Constitution Beach is a small, crescent-shaped beach located in the Orient Heights section of East Boston. Known to locals as “Sheas Beach,” the most distinctive feature of the beach is that it directly faces several runways at nearby Logan International Airport; the airplanes taking off and landing are about 2,000 feet away, making them prominently visible and audible. On a clear day, you can see magnificent aircrafts taking off and touching down, while you enjoy a relaxing swim or catch some rays.
The beach is just a short walk from the Orient Heights MBTA Blue Line station, near Bennington Street. You can pack your beach towel and cooler, pull out your CharlieCard, hop on the Blue Line, and in just a few minutes, you’ll be headed for a day of fun in the sun. It’s always nice when you can combine a feeling of living in the big city, and you’re just a stone’s throw from a nice beach. Granted its not Maui, but it is still a great little oasis during the dog days of summer.
The beach is located in a protected inlet so the water, technically a part of the Atlantic Ocean. There are bathhouse facilities, a snack bar, a playground, handball courts, basketball courts, tennis courts, softball fields, and an ice-skating rink.
I first discovered this beach/park one hot summer in Boston. I was riding the Blue Line to the airport, when I saw a rather impressive beach from the windows of the subway. I knew Boston was a waterfront city, but I thought locals and tourists had to schlep all the way out to Cape Cod or Revere. Incidentally enough, Constitution Beach is only a few miles from Revere, MA.
