Constitution Beach

Constitution Beach is not well known and could be called a «Hidden gem». Sand, grass, beautiful willow trees, picnic tables, play area for kids, snack concession, lots of free parking, even restrooms, this place has it all. I have never seen it overly crowded even on warm summer weekend afternoons. The best part for kids is seeing the planes taking off and landing on the other side of the water. It’s definitely a city beach with Blue Line trains passing by, a Dunkin Donuts and Burger King a short distance away on Bennington Street.
Despite its proximity to the city and the airport, the water seems quite clean and there are lifeguards on duty, Overall this is a great place to have a picnic or sit on a bench and watch the planes. For those without cars, it is a short walk from Orient Heights Station.

Constitution Beach = Free. But you know what’s not free? The band-​aids and bottle of Bactine I picked up at Star Market after visiting to tend to the massive cut on my foot I somehow received in the sand at said beach.
At low tide the water is murky at best, the sand is muddy, and there are also some sharp thingies in the sand– mostly shells, I think (hope), but still… ow! Yes, I guess the calm and relatively warm waters are a plus, and the view of the planes makes the Flight Aware Game fun if you have a cell phone… but this beach just isn’t for me. In my opinion, it’s worth it to take the T a few more stops to the comparably rollicking Revere, which remains my favorite Blue Line beach.
*I do award an extra star for the clean bathroom facilities, foot wash, and cool footbridge to Bennington Street. The playground area would also be very fun, were I a kid.

How about a pro con list?
Pro:
1. Calm Waters
2. Amazing view of the Airplanes taking off and landing at Logan.
3. Great multi-​age playground with what looked like handicapped friendly swings and ramps.
4. Concessions — $ Cash only. (ATM is barley a 5 min walk away.)
5. Very receptive lifeguard staff. — early in our visit a lifeguard waded out to my children and I to let us know t be water tested positive for bacteria that morning and we were at risk if we kept swimming. (This is a common thing in water supplies and a short time layer after the water was retested it was cleared). Point here is the diligence the lifeguards took to speak to every person on the beach.
6. Not crowded at all.
7. Showers to un-​grime.
8. Shade and picnic tables.
9. Nice sand without scary public health hazards.
10. Perfect for children learning how to swim, felt more like a lake than the ocean.
Con:
1. …I can’t think of one. Or two Or any. :)

We parked on Bennington and walked across the overpass, hopeful that we were in the right spot. We were and though it’s not the worst beach, it’s convenience that’s paramount here. It was also nice to be empty on a summer weekday, so if you’re not the Cape type or don’t have that kind of time or patience, it’s a solid option.

A good place ti just hang out with friends and family. Not sure if you could do much swimming here. Not much food available. Bring your own food from home. But its not that crowded so if you are looking for a few hours of peace. .The only thing that would interrupt is the next door boston logan airport. But its also something different that other beaches dont havr… one doesnt see planes flying out of a beach that close that often. Its different. Wont go again but definitely a one time must.

I’m skatin’ out to Eastie. Game mode: Beastie.
Blue Line stand up! your shiny seats tends to ease me.
Meetin’ up shorty cause her booty’s like a bubble,
She’s a cop, I’m a robber and she’s lookin’ for some trouble.
This cutie is a hard knock local, and she’s thorough.
She likes to tell it how it is, especially when I’m in her borough.
She never gets upset when I light up the stinky.
Always down to burn, for this rhyme I’ll call her ‘Pinky’.
I tend to blow some sticky and catch the Sox on a Monday,
but instead I’m in the sand reppin’ Eastie by the runway.
Quite a hip scene watchin’ planes take flight.
Even better at night, with some super ‘get right’.
It’s a manmade gem and it’s kinda hard to reach.
Just find direction and be rewarded by the Constitution Beach.
*BeanTowns FinesT*

Constitution beach pales (shivers and is forgotten) compared to most beaches I’ve been to. It’s a quaint strip of sand with easy access from bmta. The place seems to draw few people.
The day on which a friend and I ventured to Constitution beach was markedly cooler than other recent days. When we arrived and realized how surprisingly close to the airport it was, we decided… we’d rather not test out how cold the water was. With planes departing and landing overhead, airport staff refueling not very far away, it just did not seem like a desirable thing to do.
The sand is clean, and somewhere close there must be ice cream. We heard children begging to get some before going home. But the area is not particularly inviting to beach-​going pedestrians.

