Massachusetts Beaches (Boston, Yarmouth, Dennis: hotel, houses, movie theater)

[wivenhoe]

Crane's beach in Ipswich is one of the best in MA but no waves; ditto for Sandwich. Old Orchard Beach in Maine, to me, is an ice bucket.

RI beaches have some of the best in New England and warmest as another poster mentioned. Misquamicut is lovely, especially the hot showers for .25 cents, but now attracts a lot of people from CT and the parking lot gets filled quickly. There's a boardwalk and old amusement park there. I grew up going to Scarborough, which is still a RI favorite.

Many of the beaches do not accept dogs between Memorial Day or June 1st to Labor Day.

[western mass and love it]

where is the amusement park at misquamicut? must have missed it every time i go there.

[LeavingMA]

Ditto what almost everyone else said...Old Orchard Beach in Maine and then Hampton Beach in Hampton, NH. Hampton Beach will be more commercial while Old Orchard is more quaint. Water is going to be cold pretty much anywhere on the Atlantic. RI and some Cape beaches are a little warmer, but you won't have the boardwalk.

[Verseau]

Eh, I'm not so sure about Old Orchard being "quaint." It's pretty tacky, commercial, and a little run-down, and I find it attracts even more interesting personalities than Hampton. Not to say that Hampton is particularly attractive either, because it isn't, IMO. The main draw of OOB for me is that it's a little more "fun" and "ole-timey" with the amusement park and everything.

The water at OOB is usually quite cold, but it's also very clear (with little or no seaweed). No real waves to speak of though. Not sure if waves are important to the OP or not.

[massnative71]

"1st Beach" in Newport has a boardwalk type atmosphere although there is no boardwalk "per se". It has some of the best surf and warmest water in New England. It's a little more high end though, think nicer stores rather than amusements.

[Hollytree]

If you're really looking for an old fashioned boardwalk experience, try this one in New London CT- has a very nineteenth century vibe and a salt water swimming pool.

Home,Ocean Beach Park,New London,CT,Connecticut,Beach,06320,Park,Banquets,We ddings,Family,Fun,Recreation

[Mr. Joshua]

I know this might be a little off topic but Lake George in eastern New York is beautiful and it has some of the amusements you are looking for. It's about 3.5 hours from Boston.

[lrfox]

Originally Posted by Verseau

Eh, I'm not so sure about Old Orchard being "quaint." It's pretty tacky, commercial, and a little run-down, and I find it attracts even more interesting personalities than Hampton. Not to say that Hampton is particularly attractive either, because it isn't, IMO. The main draw of OOB for me is that it's a little more "fun" and "ole-timey" with the amusement park and everything.

The water at OOB is usually quite cold, but it's also very clear (with little or no seaweed). No real waves to speak of though. Not sure if waves are important to the OP or not.

I agree. I suggested OOB because it meets the OP's criteria, but it is somewhat run down and VERY tacky. I actually lived there for a year in college (07-08). Hampton Beach may bit a little larger, but OOB is an interesting crowd. It's big with the French Canadian tourists from Quebec. It's also big with... well... some other demographics (without being too specific, think motorcycles, bud lights and NASCAR).

The water's frigid. There's no getting around it. And while all of New England water is colder, Old Orchard, in comparison to southern MA and RI is like night and day. I used to lifeguard on the ocean in Westport. Old Orchard Water is colder in August than Westport is in late May. In the peak of the summer it's in the ballpark of a 10 degree difference (a BIG difference in terms of water temps).

I'd recommend Hampton over Old Orchard. Definitely.

I also really like the suggestion of First Beach in Newport (Middletown, really). It's just one beach and the area around it isn't quite as built up as OOB or Hampton, but does have a skatepark, beach bars (The Atlantic Beach Club or ABC is entertaining... feels like an episode of Jersey Shore), clam shacks and hotels. Even still, it's classier than OOB. Maybe the best thing about First Beach (aka Easton's Beach) is that if you want a change of scenery, 2nd Beach is a mile away but feels a world away (surrounded by marsh and bird sanctuary, it's much more secluded) as is the Cliffwalk (a destination by itself) and downtown Newport (which gets my vote for best summer resort town in New England).

Finally, my vote for "best beach" overall would be Cahoun Hollow Beach in Wellfleet MA. It's part of the national seashore so it's on a LOOOOONG stretch of beach that's quiet and secluded. There are sand dunes (more like sand cliffs) behind it, some of which reach 100 feet high. At the top of the dune near the parking lot is the Beachcomber. a seaside bar and grill that always has live bands and decent food/drink. It's the ideal spot for a beach day.

Race Point up the road in P-Town gets an honorable mention too. It may be one of the only places on the East Coast where it's not unusual to spot a whale from the beach (seen this on two occasions). It's also secluded, connected via bike path and a short ride from Provincetown which is a blast.

[konfetka]

As you noticed although Mass has a long coastline and lots of beaches, there are not many old-fashioned boardwalk style ones. And those are not the best ones either. There are many well-known and some hidden jewels, that are much better. Usually you would have to settle for a nice beach, possibly with a beachfront hotel or cottage, and then have to drive a short distance for more entertainment, shopping and restaurants.

Cahoon Hollow is one of the most gorgeous beaches in the state, as is Marconi beach nearby. That's where you will find 100' high sand dunes and the best views. If going to Cahoon Hollow beach, make sure you stop by the Beachcomber - rated best beach bar on the Cape.

Race Point in Provincetown has the most beautiful bike trails in the sand dunes.

I would recommend picking a nice beach town, and then looking for lodging nearby.

Hampton beach is more of a value beach town. You might be dissapointed, depending on what you are used to.

For a beach town I would recommend Newport (I know it's not Mass, but close enough) and Hyannis vicinity for younger people looking for more nightlife; and Rockport, towns on mid- to outer-Cape and Plum Island in Newburyport for families.

[HenryAlan]

There are many spectacular beaches in Massachusetts, offering a variety of settings (both wide and sandy or quaint and rocky, for example). But none of them have an abutting amusement park. If that is definitely part of what you want, then I'll go with what the others have said, and recommend Old Orchard Beach. Personally, I think that's a fun place, but it is a bit more distant.