Yesterday was our first trip here. A friend of my mother's recommended it so we checked it out. We thought it was pretty cute. There's plenty of sand to put a blanket down and not many shells or rocks to step on. Someone below mentioned seaweed but there was barely any yesterday. I don't count 3 or 4 pieces as a lot of seaweed. It's also very kid/family friendly. Maybe not the place to go if you want to party with your friends though. The water is really warm, and very calm. Someone also mentioned "boat oil" in the water, but my mom thinks it sunblock from all the little ones in the water-as it was only where all the little kids are (and yes, there are parked boats near by) but they test the water daily and there was none a bit further down away from the crowd. Mom spoke with some locals and they recommended getting there around 9am on the weekends to beat the rush for the parking lot. There's also a bandstand with free concerts over the summer. The only thing I wouldn't recommend is Marc Anthony's pizza place. The guy at the counter was pretty rude to us, and the fried clams were just so so. Next time we're going to try Stash's right across from the parking lot. We stopped in there for a menu after the bad experience at Marc's and found they have a nice outdoor seating area plus we could have gotten the clam plate $3 cheaper with much friendlier staff inside. The menu at Stash's is pretty big & they have ice cream & alcohol too! Get there early on the weekends if you want to park easy or try it during the week! :) read more

Perfect beach not overly crowded and easy to park on the street and lots of good food around . read more

Onset Beach - Canoodling on the beach - Beaches Near Me - East Wareham, Massachusetts

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Cute beach on Buzzards Bay. First time in my life I have ever seen the sand being groomed. So nice for walking barefoot Parking is pretty cheap. Only $2 per hour if you don't have a resident permit. Be aware that the parking kiosks only take credit cards or coins. Dollar bills are not accepted. Since you are on the bay, little to no waves. Water is pretty shallow quite a ways out. read more

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Cute clean beach. Doesn't seem to pack as much as other beaches. You can find lots of free parking on the street if you don't mind walking a little extra. Love that there are no waves. This would be a perfect beach to bring young kids to. read more

We had a machine installation in West Wareham, MA. Onset beach is about 15 minutes away from our site. We used to stay close to installation site but it was pretty boring with very few restaurant choices so we decided to stay by the beach. The morning run around the beach can be refreshing before going to work. There are a few small but neat restaurants around the corner and grocery store. I wouldn't come here especially for vacation but this can be a pleasant experience if not crowded. read more

Great beach! But unfortunately the town has made enjoying it a hassle with it's new parking program. Apparently they've forgotten if people don't come to enjoy the town and it's amenities then more businesses will fail and less money is brought forth in tax revenue! Don't see anything positive developing from this program. Apparently they're banking on over burdening the tourists the 3 or 4 months of it's seasonal existence. I just see more business being lost and more businesses failing! ****update **** And now they've removed trash barrels from the town!! What do these parking fees support??? Bring it in, bring it out??? That's how to bring tourism revenue in!! read more

This is my favorite beach by far! The sand and water is kept to near perfect condition. Plus its not as packed as a lot of other beaches, but Onset is just as good. Being up the street from some food shops and specialty stores makes this beach even better, since its all in walking distance. read more

Ok, I live here in Onset so a review of the beach area is essential. The sand is remarkable, soft and quite clean. During the busy season the vast beach is quite clean and is checked off weekly. Water too is superb, no question about that and it matters little what part of the summer you arrive. read more

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Pure white sand, clean water with really no waves (good for swimming and little kids), parking is cheap ($2 an hour in the lot or free if you can find a spot on the street), Marc Anthony's pizza is right there along with ice cream and candy shops, the Quahaug Republic etc... A perfect beach and best of all, no bridge traffic. read more

Crowded, bathrooms on the pier dirty, too close to boats for my liking. Ice cream nearby, parking is VERY LIMITED and expensive.

really nice beach. I prefer beaches right on the open ocean myself but if I am in the area I would stop here. parking is pretty cheap

Point Independence Beach has been a great summer get away for years. This year, the lack of seaweed clean up has made it very poor. I've contacted the beach cleaning crew and all i get is the cleaning machine is not working. It seems if the beach cleaning was done on a regular basis the machine wouldn't be so overloaded and breaking down so much, not to mention the beaches would be clean too. Hopefully the town can get ahead of this one and fix the problem. Fingers crossed! read more

