Wingaersheek Beach

Located near the mouth of the Annisquam River, Wingaersheek Beach – also known locally as Winga and earlier also known as Coffins Beach – is a popular and half-mile-long beach with white sand and multiple large rocks in the city of Gloucester.  This beach was listed as one of the “6 Great East Coast Beaches” by Outside magazine and it was also listed as one of the “Best Beaches in Massachusetts – 100 Awesome Beaches in Boston and Beyond” by Boston magazine in 2016.  It is also a favorite of Randall Kaplan, the world’s foremost beach expert who is known as Mr. Beach.

Wingaersheek Beach has lifeguards between Memorial Day weekend and Labor Day from 9 am to 5 pm.  In addition to lifeguards, this beach and the area around it also offer a few other amenities including restrooms, showers, and concession stands.  The restrooms and showers here are usually available between 9 am to 6 pm and they may close early during turbulent weather conditions.  Dogs are not allowed at Wingaersheek Beach between May 1st and September 30th.  Dogs without a leash are allowed here on odd-numbered-days from October 1st to April 30th. 

Wingaersheek Beach offers many fun activities including sunbathing, beachcombing, fishing, picnicking, tidepooling, swimming, boating, jet-skiing, water-skiing, surfing, kitesurfing, windsurfing, parasailing, bodysurfing, boogie boarding, kayaking, canoeing, surf-skiing, and wildlife watching. 

Wingaersheek Beach is ideal for less-experienced swimmers because the shallow and clear water here has gentle waves.  If you are planning to swim, kayak, canoe, or surf near Wingaersheek Beach, we recommend being careful because the water here can have unpredictable rip currents and dangerous waves.  In addition, inflatable objects, surfing, and all flotation devices are prohibited here when lifeguards are on duty.  The Wingaersheek Beach water temperature can also sometimes be considerably cold during the non-summer months.

If you like tidepooling, you can explore the interesting tidepools at this beach during low tide.  If you like taking pictures with excellent views, Wingaersheek Beach offers amazing Instagram-worthy views of the Massachusetts shoreline and the Annisquam River.  There are large rocks at Wingaersheek Beach and when there is a Wingaersheek Beach low tide, you can easily climb on these rocks and explore them.

Wingaersheek Beach offers a beach wheelchair for visitors with disabilities – you can contact the lifeguards posted here for more information on using the beach wheelchair.  In addition, this beach also offers 16 reserved parking spaces for disabled visitors.

Getting to Wingaersheek Beach is easy and the directions to Wingaersheek Beach are quite simple to follow – from Massachusetts Route 128, you need to turn towards Concord Street through Exit 54.  You then need to drive approximately one-and-a-half miles on Concord Street and then turn towards Atlantic Street.  The paid parking lot for Wingaersheek Beach is located near the end of Atlantic Street.  We recommend being careful while driving to the beach because the roads leading to this beach are narrow and winding.      

The paid parking lot here charges a $30 fee per vehicle on weekdays and $35 fee per vehicle on weekends between Memorial Day and Labor Day.  After Labor Day, the parking charges may get reduced.  Please note that online reservations are required for parking here by non-resident visitors between Memorial Day weekend and Labor Day.  You can visit the city of Gloucester’s official website for more information about the Wingaersheek Beach reservations for parking.  Please note that the main paid parking lot here is closed to visitors between November 1 to March 31st – in case this main lot is closed, then you can park at the multiple free small parking lots near the beach. 

We recommend visiting Wingaersheek Beach early during summers because this beach can get quickly crowded during this time.  If you are planning to visit here during non-summer months, we recommend wearing layered clothing because the Wingaersheek Beach weather can occasionally be quite chilly.

The name of this beach – Wingaersheek – is likely the corruption of the Dutch word “Wyngaerts Hoeck” that loosely translates to “Wine land.”  This beach was also earlier known as “Coffins Beach” because a farmer named Peter Coffin used to own a farm nearby.

There are many attractions near Wingaersheek Beach within a 20-minute-drive.  Stage Fort Park is a recreational park that has multiple beaches including Half Moon Beach and Cressy’s Beach.  This park also has a Native American historic site, a seasonal restaurant, and many amenities including a playground, tennis courts, a basketball court, a baseball field, and a volleyball court.  Hammond Castle Museum is set in a beautiful castle that was built in the 1920s by scientist and inventor John Hayes Hammond – this museum displays Hammond’s collection of interesting and beautiful antiques and artworks.  The castle’s most iconic feature is an iconic eight-story tall organ, which is composed of more than 80,000 pipes.  Cape Ann Museum was founded in 1875 offers interesting exhibitions on local history and art – the artists featured here include Paul Manship, Katharine Lane Weems, and Milton Avery.  The museum also offers textile exhibitions, maritime and granite industry-related artifacts, and a sculpture park.  If you are looking for another attraction near the beach, Halibut Point State Park is a state park that is a 25-minute-drive away and offers many fun activities including fishing, hiking, wildlife watching, and picnicking.  The state park was earlier used as a granite quarry – this park also has a museum, walking trails, and tidepools and it also offers amazing views of the eastern Massachusetts shoreline.

If you get hungry, there are many great restaurants near Wingaersheek Beach.  Lobsta Land Restaurant has a casual ambience and it offers amazing dishes for lunch and dinner including seafood, salads, steak, chicken piccata, and burgers.  Tonno Gloucester is an upscale Italian restaurant that is known for serving excellent Italian seafood – it also offers other dishes including pasta, veal Milanese, grilled chicken, and grilled pork chop. Mile Marker One Restaurant offers dining within an igloo in winters and it also offers many amazing dishes including steaks, seafood, burgers, salads, chicken wings, soups, and sandwiches.  The Causeway Restaurant is known for serving excellent seafood including fried oysters, baked scallops, and haddock au gratin.  This restaurant also offers excellent sandwiches, salads, steaks, and pasta.  If you are looking for another good and affordable nearby restaurant, George’s Restaurant and Bar offers many amazing dishes for breakfast, brunch, and dinner including eggs, pancakes, sandwiches, burgers, pasta, and steak tips. 

If you are looking for a hotel near Wingaersheek Beach, there are many great nearby options.  The 4-Star Beauport Hotel Gloucester offers many amenities including a restaurant with a terrace, a bar, and a pool, a gym, a hot tub, beach gear loaner facilities, and complimentary local area shuttle service.  A more affordable hotel is the 3-Star Rockport Inn & Suites that is a 20-minute-drive away and offers many amenities including a pool, a fitness center, a hot tub, two tennis courts, outdoor sitting areas, and complimentary breakfast.  The 3-Star Ocean House Hotel at Bass Rocks is another moderately priced hotel that offers many amenities including a library, a barbecue area, bike rental facilities, a game room with board games and billiards, a seasonal pool, a seasonal hot tub, a patio, a sundeck, a fire pit, and complimentary breakfast.  Another moderately priced hotel is the 3-Star Atlantis Oceanfront Inn that offers many amenities including a heated pool, a cafe, complimentary passes to a nearby gym, a sundeck, and a garden.  If you are looking for another good and affordable nearby hotel, the 3-Star Hotel at Cape Ann Marina offers many amenities including a picnic area with a barbecue, a hot tub, a marina, a saltwater pool, a bar, a fire pit, and a restaurant.  If you are planning to stay at a cheaper and flexible form of accommodation, you can stay at one of the many vacation rental properties near Wingaersheek Beach – you can find many Wingaersheek Beach rentals nearby.