Like many dogs, Mandy and Lexi love visiting the beach year round. Living in New England, we are an hour and a half away or less from many beaches. In fact, we've actually visited beaches in seven different states! Rules related to bringing your dog to the beach can be complicated. Hopefully this guide will help make sense of it all.

Overall Beach Guidelines

Blue Shutters Beach in Charlestown, RI

The rules regarding dogs vary from beach to beach. Many beaches do not allow dogs at all, some will allow them during the off-season, or after core hours. Keep in mind, the rules can change, so always do your own research first before traveling to a beach with your dog. Not all of the beaches we have visited are in included this guide. I've only included beaches that I am relatively confident of the rules regarding dogs. Feel free to browse the rest of the site with detailed write-ups for each place we've visited, including some beaches not listed here.

When traveling to any beach, keep in mind that many of these beaches have different parking rules for residents and non-residents, especially in the summer months. The dogs may be allowed, but you may not be! Links to our write-ups for the beaches are provided, so please click through for more detailed information on each beach.

Also remember, always pick up your dog waste, and be prepared to carry it out with you as many of these beaches do not have waste recepticles.

Connecticut Beaches

Esker Point Beach in Groton, CT

Overall, Connecticut is not the most dog friendly state when it comes to its beaches. So much of the shoreline is private property, and the few public beaches aren't all that great when compared to beaches in neighboring states. Most beaches in Connecticut do not allow dogs at all. Only two beaches, Esker Point Beach in Groton, and Barbara Pine Memorial Beach in Guilford officially allow leashed dogs in the summer months. There are a few other beach-like places where you can bring dogs year round. Most state beaches (except for Silver Sands in Milford), allow leashed dogs in the off-season. Some town beaches also allow dogs in the off-season, but they all have different dates, so you should check with the beach's website first. Dogs must remain on a leash unless otherwise specified):

Rocky Neck State Park in East Lyme, CT

Hammonasset Beach State Park in Madison, CT

Jennings Beach in Fairfield, CT

Rhode Island Beaches

East Beach in Charlestown, RI

Rhode Island is more dog-friendly when it comes to beaches. The beaches in Rhode Island are much nicer than the Connecticut beaches, and worth the trip. Also, a law passed in 2023 designates the shore line, up to 10 feet past the high tide line as public property. While the right-of-ways may be private, if you can get to the shore, you're allowed to be there. It is not clear how that law applies to dogs.

There are a number of beaches that allow dogs year round. Some of them have specific times of the day when they are allowed. All of the state beaches allow leashed dogs in the off-season only, October 1st through March 31, though you may see "No Dogs" signs at the beach. More information here. Some town beaches also allow dogs in the off-season, but the dates vary.

Fort Wetherill State Park in Jamestown, RI

Punk Rock Beach in Narragansett, RI

South Kingstown Town Beach in South Kingstown, RI

Massachusetts Beaches

Plymouth Long Beach in Plymouth, MA

I hate to say it, but Massachusetts has some nice beaches. Not quite as nice as Rhode Island, but nicer than Connecticut. We're still exploring beaches in this state. We've found some great dog friendly ones already. If you know of other ones we've missed, feel free to contact me via the email link on the bottom of the home page.

Squaw Rock Park in Quincy, MA

There are actually some nice beaches where you can take your dog on a leash year round. Some even allow off-leash dogs. There are also beaches that only allow dogs in the off-season. Dates vary by beach.

Singing Beach in Manchester-by-the-Sea, MA

New York Beaches

Coney Island Beach & Boardwalk in Brooklyn, NY

Outside of Long Island, New York isn't particularly well known for it's beaches. We've been to a few in New York City and Westchester County that allow leashed dogs.

New Jersey Beaches

Bayshore Waterfront Park in Middletown, NJ

New Jersey is quite a commute for us. Yet, we've still visited some dog friendly beaches around Raritan Bay. There are also many beaches along the Jersey Shore that allow dogs in the off-season.

New Hampshire Beaches

Hampton Beach in Hampton, NH

New Hampshire doesn't have a large shore line, and it doesn't seem to be particularly dog friendly. So far, we've only visited a few beaches in the state that allow dogs in the off-season.

Maine Beaches

Fort Foster in Kittery, ME

We've only been to a few beaches in Maine so far.