Constitution Beach
East Boston, MA
Constitution Beach in East Boston is a state managed beach squeezed between Logan Airport and the Blue Line tracks, which gives it a loud but oddly charming personality. Jets pass low overhead, and yet the family cookouts, pavilion, and sandy shoreline on Winthrop Bay make it one of the city's most neighborhood feeling swim spots.
Blue Line access and a real neighborhood scene make it a genuine community beach, though the aircraft noise from Logan is impossible to ignore.
How we score beachesTake the Blue Line to Orient Heights and walk over rather than fight for parking. Bring earplugs for small kids if the flight path is over the beach that day.
There is a lot at the beach that can fill on hot days, and the Blue Line stop at Orient Heights is a short walk away.
Paved paths lead from the lot to the pavilion and the sand. Once on the beach the surface is regular sand, softer above the tide line.
Lifeguards work the swimming beach in summer, and the water is at its best in late July and August. Off season the beach is nearly empty.
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