Carson Beach

This is a fantastic beach. I must say, I’ve been in the Boston area for nearly 8 years, and I never knew this gem existed. Perfectly private, but a good amount of patronage, this beach is where it’s at… for the most part. If you are looking for a picnic on the beach, this is your spot. If you want to cozy up on a blanket away from others… go here. If you want to swim or walk the beach… this is NOT where you want to be. The beach is ridden with sharp glass, shells, and other harmful debris, especially during low tide, and is definitely not a good location to enjoy the elements of nature. But, for sunbathing and social time, it is great.

not the best but not the worst, the beach right by the bathroom area was fairly clean, not too crowded for a holiday weekend… and it is convenient for t travelers. and im not sure how to phrase this but it is great people watching. and the surrounding area seems to offer all sorts of options for outdoor activities… green space, ball fields, walking trails… ps the water though was super salty

This is a great beach for being so conveniently located (right near the JFK/​UMass stop). People always talk about Revere beach but this is better. It has volleyball nets set up, locker rooms, and a place to get food. It’s also right across from baseball fields and basketball courts so you can have a whole activity-​filled day here! The main drawback for me was that the sand is really shelly and rocky. I love running on the beach without running shoes on, but that’s pretty impossible here. No firm smooth sand anywhere. I stated running but I immediately cut my foot. Anyways, I’ve never been on a weekend so I don’t know how crowded it gets, but there weren’t that many people there early on a Friday afternoon.
Also I see that a lot of people are saying it’s gross to swim in– I went swimming and it was totally fine. It’s not the clearest water but only because the seafloor was muddy and there definitely wasn’t any trash In it.

When I questioned if this was southie or dorchester on twitter I got the best answer ever: it’s southie until there is a brawl.
The sand is pretty dirty and always has cigarettes and other things in it, but it is IN boston, so you can’t hate on it that much for that
There’s always space even though I think it is quite well known.
They have slushies… and more than once I’ve seen family gatherings at the covered area which seems fun.

Alex B’s review was right on. It’s a perfectly fine beach if you just want to lay on the sand and get sun. Go down to the water though, and there are dead jellyfish EVERYWHERE! Lots of broken shells and rocks before you get to the water, and the stuff that leads up to the water can only be called muck. It reminded me of quicksand or a mud bath. My feet instantly sunk in and I was in up to my ankles in what I can only imagine is dead jellyfish goo mixed with sand. There is also some trash, and swimming simply isn’t possible. If you’d really like to swim, I’d suggest you drive a little further to L St. and M St beaches. At least you can get into the water without sinking in mysterious goop. High points of the beaches in this area are that they are free, there are public bathrooms, and there are water fountains all along the Southie beach line. I live in the area so if I feel like an hour in the sun and don’t want to drive 90 minutes to Gloucester, I walk 4 blocks to Carson beach or preferably, M St.

So, the thing about Carson Beach is that it’s an okay beach. It’s easy to get to from public transportation, the sand is okay, it’s not overly crowded. But if you’re looking to go to a beach and go swimming, I definitely wouldn’t go to this beach. After stepping over band-​aids and various other pieces of trash to get to a nice open area of sand to put our towels down, my friend and I decided to go down and put our feet in the water. Bad call… really bad call. The sand was a very strange consistency, sort of muddy/​clay like. And it was full of dead razor clams, so you had to be very careful where you stepped. Oh, and there were snails everywhere, as well as dead crabs. Once you got to the water, you could barely see the bottom even in only a couple of inches. I’d probably try to go to a different beach in the future, unless I’m in a time crunch.

This has got to be one of the most underutilized beaches in the country. Depending on the day of the week and the part of the beach you’re at it ranges from practically deserted to way less crowded than it should be. To hang with other people plant yourself near the lifeguards /​bath house; if you feel like being alone park your belongings closer to the L Street end of the beach.
It’s about a 5 – 10 minute walk from the JFK /​UMass T station and very bike accessible. There are two parking lots (which are often full but there is additional street parking nearby), multiple bike racks, public restrooms, a snack shack, and feet washing stations.
The view is gorgeous — the harbor islands, Boston harbor, multiple windmills, beautiful skies…
One note: it can sometimes be a little muddy at low tide. I recommend either water shoes or coming at high tide.
On a hot day in Boston you’ll find me in the water at Carson Beach :)

«Hey Mike, you want to go in the water?»
This is what I said to my friend after a couple game of beach volleyball.
I walk to the edge of the water, look down, consider my life’s worth for a moment, and then look up at him and say, «wait nevermind dude, I’m good»
That water is absolutely disgusting. you cant see the bottom two feet into the water. Not to mention there was a ton of trash (plastic bags and bottles) floating in the water as well. I made the educated decision to stay sweaty and covered in sand over risking chemical exposure in that damn sludgefest.
If you want to come here to lay out and tan, it’s fine. If you want to come and play some beach volleyball, its fine. But if you are trying to enjoy a beautiful beach, nice scenery, and a good place for a dip you better reconsider your options. I’m not a scientist or a doctor but human instinct told me that if I went into that water I would probably get AIDS and die. Also your «views» consist of a sewage treatment plant and some smokestacks. Sexy, I know.
Will stick to Cape traffic and the north shore from now on.

