Let’s admit it, New York City isn’t your typical summer retreat. This really is a shame, as the city boasts quite a lot of impressive beaches. Most of us immediately think of Coney Island or Rockaway beach but New York City hides some undiscovered gems that provide a safe haven for solitude seekers. Here are out top 3 secluded beaches of New York City.
1. Fort Tilden Park
Positioned on Rockaway Peninsula, Fort Tilden—part of Gateway National Recreation Area—offers a mixture of decommissioned military structures and reclaimed natural areas, including some of the most beautiful beaches (un-lifeguarded) in New York that are perfect for walking or fishing.
Fort Tilden State Park feels like the city’s best-kept secret—an unspoiled island oasis, tantalizingly close to Manhattan. Even on a weekend at the height of summer, you’ll get a 50-yard stretch of beach to yourself. On weekdays, it’s practically all yours. On a busy day, you might see several families (mostly Russian) picnicking and grilling.
2. South Beach, Staten Island
Once referred to as Graham Beach, the area was originally a summer beach colony consisting of many bungalows and tents. Located nearby was Warren Manor, a residential development that was demolished in the 1950s to make way for a proposed new City University campus that was never built.
Small amusement parks and arcades, such as the Happyland Amusement Park, once flourished there, but virtually all had disappeared by the 1970s; the last one closed in 2006. The City of New York built a public housing project in the neighborhood in 1949; it is one of only three such projects found on the island south of the Staten Island Expressway.
Free concerts and fireworks are just two of the many reasons why South Beach is one of Staten Island’s most popular locales. There’s more to do than sunbathing and swimming—though both are favorites of many South Beach visitors. A fountain with six bronze dolphins features colorful lights that illuminate at night. There’s a park especially for seniors that features checkerboard tables, bocce courts and lots of benches. And the Ocean Breeze fishing pier is huge—one of the largest in the City—and ideal for fishing or just enjoying the atmosphere.
3. Point O’ Woods
Point O’ Woods is located between Ocean Bay Park and Oakleyville; immediately to the east is the Sunken Forest, a park situated below mean high tide level.
Point O’ Woods is not a municipality and has no government as such. Like a few other Fire Island enclaves, it is a privately owned parcel of land. It lies under the political jurisdiction of Brookhaven Township in Suffolk County; local law enforcement is the duty of Suffolk County Police Department’s Marine Bureau. The beaches themselves, however, are open to the public, and egularly patrolled by state and local police as well as by the National Park Service and US Coast Guard.
Today Point O’ Woods serves as a summer vacation retreat for Association members and their families. This vacation spot has many people from the East coast, but also from the West coast. The hamlet is opened by the Association in the mid-Spring, and closed in early autumn each year.
