New Bedford may not be on too many people's lists of places they must visit when in Massachusetts,…read morebut we like the town a lot. And no trip to New Bedford would be complete without a drive down to the waterfront where the heart of the town's fishing history, now spanning 3 centuries, lives. It's down by the commercial fishing piers where you'll find the Coast Guard park. Although it's a "pocket" park in size it's worth the stop to pay one's respects at the Lightship Sailors Memorial. A lightship is an anchored vessel affixed with a light that acts a warning beacon and a guide to ships at sea. Essentially, it's a ship that acts as a lighthouse. The Vineyard Lightship sank in the Hurricane of 1944 and all 12 men aboard perished one mile west of Cuttyhunk. The men aboard were fighting 100 mile winds and 20 foot seas that night and although they sent messages ashore to the Woods Hold Coast Guard station, those messages were filled with static and misunderstood, leaving potential rescuers to erroneously believe the sailors were successfully riding out the storm. This Coast Guard Memorial honors the service of all lightship sailors, but it's the names of the Vineyard Lightship men that are etched on the side of the granite memorial. Atop the memorial sits the fog bell from the Vineyard Lightship. After this moving bit of history, take a walk down the piers to take in the amazing display of fishing boats. It's these boats in particular that the lightships aim to guide. If you want to talk about a tough day at work, being a lobsterman, scalloper or shrimper would make most other complaints seem meager. These working boats are a sight to behold. They are incredible structures but nothing fancy about them. It's all work. Up close you can see the machinery and conditions in which these tough and scrappy fisherman work. I know there is a lot of controversy over the commercial fishing industry from both sides. Nonetheless, these men and women are doing a job that for those of us who eat seafood, puts food we love on the table. I try to think of these boats and fishermen whenever I sit down to a seafood meal. A trip to the New Bedford Harbor and the Coast Guard Park helps put the lives of both fishermen and Lightship sailors, so inextricably entwined, in perspective.

A really nice park to just relax. Maybe it was the time of year I went but the weather was awesome…read moreand the trees were just turning color. Windy and cool out during October. I almost fell asleep !! Tip - plenty of inexpensive parking in the parking garage a block away.

We had been going to a park in Newport for Family Picnic Day for a long time, but the kids are…read moregetting a little older and need more variety in activities. Bristol Town Beach provided a perfect setting for gathering, eating, playing, and relaxing for the entire family! We got there nice and early and found a spot near the big field and not far from the swings and bathrooms. We scored a couple of picnic tables in the shade. Throughout the rest of the day, the park/picnic area filled up, but we never felt crowded and, honestly, it was nice to see so many people enjoying the beautiful day. The beach is rocky, so wear water shoes. It's a good beach for little ones because there aren't big waves to knock them down. If you keep walking down the beach, you get to a path where some of our group went fishing. I remember going to this beach as far back as the early 80's and a LOT of good things have been done to update and upgrade over the years. The only part of this park/beach that absolutely needs some attention are the restrooms. Wow, hot mess! And it's such a contrast because everything else is so nice! That being said, it is nice that there are bathrooms and that they are easily accessible. Overall, we were all thrilled with our new Family Picnic Day venue. Even with having to pay for parking (which we didn't have to do in Newport), I'm pretty sure we will be returning to Bristol Town Beach from now on!

$40 for this beach is ridiculous. Long term renter in town renter does not matter if your…read moreregistration doesn't say Bristol. Go to state park around the corner. Beautiful.

It is a nice beautiful little beach and body of water. I wanted to take my girlfriend somewhere…read morenice just to walk near Fall River and this definitely was a great place to take her and just enjoy the afternoon walk.

Beautiful spot to watch the sunset. Several benches and a few picnic tables available. On street…read moreparking or there is a lot across the street. Dog waste bags available. We are so lucky to live in this beautiful state.

This is a nice little beach with no waves. On the off season you can walk leashed dogs on the…read morebeach. It's a great place to visit off season and the water is clear enough to swim. On season, especially during the day, it's hard to visit because the parking lot is so small and all of the surrounding streets have no parking signs up. So you do run the risk of driving there and not getting a spot in their tiny lot.

Drove down to this beach and I was pleasantly surprised with so many parking spaces available…read more Majority of the area was clean with a few exceptions of plastic litter, wasn't anything crazy. Sunset views were incredible as well, very family friendly with a few toddlers enjoying the water. It's right against the parking lot so I would say it's friendly for those that can't go on stairs. Great new spot to read!

Perfect beach not overly crowded and easy to park on the street and lots of good food around .read more

Cute beach on Buzzards Bay…read more First time in my life I have ever seen the sand being groomed. So nice for walking barefoot Parking is pretty cheap. Only $2 per hour if you don't have a resident permit. Be aware that the parking kiosks only take credit cards or coins. Dollar bills are not accepted. Since you are on the bay, little to no waves. Water is pretty shallow quite a ways out.

Totally worth the hour and a half drive from the Cit-tae if you have a little summer cash or are in…read morethe know with a Darmouth local, like I am; It's a $25 pop... You will fall in love with the rolling hills and stone fences of New England idyll, Dartmouth; all kinds of well-kept cottages, greenery, birds, lemonaide stands, farm stands, money trees, pie stands, landscaped yards, flowers, flowers-- Round Hill is a nice longish, sandy beach, with clean, clearish water, small waves, restroom, piping plover, some dune, and beach rose. And sun, sun, sun, breeze, salt, healing water, and peace with the people. Maybe a little less crowded and rowdy then the popular Horseneck. Keep your pbnj/avocoado, cheese n fresh tomato booze picnic on the DL. Also delight in local farmstands where you can enjoy the best peach of the summer at the shore. If you go with me stay all day at heaven on earth, why rush back to the city, baby, the beach be one of the best places we got--- Enjoy your Staycation

The water isn't all that nice, red tide fairly often. I found a used condom in the sand, that…read moregrossed me out.

I live in MA and drove 1 hour to Scusset Beach during the 2nd week of July, 2026. The weather was…read moreperfect - perfect for a beach day : hot, sunny, clear blue sky. The beach itself was nice enough: decent sand, not rocky, not an over abundance of seaweed. That's where the enjoyment ended. That beach had a constant barrage of biting flies that annoy the crap out of you. They are small, relentless,painfully bite, and leave itchy marks where they bite. We stayed for 3 hours to try to get our $14 (parking fee) worth but after that, we left. I'll never go back since I now know those biting flies are an issue there and have been for years. Two thumbs down and I cannot recommend Scusset Beach to any beach goer who wishes to have a lovely day at the beach. Side note : the water was so cold also, with zero waves and contained floating seaweed. Terrible.

Beautiful beach. Sign at entrance that was terrifying; all about the sharks and how to avoid them…read morebut we went anyways. Water was very clear and I don't see that too much around here so that was pleasant. Snack shop was open as well as bathrooms. All very convenient. Had a great day with my 4 yr old granddaughters so enjoyed it very much. The loved sitting at edge and letting the minimal waves come over them. Very nice family friendly beach.

A nice little park I stopped at after checking out Rolling Rock. Athletic fields and areas to…read morewalk, it's one of those city parks that has an urban feel to it.

This park is in walking distance from my home but on a cold day it's nice to drive to the park and…read morethen go for a walk. I enjoy taking my dog Daisy here cause it's a nice size park and open. It's also nice to go during the spring and summer to walk and just sit and watch a baseball game. It's a very pleasant park in the city there's so many nice parks in Fall River that we do go to. I highly recommend this Park