May 17, 2026 · Updated May 17, 2026
Lifeguards take their posts Memorial Day weekend and Long Island's beach season opens for real. From the six and a half miles of Jones Beach to the nationally ranked sand at Coopers Beach in Southampton Village, the island's public beaches are among the best in the Northeast. This guide covers nine of the top spots, what makes each one worth the drive, what it costs, and what to expect on a summer Saturday.
Beach season on Long Island opens for real on May 23, when lifeguards take their posts from Fire Island to the Hamptons and parking lots fill by midmorning on clear days. There are hundreds of beach access points across Nassau and Suffolk counties, but not all of them are worth the drive.
Here are nine public beaches worth knowing before summer crowds arrive, organized by what makes each one distinctive and what it actually costs to get there.
Coopers Beach has been ranked among America's top public beaches for years by Dr. Beach, the coastal scientist whose annual list carries genuine weight in the travel world. The beach runs along Meadow Lane in Southampton Village, with fine Atlantic sand, calm shore break, and lifeguard coverage during season.
Village parking requires a Southampton Village permit for most of the season, purchased through the village clerk's office. Daily passes are available for non-residents. Amenities include restrooms, concessions, and a bathhouse. It fills quickly on July and August weekends, so arrive before 9 a.m.
268 Meadow Lane, Southampton, NY 11968. Lifeguards on duty Memorial Day through Labor Day. Parking fee applies.
Jones Beach is Long Island's most famous public beach, and the reputation is earned. The park stretches six and a half miles along the Atlantic barrier in the Town of Hempstead, divided into several parking fields, each with its own bathhouse, concessions, outdoor showers, and restrooms. Field 6 is the dog-friendly section; Field 2 sits closest to the Northwell Health Jones Beach Theater.
Parking costs $10 per vehicle. On summer Saturdays, the first fields fill before 9 a.m. and Ocean Parkway's eastbound flow backs up significantly after 10. MTA buses serve the park from Wantagh and Freeport during beach season.
Ocean Parkway, Wantagh, NY 11793. $10 parking. parks.ny.gov/parks/jonesbeach.
Robert Moses sits at the western tip of Fire Island, accessible by car via the Robert Moses Causeway from Bay Shore. The five miles of protected Atlantic shoreline are divided into five fields, four staffed with lifeguards. The water here runs rougher than at Jones Beach, with shore break that draws bodyboarders.
Weekday hours from May 23 through September 11 are 8 a.m. to 4 p.m.; weekend and holiday hours are 7 a.m. to 6 p.m. Parking is $10. Field 5 has the lighthouse, a free walk-in historical site worth the extra few minutes.
Robert Moses Causeway, Babylon. $10 parking. parks.ny.gov/parks/7.
Sunken Meadow is Long Island's north shore alternative to the ocean beaches, sitting along Long Island Sound with calmer, warmer swimming than the Atlantic side. The park includes three miles of beach, a boardwalk, and an 18-hole golf course. Trees lining the park's western bluffs make it a comfortable option earlier and later in the season.
Access is via the Sunken Meadow Parkway north from the Long Island Expressway. Parking is $10. The beach is in Smithtown, though the approach comes from Kings Park or Nissequogue.
Sunken Meadow Pkwy N, Kings Park, NY 11754. $10 parking. parks.ny.gov/parks/37.
Long Beach operates its own three-and-a-half miles of Atlantic beach alongside one of Long Island's best-known boardwalks. The city sells seasonal passes and day tickets through the Parks and Recreation department, with access controlled at entry points along Shore Road.
The boardwalk hosts the weekly Arts In The Plaza market on Saturdays and draws a mixed crowd of surfers, families, and runners. Long Beach's proximity to the Nassau-Queens border makes it among the most accessible ocean beaches from New York City, and it shows on summer Saturdays.
Shore Road, Long Beach, NY 11561. Season and day passes at longbeachny.gov.
Smith Point is the largest ocean beach park in the New York State system, sitting on the eastern end of Fire Island's barrier island chain in the Town of Brookhaven. The beach is wide, the crowds are lighter than at Robert Moses, and the drive east along the William Floyd Parkway from Shirley takes 10 minutes from the LIE.
The park includes a campground and a 10,000-car parking capacity. Camping reservations for July and August fill fast, typically by April. Day-use parking is $10.
William Floyd Pkwy, Shirley, NY 11967. $10 parking. suffolkcountyny.gov.
Wildwood is a Sound-side park in Wading River, on the North Fork's western gateway. The beach sits at the base of bluffs that make this setting unlike anything on the south shore. Long Island Sound water is warmer and calmer than the Atlantic in summer, and the views across to Connecticut on a clear day are outstanding.
The park's campground is among the most popular in the state. Day visitors pay $10 to park. A half-mile bluff trail above the beach offers views that most Long Islanders have never seen.
790 Hulse Landing Rd, Wading River, NY 11792. $10 parking. parks.ny.gov/parks/73.
Oyster Bay's municipal beach is Long Island's best-kept secret for Nassau County families who do not want the Ocean Parkway commute. The park sits on the protected harbor in Oyster Bay Village, with calm water, a boat launch, and views toward Sagamore Hill on the bluff above. Swimming is seasonal and supervised.
Access is managed by the Town of Oyster Bay. Town residents enter free; non-residents pay a vehicle fee. Calm, protected harbor water makes this the top Long Island option for families with young children.
Bayville Ave, Oyster Bay, NY 11771. oysterbaytown.com.
Caumsett belongs on this list not as a swimming beach but as the most underrated natural space on Long Island. The preserve covers 1,520 acres on Lloyd Neck in the Town of Huntington, with trails through forest, saltwater marsh, and a private bay beach that sees almost no weekend crowds.
Bicycles are allowed on the carriage roads that wind through the former Marshall Field estate. No concessions, no lifeguards, no crowds. The parking lot holds about 100 cars. Admission is free; parking is $10 for non-residents.
25 Lloyd Harbor Rd, Huntington, NY 11743. $10 parking for non-residents. parks.ny.gov/parks/23.
The LIRR remains shut down as of May 17. Jones Beach and Robert Moses are reachable by MTA bus from the Babylon and Freeport bus terminals during beach season. Check mta.info for the current service map before planning a beach day without a car.
State park lots close to vehicles once capacity is reached. On Memorial Day weekend, most south shore lots hit capacity before 10 a.m. Arrive before 8:30, bring cash for the parking fee, and plan to stay long enough to make the trip worthwhile.
