Plum Island Beach, in Newburyport, is a great & lowkey beach on the North Shore to go to! The beach is clean & pretty quiet, mostly locals. Much less congested compared to the popular beaches in MA & no traffic jams. I usually only come here if I'm planning a trip to see my friends in Newburyport ;) Not sure how much the parking is; I park at a friend's house. Very calm beach ONLY THING IS, avoid going in the month of July, OR be very careful of the greenhead flies! They are everywhere here during that month & their bites hurt lol. Not sure if greenheads are only specific to this beach in particular, however, I've only really ever experienced this here. read more

Visited plum island beach river side of it. I was sad to see how much they let things go there but still charge $15 to park?Trash on the beach / glass. The wooden wall way was closed off on the parking lot side and on the beach side the stairs/ramp removed. The view is still beautiful. They no longer have life guards on duty.. read more

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Wonderful beach! Plenty of parking & nice bathrooms. Beach is very pretty . I look forward to my next visit!

Great scenic area. Plenty of nature! On the way there you can view beautiful marinas and historic sites. Love it here! read more

Great spot if you want a nice quiet day. Far enough away from the two beaches that have boardwalks and much more traffic. Beach is gorgeous and plenty of space to spread out. Easy to park and walk right to the beach. Parking is about $10 and there are no beach fees. Bring lunch and beverages. They have a little beach restaurant but mainly has ice cream only. read more

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If you live in the Boston Area and don't want to drive over an hour to Cape Cod for crowded beaches, Plum Island is the spot for you. The beach is very clean and the sand is nice. It is never crowded and you can almost guarantee yourself a nice beach spot to set up camp and have a great day. The water is never too cold and you can always count on a fun time in the water if you find yourself hot and ready for a cool down. If you plan to visit this beautiful beach, be prepared to drop some $$ on parking as it is scarce throughout the island. Also, If you are into wildlife, the $5 entry to the Plum Island Refuge can provide a fun time with many different boardwalks and beaches. read more

Plum Island Beach - Beautiful day on the beach - Beaches Near Me

Not the best beach in the area especially once it gets crowded. It also is kind of a gross beach compared to other north shore beaches.

Costly - $20/day for parking, and you're really not able to park far away and walk as it's a peninsula with narrow, mostly residential side roads. The beach itself is clean, however, and wasn't too crowded when we went, although it was near the end of the day (mostly because parking is so cost prohibitive during the day... but also because I thought there was a beach in Newburyport, and there isn't). read more

It's mostly quiet beach. Very minimum amount of stores or even bars. Surrounding is very low key/low profiled. I was a little concerned because the beach looked eroded a lot comparing to what I remember from 4 years ago. Is this another indication of global warming? Only disturbance is people who sit next to you. If they were younger than mid 20 and sounding like locals, be aware. They just blossom their conversation with loads of local gossip and trip down to Boston and how bad they got shitfaced while they were down there. It was quite painful to listen to and I was thinking in my head "Duuuude... can't you guys just take a nap like I am?" In my personal experiences, going to the beaches in Gloucester area is quite painful to get to because of the heavy traffic jam has been inevitable. But trip to Plum Island is consistently smooth. I would definitely prefer here if I weren't willing to sit through the traffic. Parking ranges from $10-15. read more

Best way to spend an Indian Summer Sunday? Definitely Plum Island. The lateness of season didn't prevent a nice 20-car line out the gate when we arrived at about 2:00 in the afternoon, but this beautiful beach was totally worth the wait. Parking was $5, greenheads were nowhere to be found, and the water, while cold, was swimmable. BOOM. The parking lot at the tip was full, but the beach we were at was perfectly fine, though the lot for that was pretty small, too. On a prime summer beach day in July/August, getting here early in the AM would be key to nab one of these precious spots. Overall: beautiful and serene, but not as secluded as Crane Beach down the shore, which I actually think is a good thing. Newburyport is bustling with great shops and places to eat when you're beached out for the day. NOT public transit accessible, unless there's a bus from the commuter rail station that I don't know about. Which there may be. read more

Plum Island Beach - Indian summer! - Beaches Near Me

Came on a Monday in August. Arrived around 10, and there was plenty of parking in the main lot near by the bathrooms. There are other parking lots, but only the main one has a bathroom. The entrance fee was $5.00, or you could buy a year pass for $20.00. The beach is nice. Not rocky, not seaweed-y - just sandy. The tide was really high when I was there, and it was a big drop off a few feet into the water. I wasn't there at low tide, but I imagine that would be ideal. read more

If you want to enjoy this beautiful, secluded, 5-star beach then there are 2 vital questions that you must ask and answer before you even walk out the door. 1. Is it greenhead season? This beach is mostly impassable in July because of the overwhelming fly population. They will dive bomb you and eat your entire family. Their stings draw blood and it feels like getting shot with a BB gun. Trust me, just stay away until August rolls around. 2. Is parking lot 6 open? Parking lot 6 is at the far southern end of Plum Island and provides access to the most secluded and picturesque part of the beach. It is closed for most of the year due to nesting Piping Plovers but it's certainly worth the trip when this parking lot is open (check the website or call). There's only room for about 20 cars so get here early! The small parking lot is highly beneficial though because it doesn't allow for large crowds. If you can get the logistics right then you'll be treated to one of New England's most beautiful beaches. read more

beautiful beach. parking is really annoying during peak season and usually need to pay. water is nice to swim in.

