Several parking spots and nearby porta-johns on this paved and scenic trail around Deer Island, the…read moreonly Harbor Island accessible without a boat. There are no deer really but you might see coyotes so keep your dogs leashed. It is also not a foresty island, it is mostly made up of the wastewater treatment plant at the center, with this 2.6 mile loop trail around the perimeter. That does not take away from the views of the islands and the city skyline. There is a beautiful Celtic cross memorial up a small hill on the trail, that looks out to Boston and commemorates many Irish immigrants who perished and were buried in unmarked graves, as were many Native Americans here. There is a fishing pier and a rock wall walkway. No real facilities or food, so bring your picnic. There are many benches to sit on, and the flat rock wall itself. The walk from the Deer Island parking lot to the Celtic cross is about 12 minutes, depending on your pace. Watch the planes line up to make their meticulous touchdown on Logan's 2-foot landing strip. :) It is a pleasant and reflective stroll and you can do as much or as little as you wish.

Nice little fishing pier. It was super windy. Didn't catch any fish but there were plenty of crabsread more

This speech is small but very well maintained. There's a lot of refreshment places around please…read moreclean up after yourself when you leave this beach

Wonderful walk along a wide promenade almost a mile from Mission on the Bay in Swampscott to Red…read moreRock Park in Lynn. Many joyful family groups walk along here and watch the ocean with its dramatic tide changes.

This is a great beach it has a fabulous double sidewalk which allows you to walk bicycle etc. all…read morethe way from Swampscott to Nahant There are no restaurants restaurants etc. There's great fishing off the seawall and rocks in the center They also have movie nights and a bunch of fears and activities on the big grassy area which is also a fabulous spot for picnics with small children Very limited parking only on one side of the street private housing on the other

Nice peaceful beach with a double walkway and benches to enjoy the view there is also steps and a…read moreramp that leads to the shore The smell at times...well that's another story.

Donovan Beach is the primo spot for watching planes take off and land at Logan International …read more This is a beautiful little beachy spot to relax on a bench watch a sunset and a few planes with a gorgeous back ground of the sparkling Atlantic. . There is absolutely no parking except if your lucky enough to find a spot on one of the side streets. I love to enjoy a sunset here during warm weather, it's so beautiful with the planes flying by as the sun sets. Definitely a 4 Star location.

This is a small beach with a lot of pebbles, and some sandy stretches at low tide. It is on…read morePleasant Street in Winthrop, Massachusetts, across from the 420s houses on Plesant Street. There is no parking lot, but one can park on the side streets and walk there. Very few people come here. It has stunning views of Boston's inner harbor, and the Boston skyline, as well as some good views of local parts of Winthrop. One wouldn't come here for swimming (or fishing); for that go to Winthrop's main beaches, Winthrop Shore Drive, or Yirrel Beach. But it's a great place for a walk. It is named after a Veteran of World War I, Simon J. Donovan.

A fine beach for being so near the city. Finally made it here after years of being in Boston.read more

Super nice beach to visit and have a nice walk. Pleasure bay is a good place to view sail boats as…read morewell. Plenty of parking.

Eliot Circle is actually a rotary at the very beginning of Revere Beach on the Winthrop side…read more It's an extremely small rotary compared to larger ones like Bell Circle the largest in the country. Unlike most rotaries Eliot is located on the shore so it has parking spots available it also has benchs available for viewing the ocean and grassy areas for picnics. It also has a small stretch of sea wall which is great to sit upon and of course America's first public beach Revere Beach is right there. The parking is free There is no entrance fee the grassy area is benches and beach all have no admission. This is a nice quiet end of the beach great for starting a bicycle ride or a measured walk. This is also the only area along all 3 miles of Revere Beach that has trees for shade. This is a great Area of the beach to pull up a chair and spend the day as there are venues within a block away very convenient also the bathhouse is about a block or two away. Definitely take a peek next time you visit Revere Beach.

