Good Harbor is still one of my all-time favorite New England beaches, but I haven't been going as…read moreoften since they switched to the app-based reservation system and we moved further away. I understand why they did it, as it's one of the most popular beaches in the area and for good reason. Our recent visit was amazing. We arrived while the tide was low and crossed over to the island, and what an amazing view it was. It was fantastic, but don't stay too long or miss when the tide is coming back, or you might have a hard time getting back and get soaked. If you haven't visited, do yourself a favor and enjoy!

Great beach! We love coming here for the soft sand and fun waves. During low tide there are tide…read morepools and a river the kids can explore, plus an island you can reach via a sandbar. During high tide there's still plenty of beach. The parking is great - plentiful and stretches across the whole beach, making it easier to spread out and you never have to walk far.

This beach had a lot of crittery lil' hermit crabs crawling about. Good vibes here, mostly. The…read moreocean flowed. Sun was bright + gorge. The seagulls here, though, are dang near rabid! Call a Rabbi. The birds need blessings. Insanely beautiful beach, overall. For real. Probably one of the most top-rated beaches throughout New England. Wear a swimsuit here. Lounge here. Catch a ray. Hang 10, if you must. Phone a friend? Connect. Or disconnect, whatever. Sand was fluffy, not rocky. Tide was low, not too dank. 'One last hurrah for the summer,' I said to the pals. Store near entrance. Ice cream was available for purchase. Parking = pay by app.

Wow!! I can't believe this beach is in Massachusetts! This is hands down the best beach I've been…read moreto in the state. I've been living on the North Shore for almost 9 years now, and today was my first time at Wingaersheek Beach. I can gladly say this is now my favorite beach ever!! We got there around 11 AM and stayed until 4 PM, and honestly, I could've stayed even longer. If you're not a Gloucester resident, parking is $40+ AND you need to make a reservation in advance. Personally, I actually like this because it helps keep the beach from getting overly crowded, especially since it's a smaller beach and, in my opinion, the best one! They also have a small food spot with burgers, hot dogs, salads, ice cream, lemonade, iced coffee, and more. There's also a little shop with beach essentials like chairs, sandcastle toys, towels, etc., which is super convenient. And of course, they have bathrooms! Such a beautiful and lovely beach. Seriously, I'm already looking forward to coming back!

To get here from Boston/Cambridge/Somerville, take the Rockport line from North Station. The ride…read moreis about 55 minutes and costs $21 round-trip. The beach is a 10-15 minute walk from the train platform and easy to find (hint: take Beach Street). $10 to walk on for the day -- cash only. I believe it's $30-35 for the day to park & walk on, so with the train ticket it's roughly a wash. The building next to the beach has a snack bar and decent bathrooms, which also have showers and changing areas so that you can wash the sand off and put dry clothes on before taking the train or driving home. The beach itself is very beautiful, and the water is relatively calm, cold, and clear -- great for swimming.

Went after October 14th beach was basically a dog park, very fun for my dog. Beautiful.read more

Dramatic cliff views of the expanse of ocean before you, trails for dogs and strollers, the sound…read moreof the waves as you walk, golden orange and red and brown leaves all around you. What's not to love? 5 stars!!!

A very beautiful place to go for a walk! As a Trustee…read moreMember, I can park for free but otherwise it is about $5. Still not bad for the beautiful hike around quarries and the ocean. Everything is well maintained and it is very relaxing.

Wonderful beach and clean Parking is reasonable and the…read moreparking staff are wonderful and helpful. The parking lot owner has the beach patrolled each morning to assure a clean beach. There is a food truck everyday and ice cream truck on the weekends. I can't say enough about the personal attention taken to provide a nice beach experience.

Lovely beach in Rockport. I visit every year with my family. Great place in the summer to get some…read moresun and avoid the heat in the cities.

It is absolutely beautiful. We just sat and looked at the waves. And talked to people. The locals…read morein this great community are very friendly. There are also many dog owners out and about. We sat, talked to people we had never met, played with many a dog, admired the tulips and the beauty of the park and watched the waves crash against the shore. This is a must visit for any park lover, flower lover, ocean and beach lover, outdoors lover and..well you get the point. It is a great place to spend some time and I think it would be a joy to live here! Five lovely stars.