This beach is getting a bad wrap, but it’s really nice!
Parking that is free. A minute or two walk from car to beach.
Lifeguards who were working their asses off.
A snack bar, with Ritchie’s Slush!
A great view of Eastie homes and Logan Airport.
Water that is clean, not very rocky, very salty.
I found this place refreshing.
Yeah, I guess there are some trashy folk here but most beaches I go to always have some trashy people.
I will be back here a lot — make sure to check out some great East Boston restaurants too while you are here!

I was pleasantly surprised by this beach – and, as the parent of a toddler, really delighted to find another great place to go with a kid. There are 2 playgrounds, lots of hermit crabs to catch (which makes me leery to actually go swimming here), planes & trains to watch, bathrooms & shower/​water fountains. Clean & safe feeling; limited shade, but several picnic tables available on the park side of the beach. We’ll be back!

Disgusting excuse for a beach. Polluted water, scummy people and who knows what is in the sand. You can see the oil in the water and you are just a couple of blocks from the projects. Not exactly a destination beach.

As far as city beaches go I think this might be my favorite, but seeing as it’s a 10min T ride from my apartment near Govn’t center, I may be a little bias.
Coming from Chicago I’ve grown accustom to having a verity of nice city beaches within walking distance from a train station… Boston, ironically, is not that kind of city… Who’d a thought? No, seriously, it’s right on the ocean! So like, who’d a thought!!! In fact, aside from Revere Beach, the location of most beaches in the city seem to be little pearls of wisdom held close and dear to the locals… which is great if you live in the neighborhood and are local, not so great if you are a Midwestern transplant who was to get her beach on! and for the most part, Constitution/​Orient Heights Beach is no different. the beach area is small, it doesn’t stretch for miles and miles like some of the north shore beaches and there’s not «sand bars» like in Hull or Rhode Island, but what there is, is plenty of space to sit, put your feet in the sand, read a book and snack on an Italian Ice (from the really reasonably priced snack bar) the bathrooms and changing facilities are some of the cleanest I’ve ever seen and it’s the height of beach season (July 30^th) Someone posted pics and they were a totally accurate representation. The sand is a tiny bit rocky, but cleaner than Rhode Island beach, there was no obvious trash either in the water or in the sand… yes there are a few cigarette butts, which I agree is kinda gross, but all in all not bad!
This beach is also a great place to bring the kids for a couple different reasons; it’s less crowed so there’s room for them to run around and not kick sand in peoples face and because where it’s situated there are no waves, which means no dangerous undertow to knock down and drag your 2 year old under. It’s kinda like swimming in an inland lake. The views across into Winthrop are pretty and it’s actually kinda neat to watch the planes take off and land. Overall this was exactly what I wanted, but I have to warn you, between the old Italian ladies in their swim dresses and the Latinos with their families, my pastey Irish ass was hands down the whitest on the beach! LOL but hey, even us whiteys want to get our beach on!
Now I can’t speak for these infamous Southie beaches, but if what your looking for is a quick low key day at the beach, that doesn’t entail a car, forget Revere and get off at Orient Heights, I don’t think you’ll be disappointed.

This place looks really nice these days. I’m impressed. This «back to the beaches» program the city/​state is doing might actually be working???
There is a decent sized park, some bathrooms, a concession stand, and it’s easily accessible by car or T, Orient Heights stop.
I don’t have a kid, but if I did I’d probably bring it here, and watch some planes, and dip our feet in the water, ecc.
Plus… if you’ve made it this far, you get to eat from Santarpio’s, which makes it THAT much better!