My favorite part of the beach! This is where I sit when visiting! So quiet and peaceful!!!read more

Canoe Beach is rated number one if you love the ocean and rocks this is the place to come…read more The beach is very small with the feel of being on a tropical island. Both sides of the small sandy beach are very rocky almost Cliff like. This is the type of beach if you want to get away from everything and everybody it's definitely the place to hide out for a day and enjoy Mother Nature. If you like to explore bring some really good rock climbing shoes as the rocks are slippery and dangerous make sure you do not climb alone. Remember if you do not have a resident parking sticker there is absolutely no parking for blocks and blocks however with a resident sticker there are seven parking spots that's right only seven. If you're lucky enough to come here you can enjoy the view from four park benches located on the grassy area overlooking the beach. For the dog lovers please leave your loved ones at home as no dogs are allowed on this beach it is strictly enforced. I love Canoe Beach as it is one of the last beaches on the North Shore that you can count on nobody being there when you arrive. You will have a private beach all to yourself. So please remember if you plan on climbing on the rocks have somebody with you because they are slippery and dangerous. This is a great beach to enjoy a sunrise or sunset. The local police usually will not bother you on during a sunrise but they will ask you to leave as the sun sets especially if you're parked illegally. Canoe Beach easily gets awarded 5 Stars ‼

The most beautiful place on the Universe! Angelic and the home of Mother Nature. Hidden Gem.read more

All my daughter wanted this year for her 22nd birthday was for the family to spend the day on the…read more Islands, specifically George's and Lovell's and that's what we did. We haven't been in about 10 yrs and was so happy to see some amenity upgrades to keep people interested. They added a little playground/ slide for the kids, doesn't look Civil War ish but I'm sure is helpful for young ones lol a fantastic Welcome center with items they've found on Island or that era and a 9 minute movie introduction to the History of George's Island All Islands are carry out what you bring in so be aware of that. George's Island has Salty's food bar with really good prices considering everything has to be brought over on the ferry. We like to picnic and have a feast for dinner once back on the mainland. Bathrooms were clean and plentiful on George's and a composting loo on Lovell's. Free water taxi to Island hop to the other Islands to explore. I've been coming here since I was 12 and I'm SO happy that the BHI are growing with the times and there is still such an interest. The views of the cityscape are just awesome, it's like a world away even though you can see the skyline. LOVE IT ! Also, in all this time we've driven into the city to park but chose to go out of Hingham this time. We'll stick with that from Now on unless we need shopping downtown. Hingham offers free parking with the purchase of the Island ticket!! And Wahlburgers is just down the street with additional shopping if your not exhausted from a day of beach-combing

My husband and I did the Boston Lighthouse Sunset Cruise in the Boston Harbor Islands National…read moreRecreation Area when we spent the weekend in Boston about two weeks ago. The cruises are offered in partnership with the National Park Service, so our guide (who walks you from the meeting point to the boat and narrates the tour) was a park ranger, which makes it a more special experience, in my opinion. They offer day time and sunset cruises, but we were lucky enough to be able to fit in a sunset cruise on a Friday evening. The 2-hour cruises are narrated, so you can learn about various islands and their histories, as well as see some lighthouses. You check in at the Boston Harbor Islands Welcome Center on the Rose Kennedy Greenway and then walk a short distance (less than five minutes) to the boat. The boat has seating inside and outside, as well as bathrooms. I had never been out into Boston Harbor before, so this was a treat. I learned a lot and saw a few stunning sites before/during/after sunset. I enjoyed the experience. Seeing Boston Light and Graves Light on this cruise was a real treat. My only real complaint is that they tell you to arrive at least 3 minutes before departure to check in. This was absolutely not necessary. Our departure was at 5:30, and I don't think we even started to walk over to the boat until 5:30. We had arrived at 4:45 and so had to sit around for 45 minutes while others checked in much closer to the departure time. We had books so we were okay, but I really don't think they should be asking people to check in that early! A very cool experience if you're looking for a way to get out into the Harbor and on the water during a visit to Boston!