Main Beach, Port Stanley — Attraction in Central Elgin

It has the makings of a great place to visit and to swim. But the water smells as you get close. The shore is very dirty- lots of debris that doesn't get cleaned up. The water itself gets very dirty too as patrons seem to treat it as a dumping ground for their garbage. We saw cans, plastic bottles, juice boxes, magazines, pieces of napkins etc just floating around, specially as you get closer to the shore. So that was a bit off-putting. There are lifeguards on duty to keep everyone safe since there also boats and jet skis in the area. There are also buoys to mark the limits for swimmers/ boaters. Overall it is very lively little town. Lots going on during the summer months. There are boat cruises and even a cute scenic train ride. People are kind and super friendly. Just wish the beach itself was better taken care of. Though I think that is as much the governing authorities ,as the patrons themselves...

3.5 stars.

Nice sandy beach with facilities, sit down restaurants and fast food. Water is nice and not deep. Good to play skim ball or even football with kids/friends. This probably should be 4 stars.

Lots of parking but is so damn expensive and good luck getting signal to pay online. That’s to be expected from a touristy place such as Port Stanley. But the new houses built right by the shore was a huge disappointment. It was nice to see some beautiful houses up by the ridge before but not when it’s just right behind you now. Only a matter of time when this becomes as run down like Wasaga or even Grand Bend. This is definitely 2 Stars!

Average 3 stars but additional .5 stars for the fun we...

The main beach in Port Stanley is quite nice. It is usually quite busy but they offer a space for beach volleyball and they also have paved basketball courts. The beach is quite wide so you can play quite a few sports with plenty of room between you and other beach-goers. Their is a decent amount of parking, however every time I've been, the closest parking is always full, but the "Odd ball" parking lot is less than a 3 min walk.

The parking is PAID. $20 max for the day, most pay in coins. $0.25, $1 or $2. No cash, coin only. The machine is a bit hard to use and the line can get quite long, be prepared to know your license plate...