Located on the heels of Orient Heights, easy access from the T and ample parking as long as it does not get too busy. No waves as it is on the flip side of the bay from their airport … water tends to be a bit warmer here than other beaches. Cool to look at the jets landing and taking off though the noise can be a bit too much.
Beware of the trashy families that come here though, they don’t hesitate to drop the f-​bomb or yell nasty words at their rug rats. These people not only litter but throw their cigarette butts into the sand without putting them out … these people love living by their stereo-​type, they are the reason Walmarts, fastfood joints and tobacco companies are still around. ;-)
A solid beach all around, outside showers and decent looking bath rooms … limited snack bar is always under staffed and out of items. I would give it four stars if the trashy locals did not come here.

Went this past week & due to Summer approaching the concessions & Bathroom were actually open… The bathroom here was actually cleaner than my bathroom at home… I posted pics… It was just unusually clean for a public bathroom on the beach… But I cant assume it would look that way in the height of summer beach going…
The food stand was suprisingly cheap, we only got the boys little ice cream things but the menu was up (posted pics of that too)… and it was very affordable…
My only thing is my son isnt aware yet that you actually have to SIT when going down a slide (hes 22 months) so he just walks down all the slides & causes me to gasp quite often, I think next year I will enjoy the park alot more, but the beach & the grounds are completely wonderful!

What a lovely, little, local beach! Warm, calm water with a great view of the Logan runway. A little snackbar (more $$$ than Castle Island), outdoor showers, decent bathrooms, and a BIG playground. The sand is a bit gritty/​dirty. Overall, a really nice weekday destination on a hot summer day in the city.

I cheated on M Street Beach to come to Constitution Beach with a friend. She was heading this way based on a recommendation from a coworker.
It’s only a quick walk from the Orient Heights stop, but I didn’t see any signs to show what direction to go. I asked a few walkers, but had to use a few of my Spanish vocab words to get by.
–Overall clean. I didn’t see any garbage rolling around, nothing gross in the sand. The water wasn’t see through, but I didn’t see anything that made me not want to stick my toes in.
–Small cash-​only snack bar, but is also very close to a Dunkin Donuts and a Burger King when you head back towards the roads.
–Saw mostly families and teenagers. A few rowdy mothers swearing in front of their toddlers. And a few men wearing just their underwear.
–The view’s fabulous of the airport, very much liked watching the plans take off!
Not a bad place if you want to get off before reaching Revere. and you don’t want to be overwhelmed. However, I’ll stick to walking five minutes to my Southie beaches :)

We went to this beach for the first time today (since it is the very closest beach to our house) and I found that it had distinct pros and cons.
First the cons. I saw quite a lot of dead jellyfish, and a single piece of particularly unhygenic trash. I also found a piece of broken glass. «Swimming» was allowed only on part of the beach and only within about 20 feet of the shore. At a mere 20 feet out, I’m not sure it’s really deep enough to actually swim, but to be honest I didn’t actually try.
Now for the pros. It IS right near the airport, and i was ready for that, and it didn’t bother me at all. It wasn’t too loud, and the planes were interesting to look at (and I don’t even care about planes!). It also has a nice snack bar, clean bathrooms, visibly hardworking caretakers, tennis courts, basketball courts, benches, and other well maintained amenities. Overall it looked pretty clean and nice aside from a few little things.
As another reviewer mentioned, it does have *plenty* of parking, and it’s easy to get to. It was not at all crowded (on a Sunday afternoon in late June), which I found remarkable having been to Crane beach the weekend before & paid good money to be packed up against other people pretty tightly. I had very low to modest expectations, and this beach exceeded them. Overall I am a fan and I will go back — especially when I only have half a day to go to the beach and don’t have time to drive a while. It helps that this is the closest beach to my house and it’s perfectly acceptable as long as you don’t really want to swim.

