Shown below are several off-season glimpses of Falmouth's many public beaches. As June and July settle in, these locations will all be filled with friendly beachcomers, windsurfers and sun-worshippers. Scroll down the page or click directly to a specific spot in the list below...
Hit the Lighthouse Pix button to return to the Main Falmouth Pictures Page.
Hit the Lighthouse Top button at any point to return to the top of this page (Beaches).
Here is just a smattering of glimpses of a few of the many beaches that Falmouth offers on both the Nantucket Sound (southeastern shore) and Buzzard's Bay (western shore). At the present
time, these images do not have larger versions. I may, in the future, provide directions on how to get to each of these locations if there is a demand
for it. If you think that would be a good idea, or if you'd like to keep these locations to yourself, please contact me.
Keep in mind, also that these pictures are taken in the winter, when these beaches are at their most rustic and serene. All of the beaches pictured here are
public beaches, and there are several more public beaches not shown here. (Stay tuned for more beaches and summer shots.)
If you come to Falmouth looking for a beach environment laden with the common resort trappings like boardwalks, teeshirt and souvenier stands, or a general carnival-type
environment more common to more urban seaside environments like Coney Island or Atlantic City, you may be disappointed. But not for long. Falmouth's beaches have a
rustic and pristine charm that will eventually win you over. What's also very enticing about Falmouth's beaches, is the ability to watch the sunrise over shores of the
Nantucket Sound and sunsets over the placid Buzzard's Bay. It is a seaside environment that is unique on the Upper Cape and perhaps the entire Cape.
Pictured here is a sunset over the tranquil and historic Quisset Harbor, just behind one of Falmouth's most beloved spots on the Bay, known to residents as The Knob.
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Perhaps the most famous and most often-visited beaches in Falmouth is Old Silver Beach. Located in North Falmouth, Old Silver Beach
sits on Buzzard's Bay. It features perhaps the softest sand in Falmouth, a snack shack and is divided into separate areas for residents
and non-residents. Old Silver Beach is also the location of one of Falmouth's most favorite convention sites, Sea Crest Resort.
I think of all of the beaches in Falmouth, Chapoquoit is my personal favorite (tough call, though). Chapoquoit is often called "Chappy" by residents,
an unfortunate nickname which only serves to confuse it with the notorious Chappaquiddick Island, about 25 miles to the southeast in the town of Edgartown.
While not technically one anymore, Chapoquoit used to be an island and is still sometimes refered to as such. Located between Buzzard's Bay and West
Falmouth Harbor, Chapoquoit was once called "Hog Island" and features a unique tower overlooking it's sandy shores (The Hog Island Tower is private property, please
marvel from afar.)
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Perhaps the most rustic and serene of all of Falmouth's public beaches, Woodneck beach is tucked away in Sippewisset, just between a very large salt marsh and Buzzard's Bay. It's off the beaten track and offers no amenities, but we like it that way. The sunsets from Woodneck Beach are often breathtaking and I've decided that it is one of the best places to fly a kite in all of Cape Cod.
Fairly well hidden from all except the bikers, skaters and strollers along the Shining Sea Bikeway, Trunk River Beach is rocky and peaceful. It's a favorite rest stop to
those on the Bikeway and great spot for pre-dawn fishing. It's located on Nantucket Sound, just east of the Nobska light. Calling Trunk River a "river" is a bit of an overstatement. It's merely a tiny burbling brook that connects the nearby Salt Ponds to the sea. Trunk River Beach is
also a wonderful spot to see some of Falmouth's beautiful marine birds. Swans, geese, mergansers, cormorants, herons, and even ospreys frequent the marshes nearby.
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Just a short walk down Beach Street, Walker Avenue or Shore Street from the center of town is Surf Drive and Surf Drive Beach. Unlike most of Falmouth's other beaches,
Surf Drive Beach features public shower rooms. It also has a concession stand and is the place where Falmouth residents get their lovely Falmouth Beach Parking Stickers.
Surf Drive Beach is on the Nantucket Sound, facing Martha's Vineyard. It's also a very long beach, stretching from the big houses on Clinton Avenue all the way to
Oyster Pond. Don't park here after 8:00 pm. You will get towed.
In the center of picturesque Falmouth Heights, Central Park is a unique beach. This location
features nearby restaurants, park benches on grassy knolls facing the water and even a softball field!
The beach at Central Park is right on one of Falmouth's most stupendously scenic roads, Grand Avenue. It's
just to the east of Falmouth Inner Harbor and faces Martha's Vineyard. Just up the hill are the Falmouth
Heights cliffs, where you can enjoy some dazzling fireworks on the Fourth Of July!
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Heading east along Grand Avenue, away from Falmouth Heights and into Maravista and beyond, you'll find several other public
beaches along the wider sections of Nantucket Sound. Bristol Beach is one such location. Since the Vineyard
is off to the west, this beach and the ones to the east have much more of a wide open ocean-like feel. The row
of dunes here is a wonderful place to see the sunrise over the water. There are plenty of nearby motels and
hotels and some of those even have their own private beaches.
East of Maravista, Grand Avenue becomes Menauhant Road. This section of East Falmouth offers breathtaking views of the Nantucket Sound
and the ocean beyond. One of the best things about Menauhant Beach is that the ocean breezes keep this
site fairly pleasant even in the hottest of summer days. This section of Menauhant is right across the road from one
of East Falmouth's many beautiful ponds, Bourne's Pond.
...are several more public beaches both on Buzzard's Bay, in Woods Hole and on the Sound. And remember, all of these views are off-season. We hope to add more beaches and more in-season views to this page...just one more reason while you'll have to come back to the Virtually Falmouth! page again soon! For now, you can just imagine each of these spots just teaming with people...come to Falmouth this summer and that's what you'll find!
