Penfield Beach

Sandy Long Island Sound beach with a beloved playground

📍 Fairfield, CT

4.6(594 Google)

📍323 Fairfield Beach Rd, Fairfield, CT

📞(203) 256-3144

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Penfield Beach is a cherished 3.5-acre Fairfield beach with gentle Long Island Sound waves, a sandy shoreline, and a beautiful playground built in memory of a Sandy Hook child — a meaningful and welcoming spot for grandparents and grandkids. The beach pavilion has a concession stand, lockers, and restrooms, and volleyball courts give older grandkids something to do between swims. Lifeguards are on duty all summer.

Plan with current information

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

Grandparent-Friendly Details

Walk-in

Walk-ins welcome

Accessibility

Wheelchair & stroller accessible

Parking

Some difficulty

Noise level

Moderate noise

Outdoor seating

Available (sun exposed)

Typical visit

~3 hours

Best age range

Ages 1–14

Fun Things to Do Here

Ideas to make the most of your visit to Penfield Beach

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.

Free printable: Beach Day Scavenger Hunt

Download

Budget & Insider Tips

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.