Esker Point Beach — Attraction in Groton

I would like to start off by saying that this is not a mile long white sandy beach. I love it for what it is as explained below.

Esker Point Beach is in the Town of Groton and the Village of Noank. It is walking distance or an easy bike ride from the eastern half of Groton. The sand is a slightly coarse sand with some rocks here and there. There are not a lot of large waves as it is protected by Fishers Island. I love this beach for what it has to offer. It is never too crowded and it is easy to park directly across the street. The water stays shallow so it is perfect for younger children. There is a rocky park where kids can look for crabs or other little creatures or the sandy part where you can build castles. There is a grassy section with tables and grills available to have a party and on the weekends there is a small snack shack where you can order burgers.

The reason I really love the beach is because it has 9 volleyball nets set up all summer. You will need to bring your own lines but with the number of nice level courts it is a great place to get a game going. Weekends usually have pick up games of varying skill levels. You can even catch a lunch time game or an evening game. During the week there are leagues run through Groton Town that includes 2's and 4's of both men, women and coed and multiple skill levels.

The final reason I love living near Esker Point Beach is that during the summer on Thursday nights there are beach concerts that are free to go to. You can pay to park across the street or you can park for free and there are buses that will give you a ride there and back to your card from Fitch High school. There are all kinds of bands but you can bring food or pick something up at the snack bar. The show is about 3 hours long and stops before sunset so it does not bother the neighbors.

....and that is why I love Esker Point...

I would actually give this a 0 out of 5!! We are not from the area. Looking for a waterfront to enjoy the beach for a bit we choose this beach front to stop by and was not at all expecting such a disappointing find. As we walked towards the water an awful stench overpowered our nostrils. Upon further discovery, there was black residue all over the shoreline. The rocks were black and smelled atrociously rotten. There was a dead bird plus other dead sea life along the shore. It was absolutely DISGUSTING AND WE WILL NOT BE RETURNING HERE NOR DO WE AT ALL RECOMMEND IT TO ANYONE!!! This was part of our adventure trip as we headed to Mystic Seaport. The one plus is the bathrooms were in amazing condition if you're looking to use a free bathroom while...

Usually quiet, has started to get taken over by the volleyball players. Swimming area hasn't been dredged or cleaned in years so it's pretty gross but the beach is nice. Has bathrooms and an outdoor shower. Concession stand isn't too bad. Thursday night has live music from some pretty good local bands. Free parking except during Thursday night concerts.

Update - This beach has gone downhill. It was ok that it wasn't great for swimming since the beach was still a nice place to just relax but now the volleyball courts have taken over so there's not much beach left. Poor decision by...