Quincy, Mass. Blog #8: Wollaston Beach!

In today's blog about Quincy, Mass. we visited Wollaston Beach on several occasions. Having grown up here and moved away, I always enjoyed walking the beach in the evenings or sitting on the beach wall with a cup of coffee looking at the city lights from Boston across the harbor. 

(Photo: Tyler, Dash and Cody on the Beach wall. Cr: R.G.) 

    

MY IDEA OF THE BENEFITS - Other than sitting on the beach, benefits include, FREE Parking facing the ocean, trash cans along Quincy Shore Drive, some restaurants on the opposite side, updated crosswalk signals, a nice view of the Boston Skyline in the distance, and a concrete beach wall - perfect for sitting on.                                                                                                                ABOUT WOLLASTON BEACH - Wollaston Beach is the largest public beach in the Boston harbor. The beach is located parallel to Quincy Shore Drive in North Quincy, Massachusetts, which was constructed to provide access to the bay beach for Greater Boston. Wollaston beach expands Quincy Bay forming part of Boston Harbor. There are a lot of runners, walkers and even dog-walkers who use the sidewalk that runs along the beach wall on Quincy Shore Drive.

HISTORY - Quincy Shore Reservation was conceived in 1899 by the Metropolitan Parks Commissioners, and remains as the formal/legal name of Wollaston Beach, Caddy Park, and Moswetusset Hummock. The ‘birth’ of Wollaston Beach occurred in 1908 with the completion of the “Metropolitan Boulevard” from Atlantic St to Fenno St. The Department of Conservation and Recreation manages Wollaston including lifeguards and maintenance.

FACILITIES - A beautiful concrete seawall edges much of the beach, and is a perfect place to sit and watch the water or look at the Boston Skyline. At the far end of the beach (northern point) is a Dunkin' Donuts, so you can get a cup of coffee or an iced tea, and walk south along the beach wall. The beach also has a boat ramp, yacht club, and a playground on the southern end of the beach. Lifeguard services run from mid-June to mid-August. For more information, visit: https://www.mass.gov/locations/quincy-shores-reservation

HOW LONG IS THE BEACH? - Wollaston Beach is the largest in Boston Harbor with roughly 2.3 mi (3.7 km) of shoreline. The promenade stands the entire length of the beach and is often busy with walkers, dog walkers, runners, and casual cyclists.

(Photo: Tyler and Dash pose on the beach wall. Credit: R.G)

DOGS CAN GO TO THE BEACH - (Just not on the sand in beach season) - While dogs are only allowed on the beach during the off-season, Wollaston Beach features a paved promenade that welcomes leashed pooches all year round.

(Photo: Tyler, Dash and Cody hanging out on the beach wall. Credit: R.G.)

CLEANING THE BEACH - There's a now locally famous clean-the-beach campaign  called " Friends of Wollaston Beach." My brother has been supporting the group for many years.

The group's charter is: To promote public use of Wollaston Beach preserving, and protecting the fragile ecosystems and addressing the quality of life issues relating to the Beach. Website is: www.friendsofwollaston.com The group has cleanup days, events and done things like stencil signage near runoff drains in neighborhood streets that informed people that water from each drained right into the beach and not to pour toxic substances there. You can follow them on INSTAGRAM at: https://www.instagram.com/friendswollastonbeach/?hl=en

LOCAL STORY OF WOLLASTON CLEAN UP: https://www.boston25news.com/news/local/one-boston-week-wollaston-beach-cleanup/2LSOIUDVOZBH3DRZ5CGXWMLSBQ/