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Onset Beach has been referred to as the Gem of the Southcoast Beaches in leading Tourist Summer magazines. It is true...Onset Beach is gorgeous...white sand, smooth no rocks to hurt your toes..artisticly arched to Shell Point at the end...Shell Point is such a romantic summit...you will love walking on the Beach anytime. People do not bother you and it is safe. Beautiful aging homes outline the beachfront, turn your head and look out onto the sea for miles....people like to fish off the Pier...In the summer, there is the Viking (a cruise ship) for Canal tours, entertainment sea trips, you can charter it also...Come and visit anytime you are in Onset and enjoy! read more

What an awesome vacation me and my family had in Onset! This beach is amazing and was so cool to the kids to see boats parked out in the water so close. The beach is really clean and most visitors were families with kids so their were endless playmates for the kids and everyone was extremely nice. Next time we are going to go on the little cruise they have off the dock! read more

If you're staying in or near Wareham, this is a fine, easy to get to beach to spend a day at. I've seen some reviews that parking is a problem, but although the lot was full when we arrived, there was plenty of street parking without having to walk too far. The beach is not the fanciest or anything, but the waters are calm, there are kayak and paddle board rentals available, and the little downtown area has plenty of food/ice cream options. I thought the sand was comfortable and the water, although a little too full of seaweed and close to docked boats, was pleasant. But the beach is kinda small, so if you're looking for seclusion or quiet you should find another beach. read more

It's definitely my go to beach. Never would be. The sand is actually dirty... Like.. Leaves you brown. ( Only beach I've ever seen that at. ) the water has jelly fish , crabs and mole crabs in it... The restaurants near by aren't all that great. At all. Half of them weren't even open at 1pm... read more

Checked out this beach. It was jam packed with people. The water seemed stagnant like a pond. Very murky. Lots of seaweed and fish. Small parking lot. Did not check out the bathrooms because we left after 30 minutes. Even the kids did not like it. read more

Onset is a pretty bay beach, which has a nice harbor/marina type view. I wouldn't go into the water, as it's only feet away from the marina and boat fueling. The water also looks very stagnant and murky. It is a nice place to catch some sun and look at the water and boats. There seems to be a lot of potential here for a beautiful beach town, but it seems the town isn't interested in making that happen. There is trash all over the streets, the park areas and on/around every bench. We couldn't find a single trash barrel outside in Onset Village. Ironically enough, there are signs everywhere (even engraved into the sidewalk) asking you to keep Onset clean. Seems like money spent on the message of "clean" would have been better spent making the systems to keep it clean. One store had plastic buckets lining the sidewalk saying, "For gum and butts... not rubbish." We put our trash in it, but it looks like most people followed the signs and just threw their rubbish on the sidewalks. Only shop I went into was Nana's Ice Cream and it was a mistake. Overall, Onset Beach is a nice area for a walk, but I wouldn't swim or vacation there. However, it's such a pretty area that I'm determined to find a decent restaurant with outdoor seating. Anyone with a suggestion, let me know. read more

Today was my first time going to onset beach. It is a very cute beach and the water is really nice there's plenty of sand and not too many shells or rocks. There is also a small little restaurant and a place where you can rent kayaks and go paddle boarding. It was really fun. read more

This is a nice little beach with little waves and clean sand. The kids found lots of sea creatures to play with. However, after a hour or so, we were told there was sewer leak which prevented us from going into the water. So our review is 4 stars instead of 5. read more

This beach sucks there is no where to park unless you would like a ticket or you will get your car towed....forget about ittttt onset sucks the sand is dirty the people dont like if your from out of town like they own onset..dont bother driving tere its a waste of your gas read more

i used to love onset beach as one of the emptiest and cleanest public beaches in mass. this year, they removed all trash cans and trash barrels from all public areas on onset, citing lack of funds. as a result, the beaches and the rest of the village are drowning in refuse from used condoms to dog poop. the main beach couldn't be filthier--definitely a health hazard. read more

If this is your idea of a beach: very coarse sand (gritty), lots of small rocks at the shoreline, water that has a odd oil-like sheen on it ~ probably from the diesel-powered charter boat that goes to and fro from the pier and the plethora of boats docked in the water, tufts of sea grass on the sand) cigarette butts discarded in the sand (just lovely :() and people smoking cigarettes near you (gross)and people who tend to park themselves a foot away from you when there is room for them to spread out...then this is the beach for you! Parking was cheap enough : I parked across from the beach, paid a fee of $2 for 2 hours, and walked across. I've been once, and can definitely cross this little "gem" (NOT) off of my bucket list. For anyone who loves a breath-taking beach, with soft, shell-free, rock-free, sea-weed free sand, more than enough room for your beach neighbor to sit several feet away from you, ample FREE parking, or for a mere $5, you can purchase a parking permit for all day and park on the beach ~ look into New Smyrna Beach in FL. That's a beach...not sure how to define Onset Beach. read more