Ocean Beach Park

Wonderful!! So relaxing, next to windjammers restaurant. The parking attendant asked if we were here for the beach, $20 parking , or Windjammers, $ Free, umm say less! “Windjammers please!” So I got a delicious hot, buttered lobster roll. My husband got I don’t remember something spicy and then we got crab puffs… Food was great. The view was amazing! Beware of the seagulls they are ruthless! So then we just walked right over to the beach, which had very soft sand. It wasn’t crowded and this was on a Sunday. It was wonderful. My husband kept finding these cute little shellless crab things, and was having a great time finding them and putting them back in the water, we forgot to bring a pail and shovel, and my husband didn’t want to stop at the store, (Benny’s, my usual spot, has closed down 😞) as not to take up our beaching time. And lo and behold, someone has left a pail and two shovels by the trashcan in the parking lot! Bonus! I brought it over to my four-year-old and he was thrilled. We made Sandcastles and my husband used the bucket to collect his new little friends. No lifeguard, but it didn’t feel dangerous at all. Definitely going back!

We love Ocean Beach!! Easy parking, clean beach, amusement park for the kiddos, park, pool, and a super awesome swimming hole for catching crabs!! We come twice a year at least. It's 30$ a car to get in, but it is so worth it!

A clean beach to enjoy. Enough parking. There is a small amusement park for kids. Waterpark seems to be closed. Fee is 20$ after 6 pm.

This is our families favorite CT beach! We love the boardwalk, ice cream shop and water slides. The beach is much cleaner and less rocky/broken shell-y than other CT beaches. I wish they banned smoking/vapping and enforced it though- it's my only complaint.

Nice stretch of beach with some activities for kids. The water slides and carnival rides are quite dated, but it looks like they're at least maintained enough for people to ride. Few food trucks parked out near the front. There's also a couple snack and drink shacks on-site. The bathrooms are actually pretty clean for a public beach. Beach is overall clean as well. The only thing that's a bit out of sight is the $30 and $40 parking. There are other state beaches in the area that are also beautiful, and don't carry a hefty parking fee. Overall, this beach is nice enough to try out.

$30 parking fee for weekdays and $40 for weekends. We went on weekday afternoon and it was not too busy. Water slide was not open yet. Amusement park rides are very old but cute. Great for young kids. Boardwalk was nice and new. Loved the splash pad and playground for kids. Pool was closed. Beach was beautiful and had a variety of different sea shells. Unfortunately, there was quite a lot of garbage (dirty tissue, cigarette butt, food wrappers) on the sand from people who did not use the garbage cans. Alewife Cove nature trail was nice and the water was shallow. It was great for wading in and seeing cute little crabs and hermit crabs in the water.

Super clean and well-maintained. I love the vibe of this park in particular. Decent snack bar and soft serve. Bathrooms are fully attended and very clean, but can we do something about the door locks on the stalls? Literally my only complaint.

Great beach to visit off season if you don't enjoy crowds. It was quiet and serene. Sand is nice to walk in, not rocky.

Not my cup of tea personally for a beach. Get here early enough it's peaceful and have better chances in finding beach glass. Once the kids started showing up and screaming for no reason was where I made my decision. Looks like plenty to do though. There's a plentiful of volleyball nets. Looks like a play place as well.

I was a little disappointed this time around. This is usually my fave beach b/c of the white clean sand,pool,& ocean. The ocean water was dirty & I've never seen that before @ this beach. Came on a Saturday so parking for non New London residence is $40. I was super bummed b/c the pool was closed. Worker said it was closed b/c it rained in the early morning. In the forecast there would not be rain after that & it didn't rain. I stood the whole day @ the beach. I tried getting in the water but it was dirty & freezing. It is always colder than lost beaches b/c it's off the Long Island Sound. I was not a happy camper especially after paying $40 to not really have a good time & couldn't even get a swim in.

I drive up north from Fairfield county here because the water usually cleaner than the beaches around my way. Even though I rather not go in ocean water in this coast, so it's a bummer when they close their pool. I feel like if rain was at 7 am and lasted a few minutes, why not open the pool hrs later when it's a clear day! It's so annoying it stays closed.

