151. Owen Park Beach
City: Cape Cod, MA
Category: Tours & Attractions
Description: Here you’ll discover a small, sandy, quiet harbor beach that offers great sunbathing, swimming, boat-watching, and lifeguards. It even has a separate kiddie play area. Bathhouses and concessions are nearby.
152. South Beach
City: Cape Cod, MA
Category: Tours & Attractions
Description: The 633-acre Long Point Wildlife Refuge Center preserve boasts this half-mile-long deserted beach where swimming and surf fishing are allowed in freshwater and saltwater ponds. Better get there early; there are only 55 parking spaces available. South Beach has bathhouses but no concessions or lifeguards.
153. Tisbury Town Beach
City: Cape Cod, MA
Category: Tours & Attractions
Description: Sitting on the sand at Town Beach is the closest thing to being on a yacht, as this beach is right next to the Vineyard Yacht Club. Lifeguards are on duty here, and concessions and bathhouses are close at hand.
154. Fuller Street Beach
City: Cape Cod, MA
Category: Tours & Attractions
Description: This section of beach, not far from Lighthouse Beach, is a popular hangout for the younger crowd. It looks out across the water at Cape Pogue and Cape Pogue Lighthouse. There are no lifeguards, concessions, or bathhouses at the Fuller Street Beach.
155. Joseph Sylvia State Beach
City: Cape Cod, MA
Category: Tours & Attractions
Description: This lovely beach is framed with grassy dunes and wild roses and marked by calm, shallow waters. It is also known as the Edgartown–Oak Bluffs State Beach because it stretches along 2 miles of those towns. (The Edgartown section of the beach is known as Bend-in-the-Road Beach because of its unusual shape.) The beach, which has lifeguards and nearby concessions but no restrooms, is quite popular.
156. Katama Beach
City: Cape Cod, MA
Category: Tours & Attractions
Description: Also known as South Beach, this 3-mile-long barrier strand is the island’s largest public beach. It’s a favorite among surfers, who challenge heavy wave action of the mighty Atlantic pounding at its doorstep. (Watch for riptides, and check for swimming conditions!) In contrast to the Atlantic waves is a calm salt pond to the north of the beach. A shuttle bus runs between the beach and the center of Edgartown. Lifeguards are on patrol and bathhouses are available, but there are no concessions.
157. Lighthouse Beach
City: Cape Cod, MA
Category: Tours & Attractions
Description: Lighthouse Beach is a perfect place to watch boats entering and leaving the harbor. From here you get a nice view of Chappy and Cape Pogue. At night it’s an ideal spot for sunsets and stargazing. There are lifeguards at this beach, but no bathhouses or concessions. It’s called Lighthouse Beach because it’s right there beside the Edgartown Lighthouse.
158. Eastville Beach
City: Cape Cod, MA
Category: Tours & Attractions
Description: If you’re looking for a quiet stretch of shoreline along the harbor, you’ve found it. You can find Eastville Beach at the bridge between Oak Bluffs and Vineyard Haven. When you’re not being lulled by the gently lapping surf, you can watch the sails billowing in the breeze as the boats go tacking by. There are no lifeguards, restrooms, or concession stands.
159. Oak Bluffs Town Beach
City: Cape Cod, MA
Category: Tours & Attractions
Description: Oak Bluffs Town Beach straddles both sides of the ferry wharf, and its calm surf makes it ideal for families with small kids. It’s also a great spot to sit and wait for the ferry to come in. This beach has lifeguards on duty. Public restrooms are available nearby on the ferry dock, and various concessions are close by as well.
160. Aquinnah Beach
City: Cape Cod, MA
Category: Tours & Attractions
Description: A wooden boardwalk winds alongside the famous cliffs, through cranberry bogs and beach plum bushes, down to the surf. Below is Aquinnah Beach, a 5-mile-long stretch that is actually four beaches in one. From north to south they are Aquinnah, Moshup, Philbin, and Zack’s Cliffs. The last two beaches are private. The farther south you walk, the more isolated you find yourself. Fortunately, there are restrooms and concessions located at the head of the cliffs, though you won’t find any lifeguards out here. Be careful in the tricky surf. NOTE: The parking out here is a bit expensive—up to $15 a day.
161. Menemsha Public Beach
City: Cape Cod, MA
Category: Tours & Attractions
Description: Resting right beside the stone jetty at the entrance to Ditcher’s Dock, Menemsha Public Beach is a quiet place with a gentle surf and surprisingly few people. Sit and watch the fishing boats go in and out, or just kick back and catch some rays. Lifeguards, restrooms, and nearby concessions provide all the comforts.
162. East Beach
City: Cape Cod, MA
Category: Tours & Attractions
Description: Wasque Reservation and Cape Pogue Wildlife Refuge are adjoining beaches, known as East Beach, that run along the eastern coast of the island of Chappaquiddick. Even on the hottest day, you may find yourself the only one basking in the unspoiled glory. Because the beach sits at the end of a bumpy dirt road, it’s accessible only by boat or four-wheel-drive vehicle. There are no bathhouses, concessions, or lifeguards. To get to Chappaquiddick Island, you’ll need to take your car across on the On Time ferry. You will also have to pay a nominal fee to the Trustees of Reservations, which maintains and preserves the area. The beautiful beach is worth it, though.
City: Cape Cod, MA
Category: Tours & Attractions
164. Cedar Tree Neck Wildlife Sanctuary
City: Cape Cod, MA
Category: Tours & Attractions
Telephone: (508) 693-5207
Description: This 300-acre natural habitat and living museum is tucked among the unspoiled woods of West Tisbury. It’s a varied environment where freshwater ponds, brooks, scrub oaks, beech trees, bayberry bushes, rocky bluffs, and bogs all compete for your attention. The wooded color-coded trails offer many a delight: One leads to secluded North Shore Beach, another to a bird refuge, still another (the one starting at the parking lot) to the sanctuary’s summit and breathtaking views of the Aquinnah Cliffs. It is open year-round.
165. Felix Neck Wildlife Sanctuary
City: Cape Cod, MA
Category: Tours & Attractions
Telephone: (508) 627-4850
Description: Situated 3 miles outside of Edgartown and run by the Massachusetts Audubon Society, Felix Neck is a nature-lover’s dream come true—350 acres of open fields, woods, beaches, and marshlands inhabited by reptiles and other wildlife. In the summer, visitors can hike 6 miles of meandering, marked trails; be sure to look for the osprey nesting platforms. Throughout the year, professional naturalists offer various demonstrations and expeditions, including snake and bird walks, and stargazing and snorkeling sessions.An exhibition center features displays of fish, snakes, and turtles and also has a library and gift shop. Felix Neck also offers summer camps for kids during the season.