Boston and Cambridge beaches offer excellent sand, swimming and water sports

Swim on Spectacle and Lovell Islands within the Boston Harbor Island area. The sandy beach on Spectacle Island is lifeguard-supervised during the summer months. The side of Lovell Island that faces the big blue Atlantic is without a lifeguard, but offers majestic views of waters that hide some large old shipwrecks. For ferry schedule and ticket information, click the ticket icon below this listing.
Season & Hours: Mid-May to mid-October; see ferry schedule

Nickerson Beach is a very small beach which primarily serves the adjacent Squantum residential neighborhood of Quincy. This scenic coastal area, with its extensive salt marsh and mudflats, is attractive to birds and for bird watching. Owned by the City of Quincy. Access: Most access is by foot or bicycle, although limited curbside parking is available. The area is also accessible via public transportation. Take the Squantum #211 bus to the Bellevue Road & Dorchester Street stop from the MBTA Red Line's North Quincy station.

Carson Beach, which is well-maintained by the state Department of Conservation and Recreation, is one of the best swimming beaches in the area with nearby public amenities and great views of the harbor. The park has walkways, benches, lighting, shade shelters and award winning landscaping which have helped to make it a popular destination. "Mother's Rest" and its fishing pier have also been rehabilitated, making for a beautiful picnic area with a fantastic view of the Harbor. Life guards on duty.
Mass Transit Access: Take the MBTA Subway's Red Line to JFK/UMass station. Or use MBTA Bus routes 5, 8, 11, 16, or 41. Parking available.

Fort Independence has two main hiking trails; 1.8-mile Pleasure Bay Loop, overlooking scenic Pleasure and Dorchester Bays, and .79-mile-long Castle Island Loop, which leads you in a ring around the Fort. You'll find a telephone located halfway 'round the Bay trail at Sugarbowl Shelter. - Park Mark (PDF)

Quincy Shore Drive on this Reservation runs from Wollaston Beach to Caddy Memorial Park to Moswetuset Hummock. The 2.3 mile beach is popular for swimming. Caddy Park has a play area for kids and many acres of fields and marsh, as well as picnic sites. Hummock, on the beach's northern end, is a mixture of woodland trails and open marshland. The site has views of Quincy Bay and 144-acre Squantum Marsh. The Reservation may be reached by Boston MBTA trains. Open year round, dawn to dusk. Bathhouse open July to September.

Revere Beach was chosen to be the home of America’s first public beach in 1896 and provides one of the best oceanfront strolls in New England. The beach includes dozens of fine dining and casual restaurants, as well as public bathrooms, plenty of free parking, and a hotel that has direct access to the MBTA’s Blue Line. The nearby Shirley Avenue Commercial District features delicious food from around the world and the neighborhood is also home to an important if unassuming cultural hub for the region’s Cambodian and Buddhist population. Open year round, dawn to dusk.