Wednesday, June 30, 2010

Is Nantasket that Fantastic?

People from all over the south shore flock there to get their beach fix. Adults hold fond memories of their childhood there. It is the famous Nantasket beach in Hull, MA.

Located in Hull, as far as I'm concerned Nantasket is not convenient or near anything. Although we have gone there in the past to take pictures of the kids in the winter, I had never been to Nantasket to swim.

We did not go out of our way to go there, we had to be in Hingham for something in the afternoon so I suggested that we try that beach for a couple of hours. The parking is $7 for the day, and there is 2 hour parking on the street. Just be careful to NOT park on a yellow curb. Apparently yellow curb=$20 parking ticket.

We arrive at the beach, find parking, and unload the car. There are many parking lots yet many of them were at capacity at noontime. The beach itself was also at capacity. Here's the thing about Nantasket-there's not much sand. Not that the sand isn't nice or thick and cushy. It's that the beach front is only maybe 10-45 feet depending on the tide. At high tide there is no beach front.

Arriving late in terms of a beach day, we had to carefully pick our way through the crowd, making sure not to knock anybody out with the beach bag or lawn chair. I found a square of space not yet claimed, yet I still felt like I was somehow invading somebody's personal space...but oh well. Kids ran into the water and the only thing left was the chairs and the bag. Those aren't too noisy.

The kids ran into the water and proclaimed "It's so cold!!" I tested the waters and agreed. Nantasket's water is very cold. Not Maine water cold, but very cold for Massachusetts. After a little splashing around we decided to check out the main drag. We put the chairs in the car and headed into "The Dream Machine" to give the kids a few minutes at the arcade.

Here's the reason people love Nantasket: Nostalgia. It is like a mini Hampton beach. There are arcades and souvenir shops. You can lick an ice cream or munch on french fries as you walk down the road while looking at tourist trap souvenirs. There is even a playground that looks exactly like the one at Hampton beach. (The bathrooms are quite nice too;)

It is definitely an experience everybody should have, and right now there is a carnival set up right by the ocean. That's a very nostalgic experience. As far as the beach's stand-alone quality, I would give it a 3/10. If you add in all there is to do around the area-it goes up to about a 7.

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