MA Beach Tips (Boston, New Bedford, Fall River: school, live, ferries)

[Stockholmaren]

We'll be in MA (Newton) in the middle of August, and we'll have some time before I start school, so we would like to head to a beach on a weekday.

Does anybody have any tips on which beach to go to that's within a couple of hours or so from Boston? I've heard Buzzard's Bay has the warmest water in MA, but other than that I'm not familiar with anything.

[Parsec]

Buzzard's Bay is good if you don't want to deal w/all the traffic on the Cape. Nantasket in Hull is a good option too, according to a friend who just went a few weekends ago. Just avoid the Cape your first time here. The traffic will scare you away!

[Stockholmaren]

Thanks for the tips!

Is the traffic to the Cape bad all the time? I mean, even on a Wednesday?

[Parsec]

I'm not sure about traffic on a Wednesday, but I can't imagine it to be as bad as on the weekends. The news always reports it to be much worse than downtown Boston rush hour traffic due to only having one small road leading in and out which can back up for miles.

[airedaly]

Many of the beaches on buzzards bay are great - the water is clean and warm, but you better check out which beaches are open to the public. Around the South Coast (Marion, Mattapoisett area) most of the beaches are private. This is a website which names the public beaches and what facilities they offer.
Cape Cod Visitors Directory - Public Beaches
This is a list of public beaches along the South Coast.
Information about Buzzards Bay Beaches and Massachusetts Beach Contamination from the Buzzards Bay National Estuary Program

The water at Nantasket is very cold, as the Atlantic side beaches tend to be (but not as bad as Maine beaches which will freeze your feet. )

this is the website for Horseneck Beach, which is a great day trip.Horseneck Beach State Reservation
Just beware of the undertow and sometimes, the greenheaded flies are ferocious. If you haven't visited the South Coast, it's a great day trip. New Bedford has great whaling history and also frequent ferries to Martha's Vineyard (another great day trip). New Bedford and Fall River are only about 45 minutes from 128/95.

[dutch10]

Does anybody have any tips on which beach to go to that's within a couple of hours or so from Boston?

Rhode Island, best beaches in the Northeast and just as close.

[polar bear charm]

yup, I second dutch10's opinion that RI has best beaches in the northeast... and a well kept secret that Mass residents don't even venture out to. Approx. 2 hour drive but very little traffic.
Try Misquamicut state beach or the Newport RI beaches.
Also, being in Newton, you'll need to go to nearby Walden Pond in Concord. It is a pond but pretty fun esp. in late afternoon on a weekday. The walk around it is nice and... it's historic!

[Stockholmaren]

I appreciate the tips - especially about hidden gems like beaches in RI that may not draw as much of a crowd. We'll definitely have to check those out as well as the Walden Pond.

[RichCapeCod]

Stockholmaren:

Traffic coming on to the Cape is only truly bad during the "warm" season (mid-June through Labor Day) Fridays and perhaps Saturday mornings. Leaving the Cape is murder on Sundays during the summer. Otherwise it's not too bad. I live on the lower Cape (the "arm") and that's the guide I use when deciding when to leave and return home. Obviously, holiday periods exacerbate the traffic. Forget about the week of July 4th!

HTH

Rich

[ptownlive]

If you're coming from Boston, you might want to try hopping on the ferry and heading over to Provincetown. It's about an hour to an hour ride. Trek over to Long Point if you want less crowd, or head over to Ballston Beach in Truro, just outside Provincetown if you want really pristine beach.

Being in town you probably would want to wander around and explore even after all the beach time you get, I'd suggest checking out the latest events and happenings (including trolley and long point shuttle schedules) on your phone by typing in <a href="http://www.ptownlive.net"<http://www.ptownlive.net</a (broken link)> on your mobile web or WAP. If you have your laptop with you the url is<a href="http://www.provincetownlive.net">http://www.provincetownlive.net</a>, worth checking out to cut on time and keep up to date on what's happening in Provincetown.