The Register Citizen (Torrington, CT)
Beach options aplenty along the shoreline
Labor Day weekend — the last gasp of the summer beach season — is coming and time is narrowing for the beach options open to Connecticut residents.
Although summer might be in the autumn of its life, it’s not showing any signs of losing steam even as kids head back to the classroom. Wednesday was forecast to be one of the hottest, stickiest days of the year — too hot for some to even go to the beach.
The National Weather Service predicted Wednesday’s high will be 93 with high humidity. Thursday is expected t o offer some relief with temperatures in the upper 80s, and Friday and Saturday will be cloudy and cooler with temperatures in the mid-70s.
The long-term forecast is calling for sunny skies and comfortable weather for Sunday and Monday. Perfect beach weather before school begins in earnest.
For those who feel the call of sand and sun and don’t have easy access from their home, four state parks have beaches on Long Island Sound, as do 24 cities and towns along the shoreline. Most have beaches that are open to out-of-towners, though for a fee.
Here are some options to consider; fees listed here are for outof-town vehicles:
⏩ Sherwood Island State Park, Westport: Free to cars with Connecticut marker plates. In addition to its beach (water shoes recommended because of sharp shells), it has a salt marsh nature trail, nature walks, bird watching and learning activities for adults and children.
⏩ Silver Sands State Park, Milford: Free to cars with Connecticut marker plates. Sandy beaches, long boardwalks and a popular kite-flying destination.
⏩ Hammonasset Beach State Park: Free to cars with Connecticut marker plates. Hammonasset offers more than two miles of beach and the Meigs Point Nature Center, which offers programs and activities for park visitors.
⏩ Rocky Neck State Park, East Lyme: Free to cars with Connecticut marker plates. Offers a gently sloping, soft sandy beach, picnic areas, train watching, hiking trails and salt marsh viewing platforms.
⏩ Calf Pasture Beach, Norwalk: Nonresident parking fee is $30/ car on weekdays, $35/car on weekends and holidays. Activities include softball, volleyball, skate park, playground, splash pad, sun and sand sports, a sailing school, bocce, basketball and 3⁄4of a mile of scenic coast line. Plus Ripka's Beach Cafe.
⏩ Clinton Town Beach, Clinton: Nonresident daily parking fee is $50 Monday through Thursday, $75 Friday through Sunday and holidays. Facilities include charcoal grills, a dog-exercise trail, picnic areas, a playground, restrooms, snack bar, splash pad and a walking trail.
⏩ Walnut Beach, Milford: Nonresident parking fee is $15, cash only. Sand for sunbathers and a pier for fishing.Shade under the Devon Rotary Pavilion and nearby picnic benches with canopies.
⏩ West Haven beaches: The nonresident parking fee is $10 from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. and $5 after 5 p.m. Nonresident lots are Sea Bluff, Bradley Point, Morse Park, Sandy Point and the April Street boat ramp.
⏩ Weed Beach, Darien: Nonresident day pass is $45. The park includes a bathing area, picnic areas, six tennis courts, five paddle tennis courts, children’s play areas, a bathhouse, a fit trail with equipment and a concession stand.
⏩ Pear Tree Point Beach, Darien: Nonresident day pass is $45. The beach offers a bathing area, handicap-accessible picnic area with picnic tables and grills, a gazebo overlooking the Sound, a bathhouse, concession stand, a boat launch ramp and two beaches.
⏩ Seaside Park, Bridgeport: Nonresident, in-state fee is $30 weekdays, $40 weekends and holidays. At 2.5 miles, it’s one of the longest municipal saltwater beaches in the U.S. Has several playgrounds, a splash pad, skate park, concession stand and a bathhouse.
⏩ Pleasure Beach, Bridgeport: Free to all. Two water taxis, the 23-passenger Lewis H. Latimer and the 18-passenger Gustave Whitehead, run frequently to the T-Pier on Pleasure Beach. Beachgoers can catch the ferry at the fishing pier on Seaview Avenue near the intersection with Central Avenue. Upon arrival on the TPier on Pleasure Beach, it’s a half-mile walk along a boardwalk to the beach area. Street parking only.
⏩ Penfield Beach, Fairfield: Nonresident parking fee is $20 on weekdays and $50 on weekends and holidays.Picnic tables and charcoal grills are available on a first-come, first-served basis; bring your own charcoal and matches. A concession stand offers snacks, and a swing set for the kids.
⏩ Short Beach, Long Beach, Stratford: Nonresident parking fee is $20 a day. Short Beach offers picnic areas, a calisthenics course, a playground and a golf course; softball fields and courts for basketball, paddleball, tennis and volleyball are nearby. It offers a concession stand/shower. Long Beach offers a more rustic experience; it has almost no amenities.
⏩ Greenwich beaches: If you don’t live in Greenwich, you’ll have to plan ahead. Daily parking passes are $35 and they must be purchased in advance at the Eastern Greenwich Civic Center, 90 Harding Road, Old Greenwich, or at the Bendheim Western Greenwich Civic Center, 449 Pemberwick Road, Monday through Friday, 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. The town has a walk-on $7 entry fee to the beach. Passes cannot be purchased at the beach. Call 203-6227817 for information.
⏩ Compo Beach, Westport: Nonresident fee (or residents without stickers) is $40 weekdays and $65 on weekends and holidays, cash and credit cards accepted. This is a 29-acre park with an extensive sand beach along the shore of Long Island Sound that borders the Saugatuck River. It’s handicapped accessible with a boardwalk, pavilion, concession stand, two sand volleyball courts, a large wooden playscape and bathroom facilities. Get there early; it’s limited to the first 100 guests.