My Five Favorite New England Beaches

Best New England Beaches

As summer has recently begun and the weather has been beautiful, I decided that I would write about some of my favorite beach destinations in New England. Although the water tends to be cold pretty much everywhere, New England does have some really beautiful beaches.

1: Block Island Beach, New Shoreham, RI

Block Island is my favorite spot in New England for the summer. It is rather remote, taking about a half hour to reach by ferry from the southern coast of Rhode Island. This also makes the town and the beach one of the warmest summer locations in New England. In fact, Block Island is often referred to as the Aruba of the North. The best thing about the beaches here for me are the fact that the water tends to be very shallow which allows the water temperature to be much higher than other New England beaches. The island itself is also quite peaceful and relaxing so it serves as a great destination for people looking to have a calm getaway.

2: Herring Cove Beach, Provincetown, MA

Herring Cove Beach is another relatively remote beach located all the way at the end of Cape Cod. The beach tends to be relatively peaceful for most of the summer season. The best thing about this beach is that it actually faces due West, making it one of the only places along the East Coast that you can see the sun set over the water. Sunset actually tends to be the busiest time of day for this reason. The only downside to this beach is that the sand can be very rocky and rough in many places.

3. Hamton Beach, Hampton, NH

Hamton Beach is probably the most visited beach in New England. It is always full of young beachgoers and the town features a boardwalk that is full of different shops and offers a variety of activities. Every year this beach has a famous sand castle building contest and sets off fireworks over the water many nights. If you are looking for a big, bustling beach and don't mind cold water, Hampton is the way to go. 

4. Narragansett Beach, Narragansett, RI

Like Hampton, Narragansett Beach tends to be popular throughout the year. It is probably the most balanced beach of any that I can think of. The water is a reasonable temperature, the beach is populated but not too crowded and there is a nice mix of tourists and locals. Another great thing about this beach is that there is ample free parking and it tends to be easy to get to from major highways! Because it is the closest to me of any of the beaches on this list, it is the one where I spend the most time.

5. Plum Island Beach, Newburyport, MA

Plum Island is a great beach for vacationers. It tends to be full of people who are staying on the island for a long period of time and does not attract many day visitors. Located at the mouth of the Merrimack River, Plum Island offers a combination of swimming, surfing and fishing depending on where you are located on the island. This beach town tends to have a lot to offer for almost anybody. At the far end, the beach actually transforms into a nature preserve that is full of wildlife.