We love this little beach. It's $30 for a car full of people. You can bring in your own umbrella and a cooler full of food and drinks. The sand is beautiful. There are plenty of trash cans around so the beach is clean. There's a small boardwalk with food and ice cream and some small/kiddie rides and water slides.

Visited on a September Saturday. Nice beach to sit and read or just relax. Clean bathrooms. Ample parking. Close to Casinos.

After coming back recently from vacation, then taking more time to enjoy what is left of Summer. This was a perfect spot and a wonderful time spent at Ocean Beach Park at New London, CT this past weekend. I dabble in a couple of hobbies and Photography is one of my many hobbies. We made a decision to be off technology and enjoy the time. Next time, more photos Our time spent was overall enjoyable and relaxing with family. There is plenty to do Arcade, Amusement Rides, miniature golf, Pool, Water Slides, Sandbar Cafe, etc. Some of their attractions appear old, but appear to be properly maintained. In respect of the Beach, Beautiful... The most part it is refreshing to view the scenery and soak in overall. We will be coming soon again to events at Ocean Beach Park, New London, CT

We just popped into this place as we were driving by. We enjoyed walking along the beach and watching some of the other folks in the area with their activities.

Good place for a stroll on the boardwalk. Olympic size pool in season and arcade. If you are seeking a round of miniature golf, this would be the place to go and don't forget the ocean, Long Island Sound.

I loved the arcade and the water park it's so FUN I had so much fun and it has a field and its a BEACH so BEUTIFUL

nice little beach. here off season but can imagine the crowds during the summer. got to catch the sunset which made the walk on the boardwalk nice, but it was cold lol everything looked "old" but not sure if I'd do any of it anyway - everything is in need of a facelift.

I came here thinking there would be things to do. The gift shop is small and pretty lame, sells nothing but shirts and sweatshirts which are overpriced. Arcade is closed and amusement park is old with only a few rides. The only pro is the beach which is beautiful and clean. Disappointing

Every once in a while, my husband comes up this way on the weekend and I help him do real estate work. By chance, he'd noticed signs for this Beach and I couldn't have been more excited! There's always something nostalgic for me- about the Boardwalk. And despite snow on the ground, it was a sunny and gorgeous- mind you......43°. The only thing that came to my mind when we drove right in, is that it strangely resembles Rye Playland- minus the rides. If you're looking for heart pumping rides, Ocean Beach Park is more on the relaxed side. On the plus side though, there's a water ride that stands wayyy up high. You'll get a better snapshot of Ocean Beach in the Summer when things are popping and the Concession stand opens. Who knows... maybe there are shops, and entertainment steps away from the water. Admission? I'm not sure- we just rolled right in, but check their website for answers and to find out about other attractions. I don't know about crashing waves, because Ocean Beach Park lies on the Long Island Sound- but the coastline is very pretty.

Clean beach.. Crazy parking prices. Food was gross and seemed very crowded even tho they said it was only 50%

Went with my family and was surprised at what a beautiful beach it was! There was soft sand, clear water and lots to do. We didn't use the pool or amusement rides or mini golf this time because the beach was so nice but it was great to see it all there. Will definitely go back.

Beach itself is nice. This place is stuck in a time warp. Very outdated. Was here on a Monday, free entrance due to the "car show" aka people burning out and doing donuts in the parking lot. I felt a little unsafe. I can't believe they charge $30-$35 per car typically for entrance! Where is that money going, certainly not back into the place or regular maintenance.

I love how the beach is clear and the water is clean & how beautiful it looks during the day time

We really enjoyed our time in Ocean Beach Park. We went around 3 pm on the Labor Day weekend & it was perfect. The crowds had thinned & we could enjoy the beautiful beach with clean waters. Parking is $17 but this is a real beach... Unlike some other beaches in the Mystic area which are the size of a small parking lot! Would recommend if you're the neighborhood.

Absolutely loved this place. Went there for the afternoon with my 2 early teen kids today and I wish we would have went for the entire date. The beach is great and water was so clear. The amusement rides are a little dated and for little kids.

We were on vacation from upstate NY and can't say enough how disappointed we were with our visit. This beach is indeed beautiful and you can tell that once in its prime, was the place to be. Today, while our day started off peaceful, it ended with people feeding, kicking sand at, and taunting the seagulls. Additionally, we listed to several people yelling and swearing loudly about the bees. It was disappointing to see the high levels of litter along the beach and in the water as well. I would love to get my 30$ back and head to RI.

