New England has some of the most beautiful beaches in the country, from Maine to Cape Cod. We all have our favorites, whether they are childhood memories or places we frequent today. So Wickeds, what’s your favorite beach in our neck of the woods? What is it about that beach that keeps you coming back for more?
Liz: I live in CT, but never go to the beach here. Instead, we make the hour or so trek to Rhode Island and camp out at Second Beach, right down the street from Newport and the main beach. It’s a little less crowded, the water is beautiful, the sand is perfect, and I feel fabulous when I’m there. The only drawback – I always think I’m going to get some writing done, but something about the beach air makes me want to
just sit and read! Shaggy’s even gone to visit a few times….
Edith: I love Crane Beach in Ipswich. When I lived there I had a resident parking sticker for a slim $20/year – and it costs more than that to park for a single weekend day in summer! You can walk forever – well, almost to Gloucester – and the waves are gentle and not as frigid as other New England beaches. I set several scenes of my (Tace Baker’s) second Lauren Rousseau mystery there, with the murder taking place on the bluff right above, so I have a special fondness for it
Julie: I don’t have one favorite. I just couldn’t. I grew up in Duxbury MA, until I was 14. That beach owns a piece of my heart. Singing Beach is accessible by train, and was my go to when I was in college. There is a very tiny beach down the Cape near a family home, and we have lots of family memories there–four generations worth. These are three of the beaches that mean something to me. There are dozens of others that I’ve visited, and been stunned by their beauty. Don’t even get me started on the lakes…
Jessie: My absolute favorite is Old Orchard Beach. Not only are there miles of sugar fine sand and human-built amusements, there is history here that delights me and sparks my imagination. The roster of musicians, aviators and merely wealthy that have gathered here for decades simply boggles the mind. I love to walk the beach and see in my mind’s eye women with parasols strolling beside me or early pilots using Grand Beach as a runway for their attempts to fly across the Atlantic. I love to imagine the looks of delight on the faces of children during the Great Depression as they caught their first glimpse of the Jack Rabbit Roller Coaster. Magical!
Sherry: We’ve lived near numerous beaches over the years. My first New England beach experience was at Hampton Beach in New Hampshire. We ran over scorching hot sands into the water…freezing cold water. I only went in ankle deep and then hop, hop, hopped back over the very hot sand. After than experience I contented myself with finding places to view the ocean in places like York, Maine or Rockport, Massachusetts. And I leave the going to the beach for southern climes.
Readers, what’s your favorite beach?
My husband and I used to go a-courting on Crane Beach, just a few (ahem) years ago. Now? I guess I’ve spent the most time at the beach opposite the Chatham lighthouse on Cape Cod. And there’s one on the seaward side of Chappaquoit Harbor in West Falmouth, that overlooks the site where my great-grandmother once had a summer house (long, long gone).
That sounds lovely, Sheila!
The New England beaches sound awesome. I’m from Ontario and our beaches are few (lake beaches) but OK. Maybe my husband and I can visit – if only our Canadian dollar hadn’t taken such a tumble. By the way, I love you ladies. You’re “wicked”! I wish I had a group who I could write with and get inspiration from. Keep up the awesome work please.
Thanks so much, Marianne. Let us know if you make the trip down! Maybe we’ll see you at the Toronto Bouchercon in 2017. Yes, we value our group deeply.
Thanks Marianne! We would love for you to come visit. And thnanks for the kind words.
I’m thinking of misty morning walks on the beach at Biddeford Pool, Maine! Miles of sand. Plovers scurrying in the dunes. Sandals swinging in my hand. Is doesn’t get any better…
You paint a beautiful picture that makes me want to go there!
I grew up on the Gulf coast, which is such a different experience than Atlantic beaches. Sometimes the Gulf waters are so warm, it’s like walking into tepid soup….I love Delaware’s beaches. Rehoboth is the best! Lovely town too, though too crowded in summer.
I’ve spent a lot of time on the gulf coast of Florida. Such a different experience than New England. I love viewing and walking along beaches in New England but going in the water? It’s just too cold.
Favorite beach? Yes, I love the beach, thanks for asking.
Yes, I’m really that picky. Heck, I’m one of those who thinks that going to the beach in Santa Monica is fun (many of my friends don’t like it for some reason I haven’t figure out). I’ll go just about anywhere, and yet I rarely seem to make it to the beach these days.
We lived in Redondo Beach for about three months and were only a block off the beach. We used to walk The Strand every day. I’ve only been to Santa Monica’s beach a few times but it was fun.
It’s sad that beach time dwindles as you get older, isn’t it?
Reblogged this on F4l ~ FLECK.
Ron and I love beaches; all of them, everywhere. However, one in particular is special to us. Rocky Neck State Park in Niantic, CT has a wide range of natural resources – salt marshes harbor all manner of wild life, wooded campgrounds, a boardwalk and trails for walking, running, biking, a large covered picnic area, restroom facilities, and a sandy beach. On the weekends it’s packed with visitors, which we prefer to avoid, so we mostly go on weekdays or off season. One very cold and windy November morning, we got married there under the clear sky and the bright sun, with waves splashing ashore. We had a single candle perched on a bolder, a bouquet of pink roses purchased 5 minutes earlier from the local grocery store (photos revealed I forgot to remove the price tag), and 3 friends – the minister, the minister’s wife, and friend. Afterward we tossed goldfish crackers instead of rice, so the seagulls eagerly joined the party, swooping and circling around us. It was a good day at the beach.
It sounds like a wonderful beach and wedding!
Theresa, that sounds awesome! I’ve only been to Rocky Neck once, to visit a friend of mine. I’m hoping to get back for another visit soon.
I really enjoyed this blod
Thanks, Ruth!
Crane’s beach in Ipswich has been my favorite since I was a little girl. I’ll never forget seeing a horseshoe crab there for the first time. The beautiful white sand also comes to mind as a first and has never been topped as an experience since then.
I don’t think I’ve ever been to Crane’s Beach but have read about it because Edith had written about it. It must be very beautiful.
It’s beautiful, Sherry.
Edith’s comments remind me that it’s now called Crane Beach, but when I was growing up in nearby Salem and Marblehead everyone called it Crane’s—probably because it was (or had been) the Crane’s property. It will be hard for me to change that old habit!