Orchard Beach
Quincy, MA
Orchard Beach sits on Bayside Road in Squantum, a narrow neighborhood beach with roughly a hundred yards of sand facing the inner reaches of Quincy Bay. It is the kind of beach that locals know without needing a sign: quiet, walkable from the surrounding streets, and a good place to end a walk around the Squantum peninsula.
A friendly neighborhood beach with views and easy walks, though parking is hard to find and the beach is small.
How we score beachesCombine it with the peninsula walk. Park once and loop the shoreline, since there is very little curb space near the sand.
Limited on street parking along Bayside Road. Give yourself extra time to find a spot on summer weekends.
It is a short walk from the street to the sand. The surface is regular beach sand and can be uneven near the water.
Summer weekends are lively. Spring and fall bring good walking weather along the peninsula and empty sand.
More Atlantic Coast beaches
Coast Guard Beach
Eastham, MA · Atlantic Coast
A National Seashore beach backed by grassy dunes and a tidal marsh, with clean Atlantic surf and one of the Cape's most scenic approaches on foot from the parking area.
Surfside Beach
Nantucket, MA · Atlantic Coast
Open Atlantic swell and a wide sandy shoreline about three miles from Nantucket town, popular with locals for its bodysurfing waves and quieter, less commercial feel.
Jones Beach State Park
Wantagh, NY · Atlantic Coast
A classic Long Island beach with six and a half miles of shoreline, a landmark water tower, boardwalk, and a large outdoor amphitheater that hosts concerts through the summer.