While I personally don’t have any use for this beach… if you are looking for a closeby one and live in East Boston, this is perfect. If you want to do some amaaazzzing plane watching, this is your place, baby!
There is plenty of parking, is easy to get to by car and subway. If taking the T get off at orient heights and walk over, its very close. If you get hungry there is a Burger King and Royal Roast Beef across the street (directly) and a few other places so its a very convenient place.
I feel like this is a nice date place because of the plane watching and convenience, thats just me so whatev. Enjoy.

As a general rule, I am not fond of the beach. Yes, I grew up in Rhode Island and spent much of my childhood on the various islands throughout the state. My parents used to drag me on their boat each weekend and drive around the harbors, then stop in the sandbars and so we could all get out and dig for quahogs. But I did not enjoy those activities. In fact, I often cried because I hated them so much.
I just don’t really care for the beach. I don’t like the sand, I don’t like the creatures, I don’t like the rocks, I don’t like the gross taste of the water, I don’t like the prospect of being dragged to my death by vengeful currents.
I hadn’t been swimming in the ocean in perhaps five or more years. And I was ok with that. But I DID want to get a swim in before my summer vacation came to a close, and since the days were winding down, and since I had no pool or freshwater swimming prospects in sight, and since my friends from Germany were here and they wanted to swim in an American ocean, the stars aligned and I agreed to suck it up, don my suit, and hit the beach. Constitution Beach. It may not be as sandy and picturesque as the beaches where I grew up, but that’s part of its charm. It’s smaller and less crowded than the other surrounding beaches, and it has free parking.
This may have been a turning point in my life. I don’t know if I ever enjoyed swimming in the ocean as much as I enjoyed swimming in the ocean on that day. Something about it just felt so… right. And refreshing. It may have helped that they have ropes in the water delineating the swimming zones, so it didn’t seem so scary to me. I’m not sure. But it was great. In fact, I was the last one to get out of the water!
Combine this swimming trip with a little takeout pizza from Santarpio’s and it turned out to be the perfect summer day in New England.

Great place to go for a walk along the water and watch the planes come and go, but I would be very careful of where you walk. On my most recent walk, I found newly broken glass and bottle caps, not something I would like to step on in bare feet.

Located Near Logan Airport, and within walking distance of Orient Heights T station (BLUE LINE) and the Winthrop Busses, this beach with ample parking is a hidden GEM in close proximity to Boston. They have done a lot of work with the beach and if you haven’t been there lately you will be surprised at how much better the beach is now! There is a new bike path/​walkway along the beach and an overpass across Bennington St to the shopping center. There is ample parking at the shopping plaza or at the Beach itself. There is a nice playground for kids, and picnic tables, as well as covered benches where you can sit and watch the planes taking off and landing at logan airport right across the Harbor. It is a fun place to take the kids and watch planes and a nice quite relaxing beach to swim at. It is cool to swim on a hot day and watch planes while you swim laps or while sunbathing on the beach. There is a great Roast Beef and Seafood place across the street on Bennington St. Called Royal Roast Beef and Seafood, and down the road is a Subway Sandwich shop. The beach is truly a hidden Gem in Boston and is right off a T stop Orient Heights off Bennington St. in East Boston. Check this Beach out You will love it! I have to differ Bri. There is a nice picnic area for picnics, why just the other day a group of campers from Alaska pulled in and had a picnic right at the beach. There’s also a nice wide open swimming area and a walkway to walk on. there’s open fields for walking your dog or tossing a tennis ball/​frisbee, and plenty of wind for flying kites. there’s also the great playground recently added for the kiddies. They have lifeguards in season, and its in general a great place to see the skyline of boston and the airport while you swim. Its cool to see the planes taking off if you’re a plane enthusiast, and is real convenient to the blue line (orient hieights station). Its a good alternative to revere beach and less crowded.
its a quality swimming hole nestled in a cove near Winthrop-​East boston… also sunsets are great over the city skyline.
Come in the PM and you can see the lineup of aircraft heading for international takeoffs. and the evening rush… as well as the international arrivals