Nice park, and the beach area is very nice but very tiny. No food concessions, no changing rooms,…read moreno usable showers. Advance parking reservation is required and expensive. App did not provide confirmation email as promised. I did download my QR code, as required, which the attendant seemed mystified by. He eventually let me in.

My husband and I found this cozy little beach area years ago. Parking is along the water but get…read morethere early. We have in the past brought a small grill to cook hotdogs on the sand or rocks, not sure if this is still allowed? The water is super clean and cold! Oh yeah the parking if you find one is free but again get there early. It is a very quiet spot, not sure if kids would enjoy it much. Trish

Dangerous beach, this beach experiences very dangerous and out of control shore-breaks, when there…read moreare waves their basically hazardous large waves smashing up against the rocks on shore, strong undertow could knock you off your feet pull you in before getting wrecked in shallow water full of pebbles by massive wave crashing on the beach, do not surf or swim here on larger surf

I love this beach and it is my favorite beach in New England. The beach is impeccably clean…read morebecause most of it is maintained by private beach associations. The sand is beautifully fine and soft, unlike many of the rocky beaches in New England. I have passed out a great number of times in this sand with a hangover... nothing feels better when working off a night of drinks. Leave your boogie board at home, because there are no waves at this beach. It is wonderful to walk this beach. It is about a mile and a half from end to end. At low tide you can walk over to Wingaersheek beach and head out on the sand bar. Just be sure to make it back relatively quick since the tide comes in fast. The water doesn't get deep fast. In fact at low tide you have to walk very far out to get over your waist. This is really good for small children, but it can get annoying for grown ups who just want to cool off and not walk a half mile to get deep enough. There is also no undertow at all and this is also great to keep kids from getting swept out to sea. The beach is not crowded at all since the people that come are mainly residents and vacationers and there is no public parking. What you lack in eye candy is made up by not having to listen to other people's pain in the ass kids. If you do have some brats nearby, there is tons of room to move your stuff to. There are no concession stands, public parking, public access or lifeguards, but there is peace, beauty and quiet. The only warning is that like other beaches beside salt marches, the beach gets green head flies from the first full moon in July until the first full moon in August. For some reason between those two full moons... these huge vampire flies infest the Gloucester and Ipswich beaches. If you forget your bug spray, you might as well leave... they suck that much and they can ruin a trip for the unprepared. They are the most painful bitches that will have even the most reserved cursing like Ralphie in the Christmas Story... they are relentless just like horseflies but the bite is more painful.

Coffin's beach is almost 2 miles of white fine powder sand - surrounded by beautiful white sand…read moredunes. It is a very flat beach and when the tide goes out the beach is well over 500 feet deep and it exposes a large multi acre submerged rock (called Bald Rocks) where kids and adults alike can explore and find lobster, crabs, star fish, sea urchins, sea clams, horseshoe crabs. The beach is so vast and expansive you can literally sit 100 yards away from the next person if you so choose. Parking is an issue - but you can park at the next door public beach Wingaersheek and walk over the rocks that separate the private beach from the smaller public beach. At low tide you can walk in the sand. Sand bars allow you to walk out 100's of yards at low tide and be in only waist deep water. This beach is very kid friendly as there is no real current and no rip tide. Access in and out are limited so that a child who isn't being watched has little opportunity to leave the vicinity. Overall I would say this is the best beach I have had the opportunity to visit and it's a hidden treasure as few people other then the local residents use this natural wonder. Another thing to see is the 1000's of sand dollars which are easy to find at low tide - especially in the sprint and early summer before the tourists and summer residents collect them! Just be sure not to take the black ones as they are still alive!

In the 1940's my grandparents had a camp on the hill at Mrs.Robinson's above the Cove…read more So many fond memories! Pampi's rock ( over to the right with Antico painted on it), Noni selling raffels to any and all, for a huge cable sweater ( that I had to carry down to the cove everyday) that my aunt had knit. The rubber shoes we wore to get over the pebbles at water's edge. Diving off the rocks in the middle. Learned how to swim in school there in the water. Calm, small, great for children. Loved the sunsets.The water color of the sunset on Plum cove by Bernie Gerstner is one of my favorites.

Plum Cove is a small resident only beach on Ipswich Bay. There is a lifeguard from Father's Day…read moreuntil Labor Day from 9am - 5pm. The beach has limited parking and vehicles must have a resident parking sticker. Port-o-pottie on site.