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Beaches

Sandy Beach

345 Atlantic Avenue, Cohasset, MA, USA

Town of Cohasset: 781-383-4100

https://cohassetsandybeach.com

Owned By: Sandy Beach Association

Sandy Beach is a private beach for Cohasset residents. It features over 300 feet of well-maintained sandy coastline on Massachusetts Bay. Seasonal rest rooms and snack bar. Cohasset sticker required for parking.

Features

The beach itself is owned by the nonprofit Sandy Beach Association, and overseen by the Cohasset Conservation Commission. The Town of Cohasset owns the parking lot.

The snack bar is open seasonally, 7 days/week. The beach house is open seasonally, Monday through Thursday from 10am-6pm, and Friday through Sunday from 10am-7pm.

Prior to European contact, a band of the Massachusett Native American tribe maintained a village in what is now Cohasset. It was known as Quonahassit — often translated as “long rocky place.” In 1614, while exploring what was known then as the New World, Captain John Smith (1580-1631) landed in “Quonahassit Harbor” to trade for furs. The Quonahassit village was probably in the vicinity of today’s Elm Street, a summer camp for fishing, and for growing corn, beans and squash. The village moved inland during the winter for shelter, and to hunt for deer, turkey and other wildlife. A widespread plague decimated the Quonahassit population shortly after Smith’s visit.

To learn more about local Native American tribes, we encourage you to interact with their members. The Massachusett tribe at Ponkapoag shares information on its website. 

Support the Sandy Beach Association, which manages such beach operations as a large scale annual clean-up, full-time staffing of lifeguards, daily cleaning and maintenance, as well as legal, administrative and insurance expenses.

Habitats and Wildlife

Sandy Beach is a barrier beach known for its white sand. It is located on the Atlantic coastline, overlooking Massachusetts Bay.

The Williams Salt Marsh, 4.2 acres of salt marsh and upland on Little Harbor, is located across the street. It was donated to the Cohasset Conservation Trust in 2012 by Susan Williams Dickie. An additional parcel of land was added in 2016, thanks to a donation from the Wakeman family.

  • A photograph of a sandy beach with the ocean in the distance and blue sky.
  • A photograph of a building beside a beach.
  • A photograph of a sandy ocean beach with snow fence in the foreground.
  • A photograph of a parking lot entrance with a property sign.
  • A photograph of four property signs beside a parking lot.
  • A photograph of a large paved parking lot with a building in the distance.
  • A photograph of a trail through sand dunes toward a harbor.
  • A photograph of a salt marsh with a property sign.
345 Atlantic Avenue, Cohasset, MA, USA

Historic Site: No

Park: No

Beach: Yes

Boat Launch: No

Lifeguards: Yes

Hours: 6am-9pm

Parking: Cohasset All Facility Parking Sticker required for parking year-round. (Residents only.)

Facilities:

Beach house, restrooms, snack bar, trash receptacles, emergency phone. Lifeguards in season.

Dogs: No dogs between 8am and 8pm, May 1 through October 1.

Boat Ramp: No

Scenic Views: Yes

Waterbody/Watershed: Massachusetts Bay/Atlantic Ocean

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Beaches