The most important thing about a beach, in my opinion, is the ability to walk along barefoot, and go in the water for a splash or swim. The wet parts of Carson Beach are unwalkable without shoes due to… razor clams! I once took a bunch of friends here, and by popular outcry we ended up getting back on the road and heading to Revere Beach instead.
Not a bad place for a bike ride or run, if you like a cool breeze on a hot day and a nice view.

I was born and raised on Cape Cod, so I am sort of a beach snob. I live near Boston now so if I want to go to the beach and stay somewhat local, I would go to Carson’s. The summer of 2010 I probably went about 5 times (if I hadn’t gone home for the weekend). I only would go only to put my toes in the sand. I would never go in that water. I must say the bathrooms are very clean for… a Boston beach.
Yesterday (9÷3÷11), I went for the second time this summer and let me tell you my last. Not only did I find enormous amounts of trash on this beach, I found a human bone. That’s right a bone. The State Troopers barracks are next door. One happened to walk by (as they are paroling the beach now due to the riot in May). I stopped him and told him what I found. He asked me to show him. I gave him my name and number. A few minutes later forensics and a detective came down to scope it out. Though it hasn’t been confirmed yet (as they haven’t called me yet) that it was in fact, human but they took tons of pictures of it before bagging it to bring to the lab. Also, more cops came down to search the area dig in the sand near I found it.
Who finds human remains on the beach? After all, this is Whitey’s turf!
Today, I went to Horseneck Beach. Simply gorgeous, too rocky, but gorgeous.

Let me begin by stating my bias: I grew up visiting my grandparents in Florida, and I’m originally from South Carolina, so I’m very familiar with Myrtle Beach/​Charleston.
So while Carson Beach isn’t what I consider a traditional «beach,» (I really love to bob up and down with the waves: one thing that I can’t do here) it really is a nice option to have on a warm afternoon in Boston. The place was clean, and the water didn’t seem THAT murky (based on other reviews). In fact, if I had been wearing a bathing suit, I would have probably tried to get in a bit. I do want to invest in some water shoes first just because of the rocks/​potential jellyfish.

The worst of the worse. This is NOT, I repeat, NOT a beach.
I can’t even believe anyone would try and pass this off as a beach just because they’ve imported sand!
The water is gross looking, and there is tons of dark seaweed and rocks– its just unpleasant to go in let alone look at. It is nice that they have facilities and lifeguards (although no one is going in that water so I wonder why they are even there). This place definetly is on the Logan Airport airplane route as you will see jets flying in every few minutes.
The sand is alright.
This is not a beach. No way!

I am not sure if I’ve been «spoiled» by the Jersey Shore or something, but this beach leaves a lot to be desired. Granted it is about a 10 minute walk from where I live, which I appreciate, it is definitely not the greatest. I actually think I might like Revere Beach better.
The good: It’s probably one of the closest beaches to downtown. so it’s a convenient location. They have bathrooms and you don’t have to pay to get on the beach.
The bad: The water is dirty, I didn’t even care to go in. The sand is not great either, lots of shells and not sure what else is in that sand! There’s some sketchy people in that area too.
UGLY TRUTH: I’d rather drive 4 hours to the dirty Jersey and be entertained by guidos at the Jersey Shore. Trust me you are not missing much.

I’ve been going to Carson Beach for a number of years. I don’t swim in any of the water up here. It is WAY too cold for me… so I don’t care about the water. I have gone in waist deep before on super hot muggy days just to cool off, and was ok. I grew up swimming in lakes and I don’t really think there’s much of a difference. This summer there haven’t been many jellyfish, but summers past there were. What I like about Carson Beach:
1– NEVER crowded. I always have my own little area… it’s not very often I have to sit near someone and hear their whole conversation.
2– FREE PARKING. I refuse to pay $ 20 to park at a beach. It’s paid with tax dollars, so it should be free. I wouldn’t say there’s A LOT of parking. On the weekdays, you can find parking up until about 6pm. At 6pm it gets packed. On the weekends I try to go around 10am or after 1:30pm. I tend to find parking easiest at those times.
3– CLEAN. They clean the beach at least once a week.
4– BATHROOMS. and they are clean!
5– SNACK STAND… you never know if you might get hungry or spill your water
6– PEOPLE WATCHING. Some interesting people go here.

