a few rays.

Great parking, convenient to Boston, new(ish) bathrooms, a variety of concessions, clean beach, calm water...so why does Constitution Beach only get three stars? Because if you go at low tide, you've got about twenty feet of water before you hit the signs saying NO SWIMMING PAST THIS POINT. Shame on us for not checking the tide charts before we left, but gosh, was it ever a drag to head out for a beach day and only get water up to our calves. I'm going to try and go back when the water is higher - it seems like a place worth checking out, and for how close to town it is, it's worth the drive.

Constitution Beach = Free. But you know what's not free? The band-aids and bottle of Bactine I picked up at Star Market after visiting to tend to the massive cut on my foot I somehow received in the sand at said beach. At low tide the water is murky at best, the sand is muddy, and there are also some sharp thingies in the sand-- mostly shells, I think (hope), but still...ow! Yes, I guess the calm and relatively warm waters are a plus, and the view of the planes makes the Flight Aware Game fun if you have a cell phone...but this beach just isn't for me. In my opinion, it's worth it to take the T a few more stops to the comparably rollicking Revere, which remains my favorite Blue Line beach. *I do award an extra star for the clean bathroom facilities, foot wash, and cool footbridge to Bennington Street. The playground area would also be very fun, were I a kid.

As a general rule, I am not fond of the beach. Yes, I grew up in Rhode Island and spent much of my childhood on the various islands throughout the state. My parents used to drag me on their boat each weekend and drive around the harbors, then stop in the sandbars and so we could all get out and dig for quahogs. But I did not enjoy those activities. In fact, I often cried because I hated them so much. I just don't really care for the beach. I don't like the sand, I don't like the creatures, I don't like the rocks, I don't like the gross taste of the water, I don't like the prospect of being dragged to my death by vengeful currents. I hadn't been swimming in the ocean in perhaps five or more years. And I was ok with that. But I DID want to get a swim in before my summer vacation came to a close, and since the days were winding down, and since I had no pool or freshwater swimming prospects in sight, and since my friends from Germany were here and they wanted to swim in an American ocean, the stars aligned and I agreed to suck it up, don my suit, and hit the beach. Constitution Beach. It may not be as sandy and picturesque as the beaches where I grew up, but that's part of its charm. It's smaller and less crowded than the other surrounding beaches, and it has free parking. This may have been a turning point in my life. I don't know if I ever enjoyed swimming in the ocean as much as I enjoyed swimming in the ocean on that day. Something about it just felt so...right. And refreshing. It may have helped that they have ropes in the water delineating the swimming zones, so it didn't seem so scary to me. I'm not sure. But it was great. In fact, I was the last one to get out of the water! Combine this swimming trip with a little takeout pizza from Santarpio's and it turned out to be the perfect summer day in New England.

This beach is getting a bad wrap, but it's really nice! Parking that is free. A minute or two walk from car to beach. Lifeguards who were working their asses off. A snack bar, with Ritchie's Slush! A great view of Eastie homes and Logan Airport. Water that is clean, not very rocky, very salty. I found this place refreshing. Yeah, I guess there are some trashy folk here but most beaches I go to always have some trashy people. I will be back here a lot -- make sure to check out some great East Boston restaurants too while you are here!

Located on the heels of Orient Heights, easy access from the T and ample parking as long as it does not get too busy. No waves as it is on the flip side of the bay from their airport ... water tends to be a bit warmer here than other beaches. Cool to look at the jets landing and taking off though the noise can be a bit too much. Beware of the trashy families that come here though, they don't hesitate to drop the f-bomb or yell nasty words at their rug rats. These people not only litter but throw their cigarette butts into the sand without putting them out ... these people love living by their stereo-type, they are the reason Walmarts, fastfood joints and tobacco companies are still around. ;-) A solid beach all around, outside showers and decent looking bath rooms ... limited snack bar is always under staffed and out of items. I would give it four stars if the trashy locals did not come here.

