Constitution Beach is a public saltwater beach on Bennington Street in the Orient Heights section of East Boston, managed by the Massachusetts Department of Conservation and Recreation (DCR). Tucked along Boston Harbor, it offers a crescent of sand with calm, sheltered swimming water and panoramic views back toward the harbor. One of its most distinctive features is its proximity to Logan International Airport: jets taking off and landing on the nearby runways pass just a couple thousand feet overhead, an unmistakable part of the East Boston experience.
Beyond the sand, the property functions as a full neighborhood recreation hub. Visitors find a bathhouse, a snack bar, a children’s playground, tennis, basketball and handball courts, baseball fields and an adjacent ice rink. A pedestrian walkway crosses over the Blue Line tracks to connect the beach with Bennington Street, making it an easy car-free outing. It’s a quintessentially local Boston beach rather than a tourist destination, popular with East Boston families.
Good to know
- Free public DCR beach with a bathhouse, snack bar and children’s playground
- Also has tennis, basketball and handball courts, baseball fields and a nearby ice rink
- Known for dramatic up-close views of planes landing and departing at Logan Airport
- A pedestrian bridge over the Blue Line tracks links the beach to Bennington Street
Getting there
- Address: 799 Bennington St, Boston, MA 02128
- Neighborhood: East Boston (Orient Heights)
- Nearest T: Orient Heights or Wood Island (MBTA Blue Line) — both are short walks