Westhampton Dunes, NY
$17 dollar parking
Optimum Seasons: Summer
There are two beaches in the Westhamptons that are public. One is Tiana Beach on the complete east end of Dunes Road (where the houses are more grand and have bigger lots....much more scenic drive if you ask me) and the other is Cupsogue Beach on the complete west end of Dunes Road (the videos below will give you an idea of the houses you will see along the way). Both beaches are about a ten to fifteen minute local drive down Dunes road from Rogers Beach, a private beach for residents of Westhampton.
Rogers is the best of the three in terms of their showers, and proximity to the town..but too bad if you are not a resident. Scratch this off your bucket list unless you have a rich friend!
Tiana is the best in terms of the scenic drive and the short distance between the parking lot and beach....however the bathrooms close at 5pm.
Cupsogue is awesome because it is only $17 parking ($9 if you have a green pass and are a suffolk resident) as opposed to $25 at Tiana, however, it is a long walk to the beach and the parking lot allegedly fills up by 10am on weekends (even though we got there at 1 and got lucky as some cars were leaving...try your luck if you want to save $8...but if you are driving a long distance, play it safe with Tiana as their parking attendant alleged it never fills up...including on weekends). Also, I preferred their showers to Tiana's and I believe their bathrooms are open later than 5pm.
The big draw here is the live band (the gallery above shows an image of what days and times they play). I was once told they only play on Saturdays at 5pm so I was surprised to find a couple of bands here on a Sunday as well (they have a bar stand serving beer here as well). It makes the beach experience extra amazing during sundown. Except, who wants to stay here for dinner when the main town of Westhampton is so charming and offers so many cute shops and great restaurants? Unless you stay here till sundown and go to Main Street after. Make sure you click on the Tiana Beach link gallery to see pictures of Westhampton Beach town which is as close to Cupsogue Beach as it is to Tiana (equadistant).
They also have a great restaurant here (menu and pictures in the gallery above) called The Beach Hut. I've noticed many beaches on the south shore don't have the greatest selection of food but here seemed to have a lot to offer (even though we didn't dine here).
The water was also clear and the waves this 83 degree and sunny day were the biggest I have ever seen in New York (they were about 15 feet height). Perhaps it was just the day or it happens to be always??? The regulars would know better.
For a list of more beaches, click here.
Check the gallery above (best viewed on a desktop for captions), videos below, and add your comments. And follow me on facebook and instagram to see my live adventures! And share this page with your friends if you appreciate.
