Plum Island Beach — Attraction in Newburyport

So I came here a few weeks ago with my husband for our first time. Get there early since there are limited spots for non residents, parking was only $25 for the day.

PROS: I thought it was cool there was a light house right across from he parking lot. We liked hat the beach didn't get packed and we were literally on an island of our own however we did go in June. We enjoyed watching the many boats come in and out of the bay area. We took a nice walk away from our spot down the further spot of the beach and we enjoyed that walk and finding seaglass and seeing the view from that side.

CONS: My first complaint is how far away the bathrooms are which are only 3 porta potties. You walk down this long wooden ramp and if you stop to soon you can't even see the water, so you have to lug all your beach equipment very far to the edge to see the water.

The sand is really hard and isn't wracked by the way, so there was ocean and other people trash everywhere.

We didn't like that right where we were sitting people walked up and started fishing, which didn't make us want to go...

If you are looking to be seaside in the calm beauty of the New England coast, this is the place to be. There are washrooms available when parking (we paid $15 for the day) and you will have to walk a bit to get to where you can put your chair, but it is worth it. If you have mobility issues, do a bit of research to be sure you won't be disappointed. As someone with mobility concerns, I had to work hard but the views, the peace and quiet, the history and the nature all around was well worth it! Also, since the river meets the sea, you may have to keep your toes out if the bacteria is high but they will inform you via the website and when parking. This is by far a favorite...

Free parking after 5pm to avoid $15 MA residents parking and the crowds. Lots of private, residents parking so be careful to park at parking lots with signs for Plum Island beach parking. There are also a few restaurants with beach access but we decided to go to the official Plum Island Beach parking lot.

We went on the flat, black carpet on the sands type path to go to the beach, instead of the wooden boardwalk. Stay close to the middle of the path, behind the ropes because there are some poison ivy around the path. There were some remains of concrete structure at the end of the path. The tide was high when we went there and current was pretty strong...