The beach itself was fine for what it was, albeit a little gross at low tide, but the lifeguards really, really bothered me.
During my visit, we were situated about 100 feet from the lifeguard chair, containing two young women. The entire time we were there, about 4 hours, they were talking (very loudly) to some dudeguy who was overly enjoying looking up at their scantily clad figures.
I understand that lifeguarding can be a tedious task, especially when there is no one to watch in the water. However, its a serious job. This isn’t a pool, this is the ocean. If you’re looking down, yapping away to someone, how the hell will you notice a toddler run into the ocean and not resurface?
The lifeguards really need to be checked up on while on duty at random times by other staffers.

I was expecting something less from the earlier reviews but I think Carson Beach is fantastic! The sand is manicured and clean (I grew up on the north shore so I’m used to actually rocky beaches!)
The water was lovely — sure it was a bit murky but this is Boston not the Caribbean — it wasn’t *dirty* at all.
I can’t believe that on a hot hot hot summer day I was able to park a couple of hundred feet from where I eventually put my towel down and swam all day.
This will be my new regular beach!

It’s a 3 star beach with a 5 star convenience!
So, what I look for in a beach, might be different from what you look for in a beach. But pretty much, I can everything I need from Carson Beach, and it’s a hop skip and jump from home.
First, I don’t swim, so I don’t really have any interest in getting in the water, so it’s jelly-​fishness, crab shell-​ness, rockyness doesn’t really phase me.
What I want is sand, room to run and toss the frisbee, and an amazing, relaxing view. Carson beach offers all of that, with the bonus of a snack shack, public restrooms, and its near the T.
I was able to play frisbee, and watch a thunderstorm out in the ocean, seeing the bolt of lightening come down, while in the sun on the sane. It was amazing, until the wind got so bad the sand was being blown around. But, for a beach off the city, in the day light, it’s a great place to burn an hour or two, to get that ocean feel and catch some rays.
Oh, thank to the gentrification of south boston, and the dot, there was some eye candy within my own age demographic. Total bonus (…I said bonus!)
I have no doubt that it’s sketch city after dark, but, what place isn’t in boston? It’s def. a better alternative than revere beach, and its a great alternative than trying to drive to the cape or hampton beach.

Seen better, glass on the beach and dirty water I wouldn’t let my daugther get into it.
that said if you want to stroll along the water or just sit on the beach its super easy to get there with public transportation.

Originally posted 7÷14÷2009, but I reviewed the wrong beach by accident. Thanks L W. for pointing out my mistake!
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I’ve never really been to any beaches in the Boston area, though I have been to a few further North in Maine, but I think the Boston-​area beaches get a pretty bad rap!
We chose Castle Island Beach for a summer day trip because it’s on the T and has no walk-​on fee. (What is that ridiculousness?!) After crossing through a mass of construction on our 5 minute walk from the JFK/​UMass stop, I was pleasantly surprised. It’s a sweet little stretch of sand (okay, not that little) along a sort of busy road with a gentle slope and planes flying overhead. We first stopped into the restrooms which were ample and shockingly clean, if not all functioning perfectly. Then we walked along the water to find a nice place to picnic and relax, which was easy because it wasn’t all that crowded.
The fact that the beach runs most of a circle can leave the water a little murky but we waded in up to our knees and none of us got any diseases. As the tide went out about half of the beach got super mucky and shells, pebbles, and little dead crabs made the walk to the water treacherous to bare feetsies. But as it came back in during the afternoon the sand dried out a little so it was only the pebbles and shells we had to worry about.
On our way out we stopped by the snack bar for a Ritchie’s slush which was very excellent.
It’s hard for me to rate East Coast beaches because I’m spoiled by that finely ground California sand and ever-​present sun, but as they go, this beach isn’t half bad. In fact, if you’re up for exploring the fort or just sitting with some friends up on the dry part of the sand, it’s pretty nice.

I used to live next to Carson, I had a view of it… if only you saw the criminal activity going on there on a nightly basis you might not want to touch the sand barefoot.
I don’t reccommend going. I mean .its pretty when you look straight out toward the islands but the rest… I used to find old clothes and shoes strewn about, that to me is sketchier beyond sketch.
Plus half the time the water wasnt safe for swimming and the sand was really… it hurt. Its not even convenient to get to unless you live there or are lucky enough to get one of the parking spots.
So unless you live next to it, skip it and find better.