North Hempstead Beach Park

📍 Port Washington, NY

4.5(1,393 Google)

Plan with current information

Hours, prices, programs, and accessibility can change. Confirm time-sensitive details with the venue before leaving.

Grandparent-Friendly Details

Noise level

Usually quiet

Typical visit

Usually about 3hr

Typical for this kind of place — not recorded for this venue.

Ideas to make the most of your visit to North Hempstead Beach Park

Beach Olympics

3-legged race, longest seaglass find, best sandcastle, who finds the prettiest shell — make up the events as you go.

Wave Counting

Pick a spot and count waves for 2 minutes. First to 30 wins. More competitive than it sounds.

Message in the Sand

Each person writes or draws something in wet sand before the tide takes it. Take a photo before it goes.

Shell Sorting

Collect 10 shells. Sort by color, then size, then texture. Decide together which one gets to come home.

Tide Pool Bingo

Spot a crab, something with spots, something that moves, a tiny fish, and one thing you can't identify.

Grandparent Money Tips

•Most public beaches are free — the parking fee is the real cost. Arrive before 9am to beat both the crowds and the lot attendant at many state beaches.
•Pack everything: sunscreen, snacks, water, towels. Beach vendor prices are 2–3x normal. A soda on the sand shouldn't cost $6.
•Connecticut and New York both have state beaches open to all visitors — often cheaper than town beaches that require a resident sticker.