Last Minute Beach Options

By Natalia Kozikowska

Standard Staff

Bay Park is a fantastic last minute beach option near The Five Towns. Photo by Natalia Kozikowska.

So its ninety degrees out and your kids want to head to the beach. The problem? You don’t feel like driving and waiting in traffic on a Saturday or Sunday to get to Jones Beach, Long Beach or Lido Beach…and you don’t have to. If you’re looking for a quiet day at a desolate beach there is no need to stray far ? Bay Park in Hewlett, The Shores Beach Club and New Plaza Beach Club are wonderful alternatives.

Just east of Hewlett Harbor and south of East Rockaway you will find a hidden gem – Bay Park, which is right on Hewlett Bay. Bring your beach chairs and head to Bay Park, a perfect way to spend a sunny day with your family. Admission to Bay Park includes use of the small beach and kiddie pool entrance but non-residents can still enjoy the basketball courts and jungle gym for free. Inside Bay Park you will find that the beach resembles an upstate lakefront where your children can swim out to an anchored dock. Parents can also enjoy lying on the beach just to the left of the pool where their children can play. Lifeguards are on watch to ensure the kids’ safety. Bay Park is just the right size to soak up some rays by the shore and watch your children just a few hundred yards away. A snack bar is also open for customers at Bay Park.

Residents of The Town of Hempstead pay $5.00 for adults and $2.50 for children (ages 5-9) and seniors. Children under the age of five are free. Non-Hempstead residents pay $6.00 for adults and $3.00 for children and seniors. Non-Town of Hempstead resident children under the age of five are free. Parking for Bay Park is free. Bay Park is open from Monday through Sunday: Pool from 11:00 a.m. to 7:00 p.m.

“I’ve only been here twice but I love this place,” says Pauline Philmus, resident of West Hempstead. “I love the fact that there is a beach and a kiddie pool very close,” she adds. “It’s two in one and it’s very relaxing – not crowded at all.” Anthony Devito of Oceanside

The Shores Beach Club still has cabanas open for this summer! Photo courtesy of theshoresab.com.

also enjoys taking his children to Bay Park.“It’s clean, it’s close to the house and the kids love it,” he says. “They should have more of these.”

Anna Grecko of East Rockaway says she loves the beach because it is great for the children. “I’ve been coming here for 35 years and now my grandchildren come here as well because they also live in the town. Her husband, Paul Grecko also enjoys the fact that it is a small and quaint beach. “You can always see where the kids are at and you don’t have to worry about them getting lost so much,” he says. “I think they have a great staff here. They’re always on their toes, they watch the children well around the pool area and I think they keep the beach really nice.”

The Atlantic Beach Alternatives

If you are willing to cough up a little extra cash to spend a luxurious day at a beach club the newly opened The Shores is a great getaway. Every Monday and Wednesday members are allowed to bring a free guest. For every other day of the mid-week, guests of The Shores members pay $5.00 per child and $10.00 per adult. On weekends the guest prices are double. If you are not a member or guest of The Shores Beach Club it is still not too late to join for the six weeks still remaining in the summer season. To become a member you must fill out an application that can be found at their website, www.TheShoresAB.com/request-a-cabana.com. The Shores Beach Club is now offering cabanas at a discount ? $1,500 for half a cabana and $3,000 for an entire cabana. There are five new oceanfront cabanas still open. Members and guests have access to the beach, the pool, the kiddie pool and the sauna. Refreshments are also available at The Shores Beach Club. The Shores Beach Club is open from 10:00 a.m. to 10:00 p.m.

New Plaza Beach Club in Atlantic Beach is yet another exquisite beach club with cabanas still available for potential new members. New members can take an additional 20 percent off from the season’s listed prices on their website, www.NewPlazaBeachClub.com. The New Plaza Beach Club membership comes with access to its pool, its kiddie pool, its volleyball courts and its basketball courts. In addition to a variety of different activities for the kids, New Plaza Beach Club offers a unique dining experience at their restaurant. The Restaurant, which is open Thursdays through Sundays, is located directly on the beach so that you can enjoy your meal right by the shore. The Restaurant is also open to the general public after 7:00 p.m. during its days of operation. Similarly to The Shores Beach Club, New Plaza Beach Club allows members to bring guests for free on Mondays and Wednesdays. On Tuesdays, Thursdays and Fridays admission for a guest is $5.00 per child and $15.00 per adult. On weekends the guest fee is $25.00 per adult and $10.00 per child. The beach club is open 10:00 a.m. to 6:00 p.m. on weekdays and 10:00 a.m. to 7:00 on weekends. New Plaza Beach Club’s restaurant is open till 10:00 p.m., Thursdays through Saturdays and 9:00 p.m. on Sundays.

Bay Park – 130 Hewlett Point Avenue, East Rockaway (516) 599-4064

The Shores Beach Club – 2019 Ocean Boulevard, Atlantic Beach ? (516) 812-9411

New Plaza Beach Club – 1751 Ocean Boulevard, Atlantic Beach – (516) 371-0750