We just went to a free yoga class on Spectacle Island. It was fantastic!! You need to preregister and pay for the boat trip but the yoga class was free! Great instructor, beautiful day. You could make a day out of it, bring your sneaks and swim suit and take advantage of what the islanders to offer. The only complaint I had about this trip was the food. Barbara Lynch should be ashamed to have this food associated with her name. For starters, a BLT should NEVER be a panini! The lettuce was sparse and old. The bacon was not done. My friend had the lobster roll, same old tired lettuce and the lobster was not sweet. Pack a lunch and enjoy the island! read more

Who needs Nantucket, the Vineyard, or the Cape when you can go to swimming or kayaking at the beach, surround yourself in abundant foliage, and take a hike where you get a 360 view of the close-up Boston skyline, the Harbor, and the other islands? This island has a special place in Boston history as well - 100 years ago it was a local weekend getaway and 50 years ago it was the city dump. Yes, you're hiking on top of a landfill! The government packed down all the waste with the leftover soil form the Big Dig and recreated a New England ecosystem on top. TOTALLY RAD!! In addition to the natural magnificence and historical intrigue the park provides, there's tons of stuff to do!! The Park Service puts on tons of free events all season. My first trip there, a volunteer lead a birdwatching hike. All the rangers went on it and also told us all about the local plant life (of course, I was especially interested in the edible plant life - I will make Sumac tea next summer, I swear) and the invasive species they spar with on a regular basis (including the dreaded pepperweed). [The hike also took us to Thompson Island, where we saw both natural and artificially-created salt marshes.] Once the hike was over, our group sat down in rocking chairs outside the Spectacle Island Tourist Center. A live jazz band played a free show while we rocked and gazed out onto the marina (with the city skyline in the distance). It's $14 for a round-trip ferry ride - such a deal. Also, if you volunteer to pull weeds for 4 hours, you get to go for free!! Spectacle Island: the best part of the Big Dig! read more

A short, pleasant ferry ride to one of the Boston Harbor Islands. Spectacle has a nice dock/wharf with picnic tables and umbrellas, a lodge-like building with bathrooms and a snack bar, and separate changing room and open showers by the beach, and a couple gazebos on each Drumlin. We didn't take the guided tour around the island (ranger guided, 40 min), but we did summit the North Drumlin. A nice little hike, not strenuous at all, on wide gravel trails with lots of picnic tables to stop at. There's not a lot of shade though, only at the gazebos. The beach is small, with lots of shells, and swimming is allowed. Overall, a nice half day destination with some cool views. read more

Spectacle Island is great for a day trip if you live in Boston - you have to go at least once! As a big beach bum with no car who was living in the North End last summer, I needed an escape. I missed the waves and the ocean and being able to lay out in my bathing suit and get a tan. I wanted to get away from all of the tourists and loud festivals that were infiltrating my neighborhood and get some peace and quiet. Luckily, I paid attention to an ad I saw on the T for the Harbor Islands and decided to hop on a ferry one Saturday morning in June and see what they were like. Spectacle Island is a simple, yes, but it's a great place to go if you want to spend the day outside away from, but technically in, the city of Boston. There are hiking trails with great views of the city. You can spread out a blanket on a grassy knoll, eat the lunch you brought with you and watch planes take off from Logan. You can sit out on the beach, get some sun and read a book if you don't mind the rockiness of shore. I definitely wouldn't recommend swimming here even though there is a small designated swimming area....I personally like to walk around towards the back right side of the island where it's quiet and grab a spot there. Many days, I was the only one sitting there, so it was like I had my own private island! There are public bathrooms that have some sort of odd, eco friendly flushing system, but hey, you don't have to pee outside, so I consider that a win. There is also a Summer Shack with very summer-y food options like burgers, grill cheese, etc. Yes - Specatacle Island is built on top of loads and loads of trash, but who cares? It's a pretty cool place with lots of history - it used to be home to glue factories, whore houses and casinos! Neat-o!! In short - take a day trip here if you want to get away from the city and feel nature once in a while. You'll enjoy it :) read more

Visiting spectacle island is like an out of body experience or something. You climb to the top of the drumlin and get a great perspective on the city, and you get that totally weird/neat experience of seeing the crazy mess of Boston and the harbor all the while it's pretty much all quiet around you. Totally was not expecting this to exist! Loved it. I think it's just right how it is, just nice wide open spaces and simple walking paths, east for anyone to climb and impossible to get lost on. And of course, very interesting the number of transformations the island has gone through. Can we convert more dumps to parks like this???? read more

