First Street Beach
All beaches on the island are public beaches. At mid to low tide you can walk the beach from Gould’s Inlet all the way to the Village (roughly 3 miles). Many people access East Beach by driving to the Coast Guard Station parking lot. Another great access location where there is a lot of parking is at Massingale Park.
Our favorite option is to just walk from the cottage to the closest access at First Street Beach (about a 10 min walk). The walk from our cottage is through a quiet local neighborhood. This is a great beach because it is around the point from the more popular parts of the beach and tends to have less people. It is also a very nice destination for an evening walk.
To walk there from the cottage, turn right on Cummings as you leave the cottage. Then take a right on Demere Rd, go about a half block and turn left on Beach Drive. Continue down Beach Drive and stay to the right at the fork. Continue straight as you cross Ocean Blvd (street name changes to 1st St). Walk one more block and you’ll see the path for beach access #19 as you cross Beachview Dr.
We also love that you can bring your dog to the beach most times of the year. They love it too! During the quieter times before Memorial Day weekend and after Labor Day dogs are allowed on the beach at all hours. During the busier time of the season dogs are allowed on the beach before 9:00 am and after 6:00 pm.
This is a painting of us at First Street Beach done by a good friend of ours.
The painting is hanging in our living room at the cottage.
