Constitution Beach comes with a view you do not get on most beach days: planes flying from Logan Airport while you sit on the sand. In East Boston’s Harborview neighborhood, the crescent-shaped beach gives you a place to spend a few hours by the water without leaving the city.
Come to watch the planes, bring lunch or take the kids to the playground. In summer, swimming can be part of the plan, subject to the season and water conditions. A beach beside an airport is not a promise of silence. For anyone who enjoys watching aircraft, that is rather the point.
Getting to Constitution Beach
You can take the Blue Line to Orient Heights and walk to the beach. Save the Harbor/Save the Bay’s beach access guide puts the walk at about half a mile. DCR lists the pedestrian entrance at 799 Bennington Street, via the Anthony and Dee Dee Marmo overpass. If you are arriving by car, use the main parking-lot address on Barnes Avenue.
The park is open from sunrise to sunset. Choose a visit that leaves time to sit down, rather than arriving just before closing and immediately packing up again. The beach also has a picnic area and sports facilities, including basketball courts and tennis. DCR also lists a bathhouse and restrooms, useful when planning a visit with children; confirm seasonal availability if those facilities are essential to your plans. Bring a ball if your group is likely to tire of sitting still.
A beach visit does not have to mean swimming
The airport is part of the view, along with boats moving through Boston Harbor. Settle in for a while and let the activity on the water and in the air supply the entertainment. You do not need to fill the afternoon with another attraction afterward, particularly if you have brought someone who could happily watch planes for an hour.
There is sand for a beach blanket, but also paved access and a covered picnic area, as described in Save the Harbor’s guide. That gives a group more than one way to spend time here. Decide whether you are coming for a walk, lunch or a swimming visit before packing; outside summer, make the plan around time on shore.
The playground gives kids another reason to come
DCR opened the rebuilt Constitution Beach playground in November 2025. The $1.1 million project replaced equipment installed in 2000 and introduced a rubber play surface designed to meet accessibility standards. Its coastal theme fits the setting, with equipment intended for children ages 2 through 12.
The play area includes climbing, swinging, rocking and spinning, along with puzzles and spaces for quieter play. The project also moved the playground farther from the shoreline, making room for a coastal dune, and expanded accessible parking. For a family outing, the playground gives the afternoon a second option if enthusiasm for the sand wears off before enthusiasm for being outside does.
Check the swimming season and the water
Constitution Beach is a designated swimming area, but park opening hours and swimming services are different things. Check DCR’s seasonal schedule before coming for a swim. In 2026, the scheduled lifeguard season ended August 16 and the designated swimming season ended September 7. Do not assume a warm day means lifeguards or summer facilities are still available.
During beach season, use the state’s water-quality dashboard to look up Constitution Beach in Boston. It reports testing results and swimming advisories. Follow signs at the beach as well: a posted no-swimming advisory means stay out of the water. If you need a beach wheelchair or other access equipment, confirm availability with park staff before traveling. Bring your lunch, leave the alcohol and pets at home, and give yourself time to watch a few more planes before heading back to the train.