Spectacle Island
Spectacle Island, Boston, MA
Dawn-Dusk
$$
swim, water-activities, hikes
Happyly is better in app
Get the Happyly app to discover more activities like this one, plus get curated adveture plans, build lists of activities to try and more!
Enter your phone number to receive a download link
Just a quick 30 minute ferry ride from Boston, Spectacle Island provides a nice, active day trip from the city.
The Visitors' Center features a bathroom, picnic tables, park rangers, exhibits about the island, Adirondack chairs on the covered front porch, and a snack bar.
Kayaks can be rented and the beach – complete with lifeguards – does allow swimming. The island's perimeter (just over 1.5 miles) makes for the perfect hike for little legs, and we love to plan scavenger hunts for bugs and flowers along the way, not to mention the wonderful views of Boston.
Keep in mind the park requires that you carry off what you carried on so that visitors practice Leave No Trace, so if you have garbage you will need to pack it out with you.