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I'd like to know if there are islands off the coast of Greenwich that the public can visit. Like you can with the Thimble islands off the coast of Milford.
I'd also like to know is it possible to drive or walk to the most southern point in Conn which happens to be in Greenwich. (Which also makes it the most southern point in New England)
According to these GPS coordinates there isn't a road going to the southern most point in Conn.
I'm not sure about islands, but Byram Shore Rd in Byram (Greenwich) is all private residences. If you want to get on their beach, be prepared to pay big bucks.
Great Captain Island is the southernmost point in Ct. (few in lower FFCounty would consider their turf as "New England," but rather metro New York... one look will tell you why: the Manhattan skyline looming to the West of Great Captain Island, as if you could reach out and touch it)
The town provides ferry service during the summer... check out the website. Great spot for a picnic.
Incidentally, the WESTERNMOST point in Ct is not in NW Litchfield County, but in Greenwich/Byram as well, along 120 just before Orchard Hill Rd. That's because the state is tilted SW to NE. For instance Stamford is actually West of Danbury.
FYI - The Thimble Islands are off the coast of Branford, not Milford. Most of the Thimbles are privately owned and not accessible to the public. You can however take a boat tour which is very nice. Jay
FYI - The Thimble Islands are off the coast of Branford, not Milford. Most of the Thimbles are privately owned and not accessible to the public. You can however take a boat tour which is very nice. Jay
Yup. Charles Island is off of Milford, only accessible by foot at low tide or by boat.
Great Captain Island is the southernmost point in Ct. (few in lower FFCounty would consider their turf as "New England," but rather metro New York... one look will tell you why: the Manhattan skyline looming to the West of Great Captain Island, as if you could reach out and touch it)
The town provides ferry service during the summer... check out the website. Great spot for a picnic.
Incidentally, the WESTERNMOST point in Ct is not in NW Litchfield County, but in Greenwich/Byram as well, along 120 just before Orchard Hill Rd. That's because the state is tilted SW to NE. For instance Stamford is actually West of Danbury.
Thanks this is the type of info I was looking for. Seems to me though that Greenwich is making this harder to visit than it has to be for non residents. You have to buy a daily park pass from town hall BEFORE you can enter the ferry parking lot. And then you have to pay for parking at the ferry lot. Why not make it one stop shopping? And why not make these tickets available for purchase over the internet?
As for Byram Shore Rd it looks like there is a town beach in that area. Although as a non resident you have to buy a pass first from town hall.
Lastly, is it possible to get to the town hall (to buy the pass) then get to the ferry dock for Great Captain Island via public transportation from the metro north station in Greenwich? It would be ideal if all of this was within walking distance of the metro north station. (I highly doubt it is though)
I was looking at a very good map today and that GPS location off of Byram Shore Rd is the most western point in Conn. and Great Captain island is the most southern point in Conn. (also making it the most southern point in New England)
Some time ago there was a made for TV movie about the Martha Moxley case in Greenwich. One of the scenes took place on the beach in Belle Haven I think. In the scene you could see mansions high atop a cliff which overlooked the beach and ocean. (this reminded me of the California coast, but on a much smaller scale) You could also see the skyline of Manhattan during this scene in the background. I've always been curious if this place is real. And if it is real I want to see it.
CT has a lot of coastline but almost all of it is privately owned. Private ownership includes both individuals and town owned beach. The only non-privately owned beach is that which belongs to the state.
Until recent years it was virtually impossible for non-residents to get to town owned beaches by land. Laws were made which mandated public access to private town beaches via land. However, towns are free to charge what they wish to non-residents for access.
The high fees ( usually at least $ 25 per car, per day) are meant to discourage non-resident use. Beaches are not static. They are difficult to maintain. Storms and wave action change the beach many times over the course of a year. Beach maintenance, parking lots, any town concession stands or play equipment, bathrooms, life guards, etc. are all paid for by the taxes of town residents. Towns naturally wish to preserve their beaches for their residents. Most towns also require residents to get a seasonal beach pass ( although this is not expensive.)
Thanks this is the type of info I was looking for. Seems to me though that Greenwich is making this harder to visit than it has to be for non residents. You have to buy a daily park pass from town hall BEFORE you can enter the ferry parking lot. And then you have to pay for parking at the ferry lot. Why not make it one stop shopping? And why not make these tickets available for purchase over the internet?
As for Byram Shore Rd it looks like there is a town beach in that area. Although as a non resident you have to buy a pass first from town hall.
Lastly, is it possible to get to the town hall (to buy the pass) then get to the ferry dock for Great Captain Island via public transportation from the metro north station in Greenwich? It would be ideal if all of this was within walking distance of the metro north station. (I highly doubt it is though)
I was looking at a very good map today and that GPS location off of Byram Shore Rd is the most western point in Conn. and Great Captain island is the most southern point in Conn. (also making it the most southern point in New England)
Some time ago there was a made for TV movie about the Martha Moxley case in Greenwich. One of the scenes took place on the beach in Belle Haven I think. In the scene you could see mansions high atop a cliff which overlooked the beach and ocean. (this reminded me of the California coast, but on a much smaller scale) You could also see the skyline of Manhattan during this scene in the background. I've always been curious if this place is real. And if it is real I want to see it.
