NYC Guide to FREE Beaches and Pools

It’s hot out there. Time to cool off at one of New York City’s dozens of miles of FREE sandy beaches, boardwalks and surf, and more than 50 public outdoor swimming pools, plus another dozen indoor pools.

All are accessible by public transportation, subway or bus.

Remember to bring sunscreen.

NYC has more than 40 miles of sand and surf beaches, including Coney Island_nyctravelguru — Coney Island photo: NYC Tourism

Guide to NYC Beaches

NYC maintains 14 miles of beaches on the Atlantic Ocean and Long Island Sound, open for swimming from Memorial Day through Sunday, Sept. 8 .

Lifeguards are on duty daily from 10am to 6pm. Swimming is prohibited when lifeguards are not on duty, as well as in closed sections, which are marked.

All New York City beaches are FREE, and all are accessible by public transportation – subway and/or bus. These are some of the more popular beaches, by Borough

Click the links for additional information from the NYC Dept. of Parks and Recreation, including whether they are accessible.

NYC has more than 40 miles of sandy beaches, including one in Manhattan_nyctravelguru — Hudson River Park photo of Gansevoort Peninsula

NYC Beaches in Manhattan

Gansevoort Peninsula, between Gansevoort Street and Little West 12th Street on the Hudson

This is a beach that offers sand and shade umbrellas, but no swimming.
Part of Hudson River Park, the sandy stretch opened in 2023
Built on solid ground (as opposed to a pier), there is direct access to the Hudson River for non-motorized boats and stunning views of the River, the lower Manhattan skyline and Day’s End, a monumental, site-specific sculpture donated by the adjacent Whitney Museum of American Art.
There are Adirondak chairs and misters for cooling off without swimming.
On the north side of Gansevoort Peninsula is a salt marsh, the first of its kind on the Manhattan side of the Hudson River. Native grasses and plantings, coupled with submerged reef balls and oyster gabions seeded with 20 million juvenile oysters, provide valuable habitat, improve resiliency and serve as an educational touchpoint for the public to learn about the environmental benefits of intertidal ecosystems.
These features create greater habitat diversity for the organisms that live in the Park’s 400-acre Hudson River Park’s Estuarine Sanctuary.

NYC Beaches in Queens

Rockaway Beach and Boardwalk, from Beach 9th Street to Beach 149th St.

From surfers to swimmers to the Ramones, everyone wants to “hitch a ride to Rockaway Beach.” Rockaway Beach is a year-round resource for residents and visitors all along the Rockaway peninsula
Beach goers can enjoy the sand and water, the variety of concessions, and the city’s only legal surfing beaches.
Rockaway Beach is also home to a variety of playgrounds and other outdoor activities.
116th St. is a busy commercial street, with full service restaurants and take-out joints.

NYC Beaches in Brooklyn

Coney Island and Brighton Beach, from W. 37th Street to Ocean Parkway

Iconic Coney Island is bursting with activity throughout the summer and even during the off-season.
Walk along the famous boardwalk, ride on amusement rides, enjoy swimming or sunbathing on its nearly three miles of sandy beaches
There also are multiple courts for beach volleyball, handball, basketball and pickleball.
Check out the New York Aquarium, the Abe Stark Ice Skating Rink, or the MCU Park (formerly KeySpan Park) baseball stadium where you can see the Brooklyn Cyclones play ball.

Manhattan Beach, Oriental Boulevard, from Ocean Avenue to Mackenzie Street

This small, family-friendly beach east of Brighton Beach attracts locals looking for a somewhat calmer beach than its neighbor.
Visitors bring full picnic baskets and set up barbecues along the water.
There’s also a bike path.

NYC Beaches in Bronx

Orchard Beach and Promenade, in Pelham Bay Park

Bronx’s only public beach, was proclaimed “The Riviera of New York” when it was created in the 1930s.
The 115-acre, 1.1-mile-long beach contains a hexagonal-block promenade, a central pavilion, snack bars, food and souvenir carts, two playgrounds, two picnic areas, a large parking lot, and 26 courts for basketball, volleyball, and handball.
Changing areas and showers are available.
Parking costs $10-$15, depending on whether it’s a weekday, weekend or holiday.
There also are hiking trails in the marshes and woodlands behind the beach.

Salsa Sundays

Orchard Beach also is famous for its FREE dance parties, a beloved community tradition in New York City has been going on for over 50 years, with a combination of live music and DJ sets.

Every Sunday from Memorial Day weekend to Labor Day weekend, from noon to 5pm, at Beach Parking Section 5

NYC has more than 40 miles of surf and sand beaches, including in Staten Island_nyctravelguru — Photo: NYC Dept. of Parks and Recreation

NYC Beaches on Staten Island

Cedar Grove Beach, at Ebbetts Street and Cedar Grove Avenue on Staten Island

The city’s newest beach is a converted oceanfront bungalow colony.
This charming beach is smaller and somewhat more tranquil than its neighbors, Midland Beach and South Beach, and is popular with the area’s families.
FREE parking.

Great Kills Park, Hylan Blvd., Old Mill Rd., Cedar Grove Ave. bet. Hopkins Ave. and New Dorp La.

Great Kills Park is known for its four beaches: New Dorp Beach; Cedar Grove Beach; Oakwood Beach; and Fox Beach.
One of the four, New Dorp Beach, was once the home of the second permanent European settlement in Staten Island. Today, these beaches and wetlands help fight against erosion and flooding in nearby neighborhoods.
There are kayak and canoe launch sites and playgrounds.

