Despite everything happening with the coronavirus pandemic, 2020 has been a great year for beach relaxation — the weather has been perfect, and our town of Fairfield has done a great job in making sure the local beaches are well-maintained and litter-free. I’ve compiled a list of beaches and gear that I’ve liked this year, with more reviews later to come.
Beaches
State Beaches
| Sherwood Island Park | 6/10 | Pros: Sandy beach, great rocky area near 9/11 memorial with expansive views, great picnic areas Cons: Goose droppings everywhere, touristy (lots of NY residents have events here) |
| Silver Sands State Park | 9/10 | Pros: Fine sand, lots of space Cons: Fairly popular |
| Hammonasset Beach | 6/10 | Pros: Huge beach (939 acres) |
Local Beaches
| Penfield Beach | 8/10 | Pros: Amazing view, great playground and swings, close proximity to Jennings Beach playground Cons: None |
| Sasco Beach | 4/10 | Pros: Nice wooden play structure, great sandy beach with no pebbles. Cons: Usually restricted to Westport residents, poor parking |
| Calf Pasture Beach | 6/10 | Pros: Great boardwalk, splash pad, lots of space Cons: Usually crowded |
In the past, my favorite beach was Penfield Beach due to its playground, but since those are closed during coronovirus, my new favorite is Silver Sands — there’s a lot of space, it’s close to our house, and it has a sandbar that allows you to wade maybe 20 yards in 3-feet deep water, which is perfect for teaching kids to swim.
Gear
To date, I’ve found Clio chairs super convenient for taking to the beach — they’re bottle-sized, and very well engineered.
We’ve also had great success with the Sportsbrella beach umbrella, which has been perfect on the hot summer days — we did have to use a 5-pound sledge and ground stakes from Home Depot to get secure it, but has been *amazing*.’
Here’s to more days at the beach!
David Maduram MD PhD 