A lovely place to spend the day when the weather is nice. Just a few notes before you go: (1) you can't take any of the sea glass or other "cultural artifacts" that you find on the beach, (2) there isn't a great deal of shade, so bring an umbrella or wait for a cool day, (3) the beach is mostly rocks rather than sand, (4) you have to pack out all your garbage -- there are no trashcans available for public use on the island, and (5) the Summer Shack cafe is terrible and expensive, so bring your own snacks! read more

Dear Yelpers of the future: I know that the crumbling economy, skyrocketing gas prices, and warming climate trend has likely made the world of 2010 a bleak Mad Maxian landscape. If the grocery stores are even open anymore, the selection is likely poor -- jicama and tomatillos being among the very few surviving produce. But I have good news for you. I know of a place where, ideally in August, you can pick and eat delicious ripe blackberries until you explode. I will leave the task of fashioning a boat out of household materials to you -- I'm certain that as the world spun towards chaos, the last issue of Make Magazine was particularly helpful. You'll need to boat straight out from the end of South Boston to Spectacle Island. Once there, hope that the trails have not yet been completely overgrown, and follow them to the north drumlin. Along the path, you'll see the plants, but the mother lode is just before you get to the hilltop, on the left. Bring a few containers. And good luck. read more

Beautiful place to go to on a warm sunny day. The Ferry ride was pleasant. The DCR staff helpful and informative. A perfect way to have a stay-cation. read more

Spent about 2 hours walking around the island. There are over 5 miles of hiking trails that loop around this very small island. We did the 2.5 mile round trip hike up to the top gazebo and picnic area. Ate our salads from quincy market atop the hill where we could see views of Boston, the harbor and surrounding islands in a 360 view! The hiking trails were very well maintained, and the overall vegetation and landscaping was great. There is a beach there as well, which I am sure is popular in the summer months. There is a small info center with information about the history of the island (which is pretty interesting, go check it out!), and a small snack shack. The island has NO trash cans, it is a pack in pack out island. There is a nice place to sit in rocking chairs on the front deck of the info center to wait for the ferry. read more

I loved it! It has a great view of Boston, as well as several options for hiking trails, swimming, a Summer Shack (food & drinks), picnic tables, and adirondack chairs. It is also a $15 dollar/20 minute ride from Long Wharf. Boston's Best Cruises (who run the ferries) have free ferries between Spectacle & Georges Islands, and both are really worth a visit. Bring your friends/family, a picnic, bathing suit, and stay all day! There are summer concerts as well (check the website). read more

first time here but im impressed with what they have done with the trash heap. I was a huge fan of the boat ride out there, it doesn't feel like 94 on the top deck on the ocean, nice visitor center, little like outhouse style changing areas, the beach area is smaller than I expected but really wasn't crowded, the water was nice and clean, but take other reviewers advice, get some beach shoes or water friendly sandals its so rocky. I think ill return in the fall and tryout the hiking paths read more

Super rocky beach, lots of yahoos drinking on their boats. Could be fine for a family day trip but I wouldn't go back. Very white, lots of people sleeping on chairs, the island is nice enough. There was a docked party boat with super loud blues that we were forced to listen to for 4 hours. The Summer Shack food quality is no deal, I would def. bring food. Parking around Faneuil Hall, get an online coupon for $10. We paid $35. And be prepared to wait in a very long line to buy boat tickets (on the park side of the Marriot), the box office is slow as slow can be. On an up note, the old boat ride is kinda fun, can be hot inside, and they play the radio, why? peaceful. the whole thing is run by 20 year olds and they are very nice though. It's no Casco Bay lines, but hey. read more

Everyone has pretty much said it....it's a great place to take a day trip to. Wouldn't be my first stop if I was a tourist but as a local it's a pretty cool, and close little get-away from the city. George's Island is chill, old, and historic with an awesome fort. Spectacle is outdoorsy, and has cool views of the city. But the trails aren't amazing or overwhelmingly large. read more

i see a lot of potential for this place. if you go on the earlier ferries (before 10 or even 11), this place is really empty. it's small but offers great panoramic views of the mini skyline, airplane landings, tugboat/sailboats/etc. the rangers who maintain the island are friendly. on the sunday i was there, they had a jazz quartet set up by the dock. it's just a bit on the tinier side without much trees and only light hiking trails. but again, that's probably well suited for a lot of families with small kids. read more

