I grew up in Guilford. I live in Branford now. Of course, I'm a little biased, but I still think Guilford is one of the most beautiful places there is, and I've lived all over the world. I literally hadn't been to Jacobs Beach since the early 90's. I lived on the West coast for years, and only returned about 3 years ago. Guilford has done an amazing job in upgrading this beach. It's gorgeous. It was a bit more rough around the edges when I was a kid. Guilford Park and Rec have managed to make it really really nice, without destroying the charm and character it always had. The actual beach area is so much nicer now because they groom the beach, so the sand is beautiful, but you can still collect shells with the kids. There's good bathrooms. Fresh water outside showers for cleaning off the salt and sand. Plenty of grassy areas, nice playground equipment, good parking, they sell fresh juice and lemonade, the Good Humour ice cream truck still makes stops there, and they rent kayaks now. There's also covered areas to get out of the sun, and a mini boardwalk area. It's really nice.