Joseph Sylvia State Beach
Oak Bluffs, MA
Joseph Sylvia State Beach, known to everyone on the island as State Beach, runs a couple of miles along Beach Road between Oak Bluffs and Edgartown. Sengekontacket Pond sits on one side and Nantucket Sound on the other, and the water stays gentle enough that you can wade out a long way. Jaws Bridge marks the midpoint.
Free, calm, lifeguarded, and reachable by bike path, it is the island's default family beach, though summer weekends fill up fast.
How we score beachesStart at the Jaws Bridge end for the most action, then walk toward either town for more space. Diving or jumping from the bridge is not allowed, so watch for posted rules.
Free roadside parking runs along Beach Road, and it fills on summer afternoons.
A paved bike path runs the full length beside the beach, and the sand is right off the roadside pullouts. It is one of the easiest beaches on the island to reach with a stroller or wheelchair.
Dogs are banned from April 1 through August 31.
Sound water is calm and warm by late July, with lifeguards on duty from late June through Labor Day. Fall is quiet and clear.
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