Two miles of beach, a boardwalk, 558 open camp sites and also extensive open spaces away from the beach to walk: what's not to like about Hammonasset Beach State Park in Madison, Conn.?
Hammonasset Beach is the largest beach in Connecticut, and certainly one of New England's finest. Located on Long Island Sound, the extremely well-maintained beach is situated on 919 acres with every step of the way a utopia for beach enthusiasts. Not only do you get some beautiful New England ocean beach scenery, but soft sand, relatively warm water in the summer, attentive lifeguards on duty, a concession stand, picnic areas and a nature center as well as walking, biking and rollerblading opportunities within the park. Most importantly, you get a generally well-behaved crowd here -- many families and peaceful types with few showoffs. Perhaps the best way to visit Hammonasset Beach is to secrure a camp site. Why take a day trip when you can spend several days by the coast? That's not to say a day trip pales in comparison: when you have beaches like Hammonasset, take advantage of every moment and feel blessed to experience such an ideal beach -- especially during the Memorial Day Weekend to Labor Day Weekend timeframe.
I often think that if someone was assigned to build the perfect beach, Hammonasset would be the prototype. No need to, however, as Mother Nature has once again provided us with yet another moment of splendor in New England with this wonderful ocean beach scene -- along with a nice move by the State of Connecticut to create a publicly accessible beach here!
Hammonasset Beach is located at 1288 Boston Post Rd., Madison, CT. Tel. (203) 245-2785
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