Revere Beach
Revere, MA
Revere Beach opened in 1896 as the first public beach in the United States, three miles of sand five miles north of downtown Boston, reachable by the Blue Line without a car. A sand sculpting festival every summer draws crowds to see full scale artwork built and gone within days.
Genuine transit access and real history as the country's first public beach make it a Boston area staple, though the summer dog ban and festival crowds are worth planning around.
How we score beachesTake the Blue Line to Wonderland or Revere Beach station instead of driving. Free four hour street parking exists but disappears fast on a warm weekend.
Free four hour parking runs along Revere Boulevard. Paid parking is available at the Wonderland T station for $7.
The beach is flat and open with a paved promenade running its full length.
Dogs are banned April through mid-September. They're welcome the rest of the year.
Water reaches the upper 60s to low 70s by August, mild for New England. The sand sculpting festival typically runs in July, drawing the year's biggest crowd.
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.