Plum Island Beach, in Newburyport, is a great & lowkey beach on the North Shore to go to!…read moreThe 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.

Visited plum island beach river side of it. I was sad to see how much they let things go there but…read morestill 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..

Wonderfully helpful staff who ordered a custom spray skirt for me for an older kayak. Super…read morefriendly and knowledgeable which is key to a good sporting store, whether it's kayaking or golf. Thanks a bunch guys.

My wife and I had a very disappointing experience at this store yesterday. The salesperson was…read morepatronizing, arrogant and borderline rude. As required we scheduled an appointment to try on life jackets. They didn't have a mirror to see how the life jackets looked on us. The salesperson blamed it on the Pandemic. We also planned to look at kayaks, but, after the experience with life jackets, we changed our minds. Here is a sample comment from the salesperson, "Unless you want to get run over by a boat I wouldn't recommend a grey life jacket." Really? Needless to say we will take our business elsewhere.

Love this beach in so many ways. With the sand dunes it is so charming and lots of opportunities to…read morewalk around the trails if you aren't looking to swim or sit on the sand. The water is clear and even in low tide, I didn't notice a ton of shells or a rocky bottom. It does get a little packed when you come right off the parking area into the beach area, but if you are willing to walk a little bit, it is obviously much quieter and super peaceful. With a little concession stand, showers and restrooms it's perfect for families. They also have a variety of memberships which makes it affordable to go during the peak months or even throughout the year. It is $40 per car to enter the beach and park which is quite hefty but they have various membership options which could make it more affordable again if you are going to be utilizing the beach and throughout the year. They also have various events for members. A local did tell me their favorite time to go is during the winter when everything is snow capped.

Cranes Beach, which is owned and operated and protected by the trustees, is my favorite beach of…read moreall time. It has a large parking lot, although you need to make reservations to guarantee a spot. It is not cheap, but it is extremely clean and the bath house and the snack bar are top-notch as far as Massachusetts beaches go. The snack bar has real food items, not just junk food and ice cream. The one drawback and it really could be a dealbreaker for some people is that the parking lot is a mid distance to long walk over sand dunes to the beach. Yes there are paths and stairs, but for people with mobility problems, this really could be a deterrent. I still rate it a 10/10.

Love it here! The trails are well kept, peaceful, plentiful and a fantastic place to see so many…read moredifferent types of birds and wildlife! I highly recommend the refuge!

Even though the visitor center was closed we were still able to take an auto tour all the way to…read morethe Atlantic Ocean. It was a beautiful fall day with lots of walking paths to explore. Very cool place highly recommend.

3.9-mile loop surrounds the beautiful coastal city of Newburyport. I start the trail at the marina…read morefollowing the old railroad path, until reaching the yacht club, and follow behind the residential neighborhood until I reach Parker Street. I do the entire loop. I only have to be on the road for short distance with my bike. There is so much to see that you will want to stop and rest and take it all in. I especially love the trail art sculptures, murals, planters, and the views from the Harborwalk on the Merrimack. The gardens attract so many birds and monarch butterflies. The residents maintain the butterfly garden who DONATE all the plants, mulch, and artwork to this amazing garden. The residents even provide birdseed for the birdfeeders. The murals along the abutment wall on Route one underpass are incredible and love the "native fish". The path is wide enough (6 foot) to allow the bike riders, walkers, runners, and dog walkers room to pass. Don't forget the indigenous edible wild garden along the trail blueberries, cranberries, rosehips, and strawberries to name a few.

this is a super cool spot to checkout overall! would highly recommend. scenery is fun to explore…read more paths are marked too.

I'll give this 5 stars because my daughter loves it here. I'd give it 4... because lack of…read morebathrooms. When my daughter and I first came here, we saw a kid hiding... peeing.

Cool playground for kids. Lots of little spaces for them to hide. Sort of have to keep track of…read morethem. Kind of cool old school playground I like it.

Ken set us up for the perfect kayak trip. Great location and he really knew the tides and weather…read morepatterns. Kayak seats were the most comfortable I've had. He was bed friendly and knowledgeable. Had everything ready when we got there and picked us up a time. Fantastic experience!

The tour was truly a fantastic, breathtaking experience. Such a wonderful staff. It was my first…read moretime in a kayak. They were so kind and super supportive. They were very encouraging and made sure everyone in our group was prepared and set-up to our individual comfort levels. The whole operation was professional, very well organized and perfectly orchestrated. Thank you so much Plumb Island Kayak for a great day of the water. Abby, Lisa and Ken thank you so much for a such a happy memory.

Got to relax on the beach mid-September and it was perfect. The part we were at is nice and rock…read morefree, plus they had a sand rug as you enter that beach that made it easy to get to. The water was cold but was nice to dip my feet in. They do charge for parking until October I believe but it was Girl Scouts love State park weekend so it was free for us. There are both parking meters or you can use Yodel.com for convenience. They have a bathhouse at the parking lot that is clean and has an outdoor shower too. Plus I saw a children's park and a cookout area. Overall lovely park and I'd love to come swimming here in the new england summer months!

Ok park with good access to the beach. It gets very crowded in the summer, but we were always able…read moreto find a spot on the beach. Sites are water and electric only - they have a dump station with 4 lanes which is convenient. Few trees and kind of close together. One negative for us, it's really priced for Massachusetts residents. They charge an extra for non-MA residents (Like $40 more per night).

What a nice park, and have been visiting every fall to see "Maudslay is Haunted", a "theater in the…read moreopen" fundraiser. This may be our last year however as the parking rate increased. While parking is $5 for Mass residents, I've always been more than happy to pay the $10 fee for out of state visitors, but this year we were surprised to see that rate increase to $20 for out of state plates. I suspect that means that they have enough residents visiting and want to discourage those from out of state. For this reason, I'm only awarding 3 stars. The "Theater in the Open" event is lots of fun, a "spooky trail" geared toward children, but adults will enjoy it as well. Additional fee is $10 per person. If you want to visit, I suggest hitching a ride with an in state Mass resident to enjoy this hidden gem of a park in Newburyport.

I want to give this fabulous place to stretch your legs a 5 star, however there is not one trash…read morecan around. Not one!!! If your dog poops, it rides home with you. If your baby needs changing, it rides home with you. Uggggghhh... you pay to park and can't get a trash can??? The trails are fun because they are not well marked, so it's quite an adventure. If you love a nature hike with make your own experiences this is a great stop. Just remember, there are no trash cans.