I'm skatin' out to Eastie. Game mode: Beastie. Blue Line stand up! your shiny seats tends to ease me. Meetin' up shorty cause her booty's like a bubble, She's a cop, I'm a robber and she's lookin' for some trouble. This cutie is a hard knock local, and she's thorough. She likes to tell it how it is, especially when I'm in her borough. She never gets upset when I light up the stinky. Always down to burn, for this rhyme I'll call her 'Pinky'. I tend to blow some sticky and catch the Sox on a Monday, but instead I'm in the sand reppin' Eastie by the runway. Quite a hip scene watchin' planes take flight. Even better at night, with some super 'get right'. It's a manmade gem and it's kinda hard to reach. Just find direction and be rewarded by the Constitution Beach. *BeanTowns FinesT*

Constitution beach pales (shivers and is forgotten) compared to most beaches I've been to. It's a quaint strip of sand with easy access from bmta. The place seems to draw few people. The day on which a friend and I ventured to Constitution beach was markedly cooler than other recent days. When we arrived and realized how surprisingly close to the airport it was, we decided... we'd rather not test out how cold the water was. With planes departing and landing overhead, airport staff refueling not very far away, it just did not seem like a desirable thing to do. The sand is clean, and somewhere close there must be ice cream. We heard children begging to get some before going home. But the area is not particularly inviting to beach-going pedestrians.

My husband and I took our dog for a walk on the path. There's lots of grassy areas your dog can walk on decent length path. Food kiosks, outside showers and bathrooms. They have benches and a parking lot.

I cheated on M Street Beach to come to Constitution Beach with a friend. She was heading this way based on a recommendation from a coworker. It's only a quick walk from the Orient Heights stop, but I didn't see any signs to show what direction to go. I asked a few walkers, but had to use a few of my Spanish vocab words to get by. -Overall clean. I didn't see any garbage rolling around, nothing gross in the sand. The water wasn't see through, but I didn't see anything that made me not want to stick my toes in. -Small cash-only snack bar, but is also very close to a Dunkin Donuts and a Burger King when you head back towards the roads. -Saw mostly families and teenagers. A few rowdy mothers swearing in front of their toddlers. And a few men wearing just their underwear. -The view's fabulous of the airport, very much liked watching the plans take off! Not a bad place if you want to get off before reaching Revere.. and you don't want to be overwhelmed. However, I'll stick to walking five minutes to my Southie beaches :)

Ok. As much as I love East Boston, this beach is not my favorite. Although it is pretty good considering its in the city, it could be better. It is not the best well kept, and is dirty. I

Great place for college kids in the city to escape to relax on a hot day. Always a great place to watch the planes take off too! Very easy to get to. Would recommend to a friend.

If you live in/close to the city and are looking for a little beach time without traveling, this is the perfect place. I like it because its super quiet, you can tan and read a book in peace! Never had a problem with parking. I wouldnt really go in the water but there usually a few people in there

Great little beach. The water is warm enough to swim in during the summer and my son loves the playground and the beach. Sad isn't as fine as other beaches, but it is clean.

