Soundview Beach — Attraction in Old Lyme

We go here often, no problems usually. Yes, there's a cover charge to use their beach, bathroom and loungers/tables at The Pavillion ($5 - $10 Depending on day & time of year) but it's well worth it for the bathrooms alone, in my opinion. Also, because there's a bar, no children are allowed on the property, so plan accordingly (I forgot about this fact when I brought my granddaughter the first time, but staff gave us a plan B. Thank you!) and parking is touch and go, so it's best to get there early. The staff are always very friendly and helpful. They do scout the area to make sure you have your wristband on (that you get when you pay the above mentioned cover charge) which I personally appreciate since it's only fair and keeps the crowds down. If you do pay and use this beach, I don't believe they go through your belongings, at least they've never done that to us, but I'm not...

If you are looking for a beach to hang all day and not be harassed stay away from this one! Parking is 20$, there is a limit size to the cooler you can bring in, bags get checked before coming in. Then bags and cooler also get checked every 2-3 hours again. Very invasive if you ask me. This is a good beach if you're only going for a few hours but not a full day with friends and family. We ended up leaving and going to misquamicut beach. It was packed and parking was over priced but it was so much fun with out people digging into your bag and limiting how big of a cooler you can bring. Which they should put on...

I hadn't been here in years and it has changed a lot. There is one small area of public beach about the size of a very large backyard that is fenced in like one too. I remember the public area being a lot larger years ago. The beach is sectioned off in an over abundance of private areas that are not accessible to the general public. Strange vibe. Parking is still fairly priced and mostly a short walk to the beach if you arrive early enough. The closest lot opens at 9 and fills up quickly. The neighborhood is very friendly and the business owners are great but I wouldn't make the...