It wasn't crowded and was quiet. Wave wasn't big. The restroom wasn't clean and hard to find.

This is a lovely beach. It's as lovely as many beaches are but there's more to it than just the ocean. It's just a very average nice beach where you can lay in the sand with a friend and have a picnic or whatever you're feeling that day. I'd recommend inviting a few other people to carpool with though because parking and the other fun stuff to do there isn't cheap. That's the only real downfall I see to this park. If you're rich? No problem lol! Otherwise, carpool! If you're craving a beach day, this is definitely the place to go while it's warm out. It's clean, it's neat, there are lifeguards, and there are plenty of shells for picking!

Beach is close, got a resident pass. Smells and sounds like you are in Springfield , weed and blasting music. Great to go during the week like 10 and leave at 1

The place is good, I do not enjoy the hot weather and the large groups of people. But this cold weather makes it worth it for long walks with my husband. I will definitely return to this place to enjoy it while the cold weather is still here.

I have been going to this beach for many years. We have a season pass and ever since they gave new London residents cheap passes there are younger crowds openly drinking and smoking weed,can't sit and read because instead of using earbuds many people have blasting boom boxes. Sometimes it's 3 or 4 at a time. There used to be a bathroom near the playground,one by the gym and portable's by mini golf. Last 2 years only 1 was open and was almost always dirty and out of paper. This year's prices are $25 weekdays and $30 weekends. They are talking in a lot of money and need to clean and police this place.

We were surprised how large Ocean Beach Park is. There is an Olympic size swimming pool (additional fee), a playground, amusement rides, a boardwalk, a pavilion and more. Not to mention a beautiful, sandy, clean beach! The beach water was shallow for several feet and we did not experience any high tides which made it perfect for swimming. The beach was crowded on a Saturday afternoon but we did not have to 'fight' for a place to relax as other reviewers mentioned. There was more than enough space for all to enjoy the beauty of the ocean.

My family had a great evening at Ocean Beach Park. There's so much to do. Sand beach and swimming. The playground. The splash ground. Crossing the little creek to the other side and climbing the rocks was fun too. There are bathrooms here, and also the snack shop and ice cream store. You pay by the carload. Pack 'en in and have fun! Then park is a family spot. No meat market here.

Some days, there will be someone at the gate to make you pay a lot to park. But on the upside, sand is fine and soft and the water is cold. There are smells buoys aligned near the shore. So you aren't allowed to swim out enough to actually swim.

Hands down might be one of my favorite beaches that's commutable from Worcester. Most beaches around the Worcester area are usually about an hour and a half drive so finding an enjoyable beach is important especially during the summer season! Ocean beach is a little on the pricey side with admission costs of $17 on a weekday, this includes parking. Other beaches I've gone to have separate parking and entrance fees so this was a plus. This beach has children friendly area with carousel and kiddy pool, I believe swimming in the pool is an extra $8 on top of the $17 you pay for the beach entry. Overall, super pretty beach with a wide variety of kid friendly alternative entertainment.

Went here on August 2nd, it has rained in the morning and was still pretty cloudy when I got there. This worked in my favor because I got an excellent parking spot and there was beyond enough room on the beach to sit wherever I wanted. It was nice enough out and the sun eventually came out so it was successful! They have a nice creamery and cafe, as well as splash pad, arcade, and rides. Parking is a little steep, I paid $17 for the weekday, goes up to $23 on the weekend, so I docked a star. But this isn't just a beach, there is so much to do and food to eat, the price isn't so bad in comparison. The seagulls though, those were a problem. Obviously nothing can be done about it except for you to be vigilant. I saw multiple people get food stolen right from their hands by those birds....so watch out!! I'd recommend this beach to everyone, great location in relation from the parking lot and actual boardwalk and beach.

This beach has always been my favorite. First the water is always clean and the sand white and perfect. There is a swimming pool if the water is to cold or has jelly fish in it. So you still get to swim. There is picnic areas, amusement park, good food. There is nothing to dislike about this beach. You can't stop people from saying bad words. But this beach is the best!

