The 9 Best Connecticut Beaches
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1. Hammonasset Beach
rickpilot_2000 Great for:- Family
- Fishing
- Swimming
- Kitesurfing
Just over a hundred years ago, in July 2020, Hammonasset Beach State Beach opened to the public. It has been a popular destination ever since. Easy to access from I-95 Exit 62 and close to Madison, CT it attracts over a million visitors each year.
Once a settlement for native American Indians, the name "Hammonasset" means "place where we dig holes in the ground". By 1898 the Winchester Rifle Company… read more »
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2. Greenwich Point Park
Jllm06 Great for:- Fishing
- Swimming
- Kitesurfing
Greenwich Point Park Beach is located on a narrow peninsula of land that juts out from the northern shoreline of Long Island Sound. A private beach with public access via a day pass system costing around $10 per person plus parking, it was known to the Siwanoy people as Monakewego, or 'shining sands.'
Visit at low tide and you'll see exactly why, although most beachgoers choose to wear beach shoes or… read more »
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3. Silver Sands State Park
Adavyd Great for:- Swimming
Around 15 miles southwest of New Haven in Milford, Silver Sands Beach is located in the southwest corner of Silver Sands State Park, close to the Beaver's Dam scenic lookout. Running continuously with Walnut Beach, Silver Sands Beach is backed by a 1.2 km boardwalk suitable for wheelchairs and prams, which takes visitors over rehabilitated salt marsh.
The beach is protected in part by breakwaters and The Bar (or Tombolo),… read more »
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4. Calf Pasture Beach
Jllm06 Calf Pasture Beach is located roughly midway between New Haven and the New York state line. Facing south into Long Island Sound, the beach is officially open from May until October of each year. During these months lifeguards are on duty, while visitors can use facilities including public bathrooms.
Some of the earliest records for Calf Pasture Beach are from the seventeenth century, when early settlers used its peninsula as cattle… read more »
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5. Rocky Neck State Park East Beach
Idawriter Great for:- Family
- Swimming
The bathing beach at Rocky Neck State Park sits within sight of Old Lyme. A broad sweep of pale-coloured sand curving around its bay, it has a protected water's edge extending for several hundred yards thanks to its position at the mouth of the Four Mile River.
Gently sloping towards the water, and backed by a curtain of parkland, Rocky Neck State Park Beach is a great option for families with… read more »
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6. Sherwood Island State Park
© Noroton Great for:- Swimming
Sherwood Island lies to the south and east of Westport, at exit 18 of the I-95. Sherwood Beach is located on the island's southeast shore, and runs between the outlet of Greens Farms Brook and Sherwood Point, the island's southernmost extent.
Approximately half a mile in length, Sherwood Beach can have three different colours of sand when conditions on Long Island Sound are right and its waves divide the grains into… read more »
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7. Lighthouse Point
© Stu99 Great for:- Swimming
The beach at Lighthouse Point forms a dog-leg around the southern and western end of Lighthouse Point Park, in the East Shore district just south of downtown New Haven. This city beach is therefore an ideal spot from which to admire the natural beauty of Long Island Sound, in addition to Five Mile Point Light, a lighthouse dating from 1847.
Lighthouse Point Beach comprises an area of sand approximately 250 yards… read more »
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8. Fairfield Beach
© Joe Shlabotnik Fairfield Beach comprises approximately five miles of wide sandy beach on Long Island Sound. It forms a narrow spit or peninsula which runs continuously between Pine Creek Point to the south and Shoal Point to the north, the closest stretch of land to Penfield Reef.
Fairfield Beach's Long Island Sound location has made it a prime spot for building, with almost its entire length lined with often grandiose beachfront properties. These… read more »
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9. Pleasure Beach
Bill Pleasure Beach stands guard at the entrance to Bridgeport Harbour. On the same narrow barrier beach peninsula as the better-known Long Beach, Pleasure Beach has a much more natural appearance. Its pale sand is mixed with shingle and pebbles from Long Island Sound, alongside occasional pockets of coastal grasses and areas of washed-up seaweed.
Brought back to life in 2014, the area around Pleasure Beach had been Connecticut's largest ghost… read more »
