Salisbury, Mass – We had so much fun at Wingaersheek Beach on our last pandemic field trip, that we decided to do it again. I mean, there’s not many things we can do during a pandemic, but we can go to the beach! And why shouldn’t this be the summer that we visit as many North Shore Massachusetts beaches as possible? Our friends were spending the weekend camping, so we decided to join them for a day. And so we ventured on our next pandemic field trip to Salisbury Beach State Reservation.
Salisbury Beach State Reservation is on a sort of peninsula, surrounded by the Atlantic Ocean in the east, the Merrimac River in the south, and the marshy Black Rock Creek facing inland. It makes for a picturesque setting on all sides – not to mention some variation from your typical beach outing.
We started our day at the main beach, which was windy and even a tad chilly – and miraculously uncrowded for a holiday weekend. Not sure if that was thanks to the weather or the pandemic, but I’ll take it. The waves were massive, which delighted the kids. Ever since Costa Rica, the twins have been asking if we could go to a beach with big waves, and I wasn’t sure where to go. But Salisbury Beach delivered on the surf.
After a few hours of dodging the waves, we went to check out the rest of the state reservation. The campground faces the marsh: while the sites do not offer much privacy from each other, the setting is beautiful. It also offered a few more hours of entertainment for the kids. They searched for snails and other sea creatures. Then they followed a trail to Plum Island Point and the smaller (calmer) beach that faces the Merrimac.
On the way home, we stopped at Lena’s Seafood for fried clams and lobster rolls, which we scarfed at the picnic tables overlooking the putt-putt course. Summertime at its best!