Hi MrGompers,
I've lived in Greenwich for the past 3 years and spent 4 years before that visiting my then boyfriend (now husband) so I know the town quite well. Hopefully this information is helpful.
1) It is much easier for non-residents to visit Greenwich parks and beaches than it was even a few years ago. Several years ago all of the parks were designated "residents only" (much like parks/beaches in Fairfield, Newtown, etc.) but a lawsuit was brought against the town that forced Greenwich to open to the public. Yes, you need to go to Town Hall or the Civic Center for passes before going to one of the parks. The reason for this is that the parks are incredibly busy in the spring/summer and there would be tremendously long waits for people to get into parks if every park entrance was involved in selling passes. At the height of summer it can take 30-45 minutes to drive 1/2 mile into Greenwich Point because there are so many cars/cyclists/pedestrians going into the park and each park pass needs to be scanned. That time would easily be doubled or tripled if passes were being sold at the park entrance.
2) There is a beach on Byram Shore Rd. It is called Byram Park and it has basketball courts, tennis courts, a marina, a garden, a swimming pool, a playground, and a beach. You need a pass for this as well. The grassy area with the playground and garden is very nice but the beach isn't. It has huts with large pieces of thick plastic sheeting underneath for people to get out of the sun (very uncomfortable!), the beach is frequently shut down due to sewage overflows, and it attracts the most loud and rude people of all the parks. I live very close to this beach and I never, ever go there during summer because it is never peaceful like the other parks in town.
3) Yes, you can hop on the Metro North train in Old Greenwich and get off the stop in Central Greenwich (Railroad Ave.) which is directly across the street from the ferries to the islands. However, you will need to walk about 10-20 min. one way from the Old Greenwich train station to the Civic Center. It is a very pleasant walk on a warm, sunny day as the main street to the Civic Center passes by many gorgeous homes.
4) Great Captain Island is beautiful but if you decide to visit, bring bug spray! There are tons of biting flies on the island in the late spring/summer and you will be their dinner. There are some open air barbeques, so even consider bringing food with you. There aren't as many ferry trips out to Great Captain's Island as their are to Island Beach (Island Beach caters to families and has a place to buy food/drinks; Great Captain's Island does not) but that means you'll just have more time to spend on the island and you won't be bothered by noise/commotion as you would on the other island.
5) You cannot enter Belle Haven without being a resident or a guest to a resident. However, when you're on a ferry to one of the Greenwich islands you sail by Belle Haven and get to see some of the huge mansions located there. If you are really interested in seeing the NY skyline from Greenwich, you don't need to go to Belle Haven anyway. Just get a park pass and parking pass at the Civic Center and go to Greenwich Point in Old Greenwich. Go in the entrance and drive to the right, over the small 1-way bridge, past the Yacht club, and to the parking lot all the way on the end (before the street turns left.) Park your car in that parking lot and walk down the footpath on the right near the woods. From that area you can see NYC. Just make sure you don't go on a hazy day!
On top of all of this, there are several beautiful town parks that you can visit that do not require any types of park/beach passes.
Feel free to DM me if you have any specific questions.
Also keep in mind that if you're going for the view and the beauty, and not for the beach, many beautiful locations on the Greenwich coastline are cheaper or even sometimes free in the off-season. For example, Greenwich Point Park at Tod's Point has an awesome view of the NY skyline at the Sound (in fact on a real clear day you can also see the Bronx's Co-Op City towers, the Whitestone and Throgs Neck Bridges and the emerging "mini-skyline" of New Rochelle, NY in the distance........and the view of the Sound to the east is pretty neat too) and while mega-expensive (like $20/car plus $5/person) for non-residents in the summer, it is completely free from Nov. 1 to April 30.
I don't think the ferries to the islands are any cheaper in the off-season though, if they even run.
Also keep in mind that if you're going for the view and the beauty, and not for the beach, many beautiful locations on the Greenwich coastline are cheaper or even sometimes free in the off-season. For example, Greenwich Point Park at Tod's Point has an awesome view of the NY skyline at the Sound (in fact on a real clear day you can also see the Bronx's Co-Op City towers, the Whitestone and Throgs Neck Bridges and the emerging "mini-skyline" of New Rochelle, NY in the distance........and the view of the Sound to the east is pretty neat too) and while mega-expensive (like $20/car plus $5/person) for non-residents in the summer, it is completely free from Nov. 1 to April 30.
I don't think the ferries to the islands are any cheaper in the off-season though, if they even run.
Thanks 7Wishes for mentioning the free months. I completely forgot as I haven't been able to visit Greenwich Point since it's gotten cold. Also, the ferries only run for a short amount of time: from late May or June until early September. The First Selectman has said for the past 2-3 years that the ferry passes and resident taxes allocated towards paying for the ferry fuel and operators do not cover the total costs even for those few short months.
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