Great views of Boston, nice to go for few hours and pack some food. There are a couple gazebos and benches across the island to have picnics. The beach is rocky, and lots of jellyfish ashore. Trails are clear and the island is well maintained. Rangers are very helpful as well. read more

Spectacle Island is awesome! You have sand and lots of grass. There are picnic tables so bring food with you because there's a small selection here. There are outdoor changing stalls and a shower as well. It's worth the ferry ride to come explore. You can have fun with friends, family, or a special someone here. read more

This place is Great and they keep it very clean and it has a Good Beach and also there is a Great Free tour and all you have to pay for is the boat ride over to the Island and it's well worth it and it has a great view of Boston as well read more

What a nightmare. First of all, the company changed their schedule at the last minute, so we had to wait an hour for the next boat to Spectacle Island. And then, on top of that, the boat was 45min late... All that for a 15min ride to a tiny, overcrowded beach. You're much better off just heading to Revere Beach or even driving out somewhere nicer, like Walden Pond.. In the more than two hours it took to get to Spectacle Island, we could've been somewhere a lot nicer!!! read more

Beautiful island in Boston. Tons of sea glass scattered all along the beach! There's also a snack bar and nice gift shop with bathrooms. The island is pretty large, with nice pathways to walk. Wish we could have spent more time here to explore them. There were also a lot of people here that came here to go to the beach for the day, so be prepared if you do that - it gets crowded. Start out early before the sun gets too hot! read more

What a lovely morning we had here. The ferry ride over was comfortable and scenic, and we enjoyed our walk to the top of the island. They had a kite making craft for kids and offered buckets and shovels to borrow and play with on the beach. We ate wraps and hot dogs for lunch. They were a bit pricey, but delicious. We were thankful to have them as an option or else our trip would've been much shorter. read more

So disappointed I'm writing this on the ferry back. I found out about this beach on boston.com and am shocked reading the positive reviews on yelp. This beach sucked! Worst beach I've ever been to. I'm out $60+ for parking and ferry tickets for my family for a beach you have to keep your shoes on at??? No sand, just sharp rocks, sea glass and jellyfish. I know the jellyfish are probably unavoidable but I brought my toddlers here and there is nowhere for them to play. We got here on the first ferry, took the next one back and are going to Revere to try to make up the rest of the day. This was a huge waste of time and money!! No wonder they save the "this beach used to be a landfill" tidbit of the guided tour until you are docking at the island. GROSS. Rangers and ferry crew were nice though. read more

I went to an event last night on the Island, and it was catered by the Summer Shack! It was amazing and such a great experience. The staff were so wonderfull even though the city was under a tornado watch! The place felt really safe even with the storm above. The food was perfect! read more

Torn about whether to give this a great review, because the best part of visiting Spectacle Island is that you feel like you are away from the city and the crowds. Aw, I give it the five stars it deserves. For only $14 you get round trip fare to TWO islands. George's is an old fort - little boys will love it. We packed lunches and drinks so only spent the $14 for boat rides (windy - bring a layer) and thoroughly enjoyed discovering this getaway that is a jewel of a park and a boat ride and a nature preserve and a history lesson. The caretaker's name is Alan and he lives on Spectacle with his dog, a beautiful Golden Retriever. We went on a day with no concerts, parties, or cookouts, and liked the quiet and peacefulness. But I'd go with a group again; have someone bring a guitar, take snacks, a cooler, and hats, sunscreen and towels and you are all set for a no-driving get-away. There are even lifeguards on the weekends, I'm told. The caretaker is very friendly (especially to women, and he's single!!) and gave us a private ride around the whole island and pointed out the other islands in the harbor, towns in the distance, etc. This is a gem of a discovery. On Thursday nights for a fee of $75 you can get a tour around the harbor then dock at Spectacle and have fresh grilled food and music with dancing. Sounds like a great 'surprise' celebration for a birthday or anniversary. At spectacle you have to take your trash out with you, so pack a few extra bags to tote trash. The rockers on the porch are fabulous....have to go early to snag one, I'm betting. read more