This is a really excellent beach. I should start by saying I am no expert in beaches. I've been to the Outer Banks and to all sorts of Great Lakes beaches, but I'm new to the Atlantic coast, and aren't really a huge fan of beaches to begin with. So Sunday morning I was just looking for a nearby beach to enjoy the first hot summer weekend at. I couldn't believe my eyes when I read that beaches around here (Crane, Singing) actually cost over $20 to go to! I'd never been to a paying beach in my life, and I didn't really feel like starting. I had a hard time finding detailed information about Plum Island beach (some sites made it sound like it was closed April 1st for bird nesting). Turns out there are several different beaches, some inside the actual reservation on Plum Island, others not. The beach you see when you first drive onto the island looked very crowded, so my wife and I paid the $5 for entrance to the reservation and parked in the only lot open, Lot 1. It was a quick two minute walk to the beach. The beach was ... well, a beach! Beautiful, expansive, with soft sand. Fairly crowded, but very easy to find a spot. I'd highly recommend it to anyone looking to enjoy nature without having to pay much for it. read more

This was our first real beach visit in MA (I say real because we walked along the beach in colder weather, but this is the first time actually in the water). It was an overall pleasant experience, except for the wind. It was only rated at 6mph (based on the weather channel) but it was throwing sand around everywhere. The sand literally hurt as it was flinging all over and around us. Maybe we are just not used to New England beaches? Even at the windiest times in Cali, we never had sand blowing like this. Otherwise, as mentioned, it was a pleasant experience, The beach is nice and clean, and there is plenty of room to spread out. Life guards also seemed generally concerned about the public as they were reminding them of no boogie boards, made sure they weren't going too far out when the tide was coming in, etc. That was nice, again, something I am not used to from California beaches. There actually ARE rest rooms, although I wasn't blown away by then. They are just standard beach bathrooms to me. The person that mentioned porta potties... I assume you were at a different part of the beach. There are various parts with beach access, I am sure not all are the same. Anyway, being that there is actual running water in the bathrooms, I found it strange there were no showers of any kind. How hard would it be to do an outdoor tap to let people wash the sand off? yeah, again, maybe I am a little spoiled. Anyway, there are various parking spots for around $5-$10, so that is relatively affordable, especially compared to other places that charge up to $25. That's another thing I can;t quite wrap my head around... high beach parking prices. On one hand, it's an all day pass. On the other hand, you feel obligated to spend the day at the beach as you are dropping the money anyway. Would be nice to see some hourly options. read more

I can't believe the stunning reviews this beach got...OR maybe I am just a beach snob as I was raised on the Cape and am not too familiar with north shore beaches. I will say this, someone on here mentioned the nice rest rooms. What rest rooms? There were disgusting porta potties! Also, Jeanie's, the snack shack had closed so there was no available spot for food on the beach unless you walked up to the dirty convenience store. That was my first and last time for Plum Island... read more

After reading MANY beach reviews, BFF and I decided to check out Plum Island for her birthday. We were here the very last day in July and the beach was GORGEOUS. + Bathrooms were clean + Parking was $10 + I only saw 2 flies the whole time we were there + Lots of open sand +Pretty quiet for a weekend in the summer - Beach had a steep slope down to the water, but no biggie - The water was COLD! All in all, we made a good choice. She got to swim, I got to lounge, we picked up some cool shells. I'd come back for sure. read more

I was swimming and my feet touched something with scales. I ignored it at first, but kept touching it becoming concerned. I freaked out and peed a bit. It turns out it was my brother pulling a prank on me. The beach itself was pretty nice, but my experience wasn't. read more

Right by Newburyport, this beach is very secluded. I had a great day there. I went for a photo shoot, during which we didn't run into ANYONE, and got some great pictures on the wooden board walk down to the beach. Afterwards I went back to Newburyport and had a delicious dinner! Perfect trip for a day off. read more

