Castle Island & Carson Beach at Fort Independence

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Hours:	Hours Vary see below
Ages:	Toddlers, Kids, Teens, Adults
In/Outdoor:	Outdoor
Cost:	Free
Category:	Beaches

Other Ideas: Crane Beach; Good Harbor Beach; Salem Willows Park; Wingaersheek Beach; Gloucester Beaches

castle island carson beach at fort independence photo

castle island carson beach at fort independence photo

Often missed by tourists and locals alike, Castle Island is a great place to walk or roller blade, along Boston Harbor. This 22 acre land-bound island (it's the site of an old armory), features a number of interesting and entertaining sites including:

Terrific walkways (great for rollerblading)
Views of Boston Harbor and Logan Airport - watch the planes take off & land!;
A shoreline string of parks and beaches with a large playground;
Snack bar that includes burgers, fries, clam strips, drinks & ice cream;
Harry McDonough Sailing Program, and of course:
Fort Independence: the oldest continually fortified granite site on British North America, having played a variety of roles in colonial and revolutionary times.

Fort Independence Tours
Free tours of the Fort run every Saturday & Sunday from 12:00 noon to 3:30pm. Tours last approximately 30 minutes, but can be longer depending on your guide. Strollers can not be accomodated on the tour.

Grab a snack at Sullivan's, serving Southie for over 60 years. Breakfast! 8:30 a.m. – 10:30 a.m. Better than ever-toasty-bacon or sausage, egg & cheese on an english or bagel. Tater tots! Full menu available from 10:30-Close (Sunset).

View our Photo Guide of Castle Island

Delicious snacks including lobster rolls, fried foods, ice cream and drinks keep visitors coming in droves. There are picnic tables right outside to enjoy your food.

Call ahead if the weather is bad-we will close if there are more seagulls than cars in the parking lot! Phone: 617-268-5685

George's Island is another gem and less crowded than Castle Island. George's Island is accessible only by boat. Served in season by Bay State Cruise Line from Long Wharf, Boston and Hewitt's Cove, Hingham or by private boat. Long Wharf is convenient to Aquarium Station on the Blue Line.

HOURS

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Free tours of the Fort run every Saturday & Sunday from 12:00 noon to 3:30pm. Tours last approximately 30 minutes.

WEBSITE

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www.mass.gov/eea/agencies/dcr/massparks/region-boston/castle-island-pleasure-bay-m-street-and-carson-beach.html

LOCATION

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Day Boulevard, Boston, MA, 02127 map
Phone: (617) 727-5290

Take I-93 to Exit 15. Make a left at the light to rotary, and onto Day Boulevard, follow the water to Castle Island. You'll find free beach parking along the street the entire way, and a free lot for Castle Island at the end of the road.

Rte. 3 to JFK Exit, follow beach along William J. Day Boulevard, Castle Island is at the end of the Causeway.

MBTA:
Castle Island, M St. Beach - Red Line to Broadway Station, then take City Point buses #9 or #11. Walk to the right across Marine Park to the beach to the entrance of the fort. Carson Beach - Red Line to JFK/UMass.

MBTA bus service to Marine Park via the #9 from Broadway or the #5 from Andrew Red Line stations.

REVIEWS

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We love this place

We have 4 kids from 10-4yrs. There is something for everyone. The place gets really packed, but the kids love the playground and the beach. We always pack a lunch and spend most of the day.

Castle Island

beautiful place with lots to do, but the route is poorly marked, very difficult for out of towners to find. like all of boston attractions, needs better signage.

Best kept secret in Boston

What a great place to spend a summer day! So much to see & do. Beaches galore, with lots of free parking, multiple playgrounds, picnic areas, wide open spaces, walkways for rollerblading & strolling. The beach breeze really refreshes. Our 4 year old & 18 month old had a great time. We packed a lunch & plenty to drink, and brought a ball to play with. When everyone needed a rest, we all sat back & watched the planes land across the bay - one lands about every 2 minutes or so.

Great place for families

I am a mom of four children, Castle Island is a wonderful place to visit. My four year old son loves the planes flying low overhead, and the playground. My two daughters love to walk the beach and find hermet crabs. We bring our lunch and spend the day. At the end of our visit we love to sit on the fishing peir and watch people catching fish, we have even seen harbor seals and rays. We also like watching the big ships going in and out of Boston. This is a great place to visit, we have a lot of good memories their and hope you will too.

REVIEWS BY STUDENTS

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Castle Island, Grade 3 Student

Castle Island is a fun place. You can see Fort Independence. You can tour Fort Independence. I liked walking on the bridge. You can go fishing from the bridge. There's a big beach there. I found a piece of purple sea glass. There's awesome ice cream there. You should visit Castle Island.