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Beaches

Gray’s Beach Park

Grays Beach Rd, Kingston, MA 02364, USA

781-585-0533

https://kingstonma.myrec.com/info/facilities/details.aspx?FacilityID=14735

Owned By: Town of Kingston

Gray’s Beach Park in Kingston is a varied, grassy town-owned park. It features a small sandy beach on Kingston Bay and a recently-renovated playground, along with athletic courts, a paved walking loop, a picnic area, and seasonal restrooms. Open to the public year-round. Resident and non-resident parking stickers required from April through October.

Features

The park features a playground, a picnic area, numerous benches, a large grassy area with a small stage, basketball and tennis courts, a paved 0.25-mile walking loop, and a sandy beach with a small boardwalk. Train enthusiasts might appreciate watching the MBTA Commuter Rail pass by. Restrooms are open 9am-5pm in season (April-October), and weather permitting.

This is Kingston’s only public beach. To purchase a parking sticker, visit this link.

According to the article “Kingston Business History” by the Kingston Business Association, the Gray’s Beach area was likely a summer encampment for the Wampanoag. This was evidenced by excavations nearby that revealed soil layers and shells. The Patuxet, members of the Wampanoag tribe, made their home in the area now known as Duxbury, Kingston and Plymouth.

Later is was part of Kingston’s shipbuilding industry. The 19th-century Rocky Nook Wharf, owned by Joshua Dela and his son Benjamin, outfitted ships. First ships were constructed upriver, then hauled downstream at high tide by oxen to a cove by Loring Rocks, where their masts were stepped. Outfitting came next: a warehouse on site stocked the goods required to prepare a ship for a sea voyage.

The town purchased the Gray’s Beach property from Paul Delano in 1937, to create a public beach. The WPA undertook the project, which involved filling a swamp, removing marsh grass and rocks, and felling trees. (This was before the Clean Water Act prohibited such activities.) The bath house was constructed in 1950, and Gray’s Beach soon became a popular attraction, with swimming rafts and a concession stand soon to follow. The playground was added in 2002, courtesy of Friends of Gray’s Beach, along with improvements in accessibility, erosion control, and amenities.

This land is within the region of the Wampanoag. To learn more about local Native American tribes, we encourage you to interact with their members. The Mashpee Wampanoag and the Herring Pond Wampanoag share information on their websites.

Trail Description

A wheelchair-accessible, 0.25-mile walking loop extends around the grassy area and along the edge of the beach.

Habitats and Wildlife

The grassy park, dotted with cedar, pine and maple trees, offers ocean frontage and a broad view of Kingston Bay.

  • A photograph of a shade structure with a picnic table in a grassy park.
  • A photograph of a paved walking trail in a grassy park.
  • A photograph of a large white and green sign with property rules.
  • A photograph of a basketball court in a grassy park.
  • A photograph of a wooden boardwalk beside a sandy ocean beach.
  • A photograph of an interpretive sign overlooking a beach and bay.
  • A photograph of a paved trail leading to a sandy beach.
  • A photograph of a playground with blue play equipment.
  • A photograph of a bench overlooking a sandy beach.
  • A photograph of a playground with blue play equipment and flower details.
  • A photograph of a boardwalk and a paved walkway with grass and benches to one side and a sandy beach on the other.
  • A photograph of a sandy beach on a bay.
  • A photograph of a playground with a colorful xylophone in the foreground.
  • A photograph of a bench beside a wooden boardwalk with a small building in the background.
  • A photograph of a grassy park.
Grays Beach Rd, Kingston, MA 02364, USA

Historic Site: No

Park: Yes

Beach: Yes

Boat Launch: No

Lifeguards: In season.

Size: 6.5 acres

Hours: Dawn to Dusk

Parking: Ample on-site parking; sticker required April-October.

Cost: Open to the public year-round. Parking sticker required April-October.

Trail Difficulty: Easy

Facilities:

Fenced-in playground, shaded picnic areas and picnic tables, numerous benches, a small stage, tennis and basketball courts, boardwalk, sandy beach, seasonal restrooms, kayak storage rack, 0.25-mile walking loop, trash receptacles.

Dogs: Leashed dogs allowed on grass area and walkways only. Please clean up after your pet!

Boat Ramp: No

ADA Access: Yes

Scenic Views: Yes

Waterbody/Watershed: Kingston Bay watershed

Other Things to Do at This Site

Nature Photography
Paved Trails
Picnic Tables
Playgrounds