The beach itself was nice but got very narrow during high tide. Had some nice waves though. We went on a very crowded day (a Sunday in July) so parking was a bit challenging even in the lot. Paid $12 to park. There is a nice boardwalk going from the parking lot to the beach but the end was a sloping ramp with lots of sand on it so was easy to slip. There were lifeguards on duty but seemed like no one else was supervising the place. The sandy ramp was dangerous and the bathrooms were pretty gross. No toilet paper and no paper towels. There was a porta potty also which was totally disgusting (almost filled to the brim) and of course no paper. The two bathrooms were locked up at around 5:30pm thus the necessity of the porta potty. Even though the beach was pretty I don't think we will go back due to the inconveniences. read more

Plum Island Beach - Beaches Near Me

Love the beach on Plum Island. It is very clean and there is plenty of room to keep to yourself. It is everything that Hampton Beach isn't. I went with a group of a dozen friends or so and we were able to drink our beers and play "Bags" with out bothering anyone. I will be going back again this summer! read more

This is such a gorgeous and relaxing beach. As a child I remember taking a school bus from New Hampshire with my entire class to spend a day at Plum Island. It was such a beautiful field trip and I feel so lucky to have had experiences like this is a child. I'm not sure of why people are so upset that this beach doesn't have luxuries like a changing room and things like that but it is a very simple place and is very uncomplicated. If you love to be outside, and you love the beach... you will love it here. read more

Great beach. Literally, my new home. I can walk to the beach in 2 minutes. The best part is the Plum Island Refuge and all the walking trails to explore. Sandy Point, the end of the refuge, is a landscape unlike any other beach on the North Shore. Watch out for the quicksand and be very alert to the tides or you could get stuck out there, though. I just wish there were more tidepools. read more

Definitely a hidden gem. Only $10 to park on weekdays. We showed up at 2 on a Friday and there was plenty of parking. The beach was clean. Water is very calm. Only down side is that the bathrooms were nasty. read more

Pristine beach. I've been coming here for over a decade and absolutely love it every time. They close down part of the reservation during mating/breeding season of particular endangered species but there is still plenty of beach to go around. Reservation wise, sandy point fills up quickly and can get a little crowded so claim your stake early with a big blanket. The rest of the space is pretty free real estate. FYI you can bring dogs on the off-season to the beach just outside the reservation! read more

Plum Island Beach - Beaches Near Me

The beach itself is nice, but it is jut sand and ocean. No bathrooms. No hose to wash off. No food. Very little parking. There are port a potties, but no where to clean up and change after the day. There are are beaches just as pretty and nice that have these accommodations read more

This is as good as it gets when in Massachusetts. There are two parts of Plum Island. There is the nature refuge - gorgeous, but beware of the greenhead flies. Certain times in the summer they are out (July). You will not be able to sit still b/c they bite. The views and tidepools are gorgeous at the far end. You need to get there early b/c there is very limited parking. Aside from the refuge, there is another beach that doesn't have flies - phew. The beach is clean and I liked swimming in the water. Check it out! read more

I'm typically there every Saturday morning during beach season shore line fishing for stripers. The beach has changed over the many years I have come due to erosion for the most part. I really hate that there are bottles and cans left behind by people who don't care. I try my best to pick up most trash that I come across but in truth it is still a nice quiet beach. Not very crowded and you can see clear across to Salisbury. Highly recommend this beach. Just beware of green head season in July, they are killer. Parking is cheap and what is cool is if you make it there early enough you can see beautiful models doing their photo shoots read more

Living on the island makes me a bit biased. However I can honestly say plum island is only second to Cranes beach. There is that thin line of letting others know how nice the islands beach really are as it only means less space on my own secret island. read more

What the F is up with all those goddamned flies?! Other than that it was a perfect New England beach day. Great beach, cheap parking, just far enough away from the city, and not too many people on the beach itself. read more

It was a really nice time. Not too many people to be loud, but enough to make people watching entertaining.

Very clean beach not very croweded. Parking will cost about $20. There is a local grocery store and pizza shop. No changing area but does have a porter pottys. Liquor is not allowed in the beach. Wish there were more entertainments around but enjoyed swimming in a clean beach. read more

Love this beach! If you plan right, you can get great parking and a beautiful day in the sun. While there isn't much around the beach, a short drive and Newburyport is a great way to unwind after a day at the beach :) read more

Visited yesterday on the first 90 degree beach weekend of the summer. Parking was probably full earlier in the day, but fine in the afternoon. Expect to pay $10-$20 for parking depending on the day and time, $5-$6 for evening in some places. Most of the southern beach was closed off, but there was still plenty of room in the northern, more residential reaches. The beach sand is of a medium tan, slightly coarse variety. Quite comfortable for walking barefoot on the beach or in the surf. The beach is a little steeper than most, but not annoyingly so. There are some small rock jutties to climb on in places, and dunes and marshland behind the beach to admire. The crowd is considerably less rowdy than Revere, a lot of families who live nearby seem to come here. There were some flies that landed on me while laying down that needed some swatting, but it wasn't overwhelming and I didn't get bitten. (Might not be the season for that.) There were some banners up in town saying area residents were having a fundraiser to put out more fly traps, as it happens. Didn't see any restroom facilities; maybe those were farther north. Only a short drive to downtown Newburyport; lots of places to grab food there and a nice area to walk around while drying off. read more