Clean beach. White sand. Polite beach goers. Stayed at a beachfront AirBnB after Labor Day so I'm not sure how much parking is. I do know every single attraction and restaurant on the beach are gone after Labor Day.

Place upstairs is dirty. Food looks like it is 3 years old bandaids all over floors followed by napkins and other dirty things. You get chased by wasps while you eat bathrooms are closed almost everywhere. Pool is not cleaned hair clumps floating everywhere. The wheels were not chocked on rodes the can roll away food stand is $8 a cone with very little ice cream. Every drink is $4. Lady on water slides at the top is nasty screams at kids. The young girl at the bottom screams at kids and was kicking people out by the groups for no reason and pushes kids in the pool be aware . Also Then proceeded to smoke a cigarette and blow smoke in my sons face and flick ashes on him. She swore at my son and others be aware of this park,pool,beach I'll save my money

I can't believe anyone gave this beach a positive review. YEARS ago it was a nice, clean beach. But over the past decade it's gone straight downhill. It's seedy as hell with people smoking weed, drinking, and using foul language. I would never bring my children to this ghetto of a beach . Oh, and it smells. Do yourself a favor and go to a beach where people don't litter, curse and act like they're in their own living rooms with no thought for the people around them .

This beach is okay. It has a boardwalk, but it's not that great. The gift shop is terrible, really not much to do but swim and sunbathe. We saw quite a few jellyfish, which I actually enjoyed. You can catch little crabs by the rocks as well. I would probably rate it a star higher if they didn't have the $18 dollar entry fee, it is definitely not worth the price.

Totally worth $20 per car fee for a clean beach with social distancing. Plenty of room to spread out. Nice boardwalk and facilities. Lifeguards on duty. It's nice to watch the ferry to Long Island go by in the distance and the famous haunted square lighthouse. Nice jetty to walk out on and amphitheater on the beach!

Biggest rip-off! $17 to park and $7 to play mini golf! Told there is no street parking permit required! Unbelievable just to play golf! And it's an old boring course! Beach is ok... clean. We didn't come to swim though... just to bring kids to mini golf. Rides are only for toddlers. Old and In need of updating. Water slides are not worth a 1-trip @ $3/slide... if you do the 1/2 day pass it's worth it... slides all the same though

Awesome place great people. Never paid to go to a beach but I guess it wasn't that paid of a price. Beach was nice. Lots a friendly beautiful people.

I usually love this beach but today idk lol , so I went to the beach for a nice walk and the park was going to close soon. As I'm walking out to the car , the owner or whoever that has the keys for the gate said they would let us out, so we keep walking to the car. As we drove up to the gate , the owner or worker was gone and the gate was locked up so we waited for like 10 mins to see if anyone was around to let us out. No one to be found. So we called the police and had to wait 20 mins for police to show up then the police told us the owner is on the way to let us out the gate. So we wait even longer , eventually we got out thankfully.

Our family had such a nice time here at the beach. Weather was perfect. Parking was reasonable. Bathrooms could have been cleaner; but overall our teen kids had fun, as did we. Waterslide was good. Mini golf was fun. Water was cold. Beach was smooth and clean.

Awesome time with the family here. Monday's are the day to go. After 5, parking is free. Mini gulf, rides and slides are all at a discount rate also. Volleyball nets on the beach. Nice and clean. The rides are not worth the bracelet though. Not very many and mostly toddler rides. I hear they have the best homemade ice cream.

I'm really surprised by the reviews, I love this place! It's priced a lot more compared to rocky neck and old lyme. They've got a pool, water slide and a few more other rides for kids which is really fun. The water is awesome. It's perfect for swimmers because they don't really have low tides it's the same water all day. It does get pretty deep. There's also a river that connect to the ocean which is neat and there's also people there all the time fishing, catching crabs and so much more. If you cross that river you'll go through some rocks and you end up to another beach and if you cross that too it's another beach after that. It's really neat, we usually walk all the beaches and it's awesome!! Totally worth it! Such beautiful views!! The rocks are huge too!! They say to keep off but people are always on them. Pics come out pretty great too. Overall it's such an awesome beach for families, couples whatever it may be!! You'll have a great time for sure!!

