Connecticut Beaches

Over the years, I have enjoyed going to a lot of beaches in the state of Connecticut. There are several good reasons for that, as there aren’t that many beaches here in Westchester County, and all the beaches in Connecticut that I have been to are all fun to walk along and have unique features. In this blog post, I will be writing about all the Connecticut beaches I have been to over the years in hopes that it will encourage all of you reading to go visit them.

The first beach that I am going to talk about is in Milford, which is one part of the Connecticut Audubon Society Coastal Center at Milford Point. The beach itself is is 8.4 acres, provides easy access to the Long Island Sound and its many habitats, including tidal salt marshes, barrier beaches, tide pools, and coastal dunes. There are many other features here besides the beach, as 315 species of birds have been seen here, including many rarities, an osprey camera that livestreams to the entire world, and the main building there also has educational exhibits and live animals. I can’t remember the exact animals they have there, but I remember that they were all in small tanks, so I imagine that they are the kind of animals you would find in this coastal setting.

The next beach that I am going to talk about is one that I first went to when I was much younger, Compo Beach in Westport. This is a 29 acre park that has an extensive sand beach that also goes along the shore of the Long Island Sound and borders the Saugatuck River, and is also handicapped accessible. There are many other cool things at this beach, such as a boardwalk, a pavilion, a concession stand, two sand volleyball courts, and a large wooden playscape. There are also additional recreational facilities there, which are a softball field, a multi-purpose field, two lighted basketball courts, a skate park, an open skate area, and the Ned Dimes Marina Club House. If you are not a resident of Connecticut, you have to pay to get in from May 1 to September 30, but if you go from October 1 to April 30, you can get in for free. 

The next beach that I am going to talk about is Calf Pasture Beach in Norwalk, which is another beach that I have been going to for years. According to its Wikipedia page, it is a historically significant park and beach and its total area, which includes adjacent Shady Beach Park and Taylor Farm Park, is .45 square miles. The beach also has an interesting history, as this area was also used by Connecticut colony settlers in the 17th century as grazing land for cows. The beach itself was also used for disembarkation and encampment during the Tyron raid of the American Revolutionary War in 1779. In 1917, the Norwalk City legislature authorized the city to acquire and create a park at Calf Pasture Beach, which opened in 1924 while work on buildings and nearby roads was still underway. Additional buildings and sidewalks were constructed there in 1935, but many of them were washed away by a hurricane in September 1938 and subsequently replaced by Works Progress Administration workers. In the 2000s, the beach was also where the Kayak for a Cause charitable fundraising event was held. The beach itself has a lot of facilities as well, including a fishing pier, a tree shaded playground, a small unpaved boat ramp that is suited to car-top boat launches, sand volleyball courts, bocce courts, a skateboard park, baseball diamonds that have lighting for nighttime games, and a restaurant that is maintained by Ripka Beach Cafe. During the spring and autumn, the parking lot here is used for kart racing. The adjacent Shady Beach Park offers an unmonitored beach, shaded picnic tables, and grills. Adjacent to that is Taylor Farm Park, which has a tidal pool, grassy and wooded areas for dog walking, and it is also the site of an annual Greenwich kennel club dog show. 

The next beach that I am going to talk about is Weed Beach in Darien. This is a 22 acre beach that is located on the Long Island Sound, and not only does it have a beach with a swimming area, it also has tennis and paddle courts, a clubhouse, a playground, a picnic area, and a seasonally operated concession stand.

The next beach that I am going to talk about is Cove Island Park in Stamford. This is an 83 acre park, beach, and recreation area in The Cove section of Stamford. Not only is there a beach here, there is also a one-mile walk/run trail, a playground, a roller blade/cycling path, and an ice rink that is open during the winter. The park also serves as the headquarters for SoundWaters, which is a nonprofit environmental education organization that offers a free small aquarium, music, canoe trips, school trips, and family activities on land and aboard an 80 foot schooner. A movie called “Reservation Road” was also filmed at the park in October 2006. The Audubon Society also considers the park to be an Important Bird Area, one of 27 in the state of Connecticut, as it has a wide diversity of wildlife, as it has over 50 species of butterflies and 287 species of birds. 


The last beach that I am going to talk about is Old Greenwich Beach, also known as Tod’s Point or Greenwich Point. This is a 147.3-acre town-owned beach and recreation facility that sits on a peninsula jutting into Long Island Sound. It got its name Tod’s Point after the land was purchased in the 1880s by a banker and railroad tycoon named John Kennedy Tod. Not only are there beaches here, there are also picnic tables and grills available for visitor use, benches to sit on, and two snack bars that serve hamburgers, hot dogs, ice cream, and hot and cold beverages. Greenwich Point is also home to the Old Greenwich Yacht Club, and membership in the nonprofit boating and sailing club is available to all Greenwich residents. Town residents can also arrange to moor their boats here. The Bruce Museum Seaside Center is also open at a house here during the summer, which will allow visitors to learn about the ecology of Long Island Sound. You can also walk the big loop that covers the whole beach. Like many of the other beaches I have written about in this post, this beach is free for Connecticut residents only from May 1 to October 31, and people from New York will have to pay at this time, while it’s free for everyone else during the remainder of the year. 

Overall, there are many cool beaches in the state of Connecticut, so you should all go and check them out!