Plum island is a beautiful place to live ,visit or even stay for a vacation! The all year islanders are wonderful people that are always willing to give a hand if needed! The local business there are cute and charming and everything has there on tid-bit of history to it and special touch! From the light house to the Reservation and the small air port right before the bridge going on to plum island are all places you must see! Every night there is a beautiful sun set that takes your breath away & The wild life you get to see ( don't forget to bring your camera) Must places to check out is : Plum island grill Plum island Beachcoma Plum island reservation Captain lady boat trip also fishing and wale watching great with kids and family ! There is also a park that's redone over for all ages at the point of the plum island seconds from the beach ! You can do your own fishing , tanning and find all kind of sea creatures and sand dollars! Take a moment to visit ! And check out moe's package store for all your beer wine and other needs! Plum island soap company is one other place u must check out for gifts for your self family and what nots! I send my friend and grandmother stuff from there every year !! And they live in Germany! everything is 100% hand made nationally! Five stars for plum island + clean beaches ! read more

The nature side of the island is kind of unknown to most. It's not a very popular beach, even though it's clean and roomy enough for rows of beach-goers. Peaceful most of the time. read more

We went to the most North part of Plum Island and it was beautiful! There was a small, historical lighthouse, you can see Salisbury beach across, the mouth of the Merrimack River, and two rock jetties. The parking was $10. And the parking guy gave us a map so we could see other stuff around the area (Newburyport and such). Saw some people fishing for striped bass. Went looking for sea glass and shells. Very secluded, quiet, clean, and overall, peaceful. Will be back next summer! read more

Just spent a week as a guest at a wonderful beachfront home on Plum Island. Felt like I was on a nature retreat; the beaches were clean, quiet, serene and truly "Chicken Soup for the Soul". Also enjoyed YANKEE HOMECOMING days in Newburyport; the restaurants are first class. Great seafood. The high point of the stay was a drive up the coast to New Hampshire and then Maine. Wow, saw three state lines in an hour! Excellent travel to Logan Airport then to the Park & Ride - all completed in two hours from Richmond VA! read more

I will never go back. First: let it be clear that this island is beautiful, the water is clean, and the beach is clean. Yesterday, the greenheads were out on the beach, but they were only a pest from time to time. DEET addressed it adequately. Beefs: This island is huge, the public space is miles long. Only a 50 yard long publc beach was open. The rest of the public island space was closed down, as in, no people. This during the high beach season in New England. At this 50 yard stretch of beach is an excellent public restroom on which no expense was spared. It goes up two stories, is clad is handsome gray shingles, and hot water comes out of the spigots in the restroom. Oh, but--there is NO POTABLE WATER. That's right, no spigots with cold water for drinking or rinsing the sand off your feet before you head home. This place probably cost twice what it cost to build my house and the omission of a water fountain or or outdoor place to rinse off sand and salt is a pointed and obviously intentional omission. It cost 5 bucks to get into the reserve and I would have paid an extra 15 just to get a place to refill my water bottle and get salt off my face before I get in the car. It's clear to me that the beach is a grudging concession to humans on this public land and the people in charge would rather you just not go there, please, and leave this place just to the plovers. Yeah, you go it. Water temp about 62 degrees, zero surf, zero wind. I do have to report that the bottleheads got to science fiction levels when we left late in the afternoon, but only in the parking lot. I recommend you DEET up *before* you cross the dunes to the lot when you depart. read more

This reminds me of a time long ago when I brought my 3 sons now in their late 30s and early 40s to Plum Island for the day. There was a sign at the entrance to the refuge "Greenheads no refunds" We had traveled 80 miles so in we went. Yes the greenheads were awful but we made a game out of it. I had read in Organic Gardening that Japanese Beetles didn't like the smell of their own dead and to make a concoction in your blender of ground up beetles to keep them off your plants. Sounds disgusting but we smeared dead flies on ourselves and it helped ..also gave us something to do besides swat flies .We were the only ones on the beach until...and this is going to sound like script from a movie...a bus load of nuns showed up in full habit...those poor flies had no where to bite them....Those nuns had the time of their lives...I can still see them lifting their habits to go frolocking in the water...My sons laugh every time I mention it...Talk about making lemonade out of a lemon of a day! read more