First time coming here after reading some positive reviews, and I have to say PLEASE don't believe them. First, the beach is overly packed, so there is no social distancing going on - they aren't doing their best to control this. It also stinks pretty bad. The beach is pretty short, and the boardwalk is a joke. Lots of ppl smoking cigarettes and weed everywhere. NOT worth the $18 weekday/ $25 weekend parking fee. PLEASE AVOID.

Nice clean beach. The parking fee was a bit high $25. I thought parking would be less for residents but that was not the case. Restrooms were clean.

$23 to park? We turned around and left. Based on the reviews, sounds like we made the right choice. Really sad how New London is squandering this opportunity.

We went on August 21st and it was WONDERFUL! Arrived at 10 am and got a terrific parking spot. Bathrooms were well maintained and I saw cleaning staff on site, working hard all day! The food is good. We grabbed lunch and there was no line! You must time it right because at times the lunch and ice cream lines were a bit long. The beach was clean, plenty of trash receptacles around, soft sand, refreshing water! We got our tan on! We collected beautiful, smooth rocks and shells. It was fun! There is plenty to do here. Awesome board walk, music, just an all around lovely girls day at the beach! I highly recommend this beach. It was WONDERFUL!!!

I went to this beach as part of a trip to Mystic as i was recommended it by the hotel i was staying at. It was $25 for the day for parking which i thought was pretty steep. It was very busy and it did have a pretty funky smell by the shoreline. I was there with my wife and 4 year old son and 7 year old daughter and the most surprising aspect was the amount of drinking and weed smoking going on despite signs up saying this was against the beach rules. The lifeguards did nothing to enforce the rules and there were no police around either to reign people in. The beach itself is actually pretty nice with white sand but it certainly is not a beach for families with small kids. We stayed for a couple of hours and then left. $25 was a huge rip off!

Went for the first time today after reading some positive reviews of Ocean Beach Park. Easy parking with a short walk to boardwalk/ beach. As we were walking across the sand to find a spot to sit we had to dodge quite a bit of animal feces. I wanted to leave right then but we drove 60 miles so I sucked it up. I went over to a lifeguard sitting in her chair and asked her what was with all the poop. She said she hadn't noticed it! How could you miss it. My husband asked another life guard and was told it was from cats that live under the boardwalk. We also had a large pile of dog poop in sight from our blanket! I literally felt like I was sitting in a litter box. A family came along and started to set up for the day and noticed the feces and the husband kept saying to his wife I just can't. How can I even sit on this beach never mind sunbath on the sand. The worst part was seeing children digging in the sand. Eww. I also noticed someone burying some poop beneath the sand. I would definitely steer away from this beach if you have children who dig/play in the sand. I will say the water looked clean. I also noticed the swimming pool on our way out. It looked sparkling clean. Also I would advise pregnant women to be watchful of the cat feces.

Why would anybody pay for this? It's not any better than the free beaches, the boardwalk is old and dilapidated and falling apart, the food and other amenities are priced at ski resort prices, and they don't even have a place to rinse off your feet when coming off the sand. I should've seen this coming. The very first impression this place gives you is "NO FUN." On the ticket booth: NO RE-ENTRY. NO GRILLING. NO DOGS. While you walk in: NO BARE FEET ON BOARDWALK. NO ALCOHOLIC BEVERAGES. NO BALLS OUTSIDE OF DESIGNATED AREAS. The list goes on and on. Skip this place entirely and avoid getting scammed. Keep in mind nothing is included besides the ability to sit on the beach: the minigolf in the old, crumbly, falling-apart short course is $7 a person and the old, crumbly, falling-apart water slide is somehow $12 a person.

I've been going to Ocean Beach Park since I was a kid, and I think I love it more for nostalgia than the quality of the beach itself. If you go early enough and stake your claim (not too close to the water, but not to close to the boardwalk) you should have a pretty good time. Beware of the seagulls though. If you leave food out, they will take it. If you leave food in your hand and look like your not eating it, they will take it!! I once saw a seagull snatch a sandwich directly out of a little girl's hand before she went to take a bite. Weekends during the summer get pretty packed with families with a buttload of kids, so if your single, or a couple, and like to relax on the beach, birng your IPOD. Parking has gotten extremely expensive there in recent years, so make sure you bring enough cash.