Located Near Logan Airport , and within walking distance of Orient Heights T station (BLUE LINE) and the Winthrop Busses, this beach with ample parking is a hidden GEM in close proximity to Boston. They have done a lot of work with the beach and if you haven't been there lately you will be surprised at how much better the beach is now! There is a new bike path/walkway along the beach and an overpass across Bennington St to the shopping center. There is ample parking at the shopping plaza or at the Beach itself. There is a nice playground for kids, and picnic tables, as well as covered benches where you can sit and watch the planes taking off and landing at logan airport right across the Harbor. It is a fun place to take the kids and watch planes and a nice quite relaxing beach to swim at. It is cool to swim on a hot day and watch planes while you swim laps or while sunbathing on the beach. There is a great Roast Beef and Seafood place across the street on Bennington St. Called Royal Roast Beef and Seafood, and down the road is a Subway Sandwich shop. The beach is truly a hidden Gem in Boston and is right off a T stop Orient Heights off Bennington St. in East Boston. Check this Beach out You will love it! I have to differ Bri. There is a nice picnic area for picnics, why just the other day a group of campers from Alaska pulled in and had a picnic right at the beach. There's also a nice wide open swimming area and a walkway to walk on. there's open fields for walking your dog or tossing a tennis ball/frisbee, and plenty of wind for flying kites. there's also the great playground recently added for the kiddies. They have lifeguards in season, and its in general a great place to see the skyline of boston and the airport while you swim. Its cool to see the planes taking off if you're a plane enthusiast, and is real convenient to the blue line (orient hieights station). Its a good alternative to revere beach and less crowded. its a quality swimming hole nestled in a cove near Winthrop-East boston....also sunsets are great over the city skyline. Come in the PM and you can see the lineup of aircraft heading for international takeoffs. and the evening rush ...as well as the international arrivals

We went to this beach for the first time today (since it is the very closest beach to our house) and I found that it had distinct pros and cons. First the cons. I saw quite a lot of dead jellyfish, and a single piece of particularly unhygenic trash. I also found a piece of broken glass. "Swimming" was allowed only on part of the beach and only within about 20 feet of the shore. At a mere 20 feet out, I'm not sure it's really deep enough to actually swim, but to be honest I didn't actually try. Now for the pros. It IS right near the airport, and i was ready for that, and it didn't bother me at all. It wasn't too loud, and the planes were interesting to look at (and I don't even care about planes!). It also has a nice snack bar, clean bathrooms, visibly hardworking caretakers, tennis courts, basketball courts, benches, and other well maintained amenities. Overall it looked pretty clean and nice aside from a few little things. As another reviewer mentioned, it does have *plenty* of parking, and it's easy to get to. It was not at all crowded (on a Sunday afternoon in late June), which I found remarkable having been to Crane beach the weekend before & paid good money to be packed up against other people pretty tightly. I had very low to modest expectations, and this beach exceeded them. Overall I am a fan and I will go back - especially when I only have half a day to go to the beach and don't have time to drive a while. It helps that this is the closest beach to my house and it's perfectly acceptable as long as you don't really want to swim.

We parked on Bennington and walked across the overpass, hopeful that we were in the right spot. We were and though it's not the worst beach, it's convenience that's paramount here. It was also nice to be empty on a summer weekday, so if you're not the Cape type or don't have that kind of time or patience, it's a solid option.

Great place to go for a walk along the water and watch the planes come and go, but I would be very careful of where you walk. On my most recent walk, I found newly broken glass and bottle caps, not something I would like to step on in bare feet.

Stopped here during a run - great little beach close to the city with parking, a sand beach, gradual depth increase, and a playground. I didn't have my little monkey with me, but I sure wished I did. I brought her a few shells from the shoreline though.

A good place ti just hang out with friends and family. Not sure if you could do much swimming here. Not much food available. Bring your own food from home. But its not that crowded so if you are looking for a few hours of peace. ..The only thing that would interrupt is the next door boston logan airport. But its also something different that other beaches dont havr... one doesnt see planes flying out of a beach that close that often. Its different. Wont go again but definitely a one time must.

Disgusting excuse for a beach. Polluted water, scummy people and who knows what is in the sand. You can see the oil in the water and you are just a couple of blocks from the projects. Not exactly a destination beach.

OK...I have grown up at this beach. Yes they did a great job fixing it up, but unless you are with younger kids who are content amusing themselves you may have a hard time entertaining older tweens. It is just a beach. There is not much else to it.

As far as city beaches go I think this might be my favorite, but seeing as it's a 10min T ride from my apartment near Govn't center, I may be a little bias. Coming from Chicago I've grown accustom to having a verity of nice city beaches within walking distance from a train station...Boston, ironically, is not that kind of city....Who'd a thought? No, seriously, it's right on the ocean! So like, who'd a thought!!?! In fact, aside from Revere Beach, the location of most beaches in the city seem to be little pearls of wisdom held close and dear to the locals...which is great if you live in the neighborhood and are local, not so great if you are a Midwestern transplant who was to get her beach on! and for the most part, Constitution/Orient Heights Beach is no different. the beach area is small, it doesn't stretch for miles and miles like some of the north shore beaches and there's not "sand bars" like in Hull or Rhode Island, but what there is, is plenty of space to sit, put your feet in the sand, read a book and snack on an Italian Ice (from the really reasonably priced snack bar) the bathrooms and changing facilities are some of the cleanest I've ever seen and it's the height of beach season (July 30th) Someone posted pics and they were a totally accurate representation. The sand is a tiny bit rocky, but cleaner than Rhode Island beach, there was no obvious trash either in the water or in the sand...yes there are a few cigarette butts, which I agree is kinda gross, but all in all not bad! This beach is also a great place to bring the kids for a couple different reasons; it's less crowed so there's room for them to run around and not kick sand in peoples face and because where it's situated there are no waves, which means no dangerous undertow to knock down and drag your 2 year old under. It's kinda like swimming in an inland lake. The views across into Winthrop are pretty and it's actually kinda neat to watch the planes take off and land. Overall this was exactly what I wanted, but I have to warn you, between the old Italian ladies in their swim dresses and the Latinos with their families, my pastey Irish ass was hands down the whitest on the beach! LOL but hey, even us whiteys want to get our beach on! Now I can't speak for these infamous Southie beaches, but if what your looking for is a quick low key day at the beach, that doesn't entail a car, forget Revere and get off at Orient Heights, I don't think you'll be disappointed.

I ventured out today to visit the constitution beach with my kids. It was easy to get to being right off the blue line at orient heights. The bathrooms where clean and there was a place to get ice-cream. If the park was fixed it would be perfect give the kids something to do because in low tide you really can not swim. Kids loves seeing the airplanes and playing with the dead jellyfish will go again. Quieter than Revere and can get to with out a car.

What a lovely, little, local beach! Warm, calm water with a great view of the Logan runway. A little snackbar (more $$$ than Castle Island), outdoor showers, decent bathrooms, and a BIG playground. The sand is a bit gritty/dirty. Overall, a really nice weekday destination on a hot summer day in the city.

First off, I do not have access to a car so if I'm getting to any beach at all, it's by the T. So that doesn't leave too many options. And while I don't think Revere is as bad as some people claim, it's far from the nicest beach in the world. To that end, today I tried out Constitution beach instead. It's only a 5 minute walk from the Orient Heights T stop so it's a significantly shorter trip than going the whole way out to Revere, especially since I live in Cambridge and given the current state of the blue line (ie, closed with shuttle buses as a substitute once you get past Airport). Constitution beach isn't particularly large (it took me about 15 minutes to walk from one end to the other) so if you want a good long walk along the beach this might not be the place for you. Also, it doesn't look directly out at the ocean. Instead, you're looking at the very end of the Logan runway. This is actually pretty cool provided you don't mind loud noises because the planes descend right above your head. Like most beaches in the Northeast that aren't groomed obsessively, the area past the tideline is quite rocky and shell-y, with some (but not more than an average amount) of trash and broken glass. The dry sand was fairly clean though, and there's a nice grassy area with shelters and trees behind that as well. Despite how hot it was, the beach was really not crowded. There were a good number of people there (mostly families) but there was plenty of open space. I spent a few hours here walking, watching the planes, and reading, and it was very pleasant. I even managed to avoid a sunburn while I was there!

I was pleasantly surprised by this beach--and, as the parent of a toddler, really delighted to find another great place to go with a kid. There are 2 playgrounds, lots of hermit crabs to catch (which makes me leery to actually go swimming here), planes & trains to watch, bathrooms & shower/water fountains. Clean & safe feeling; limited shade, but several picnic tables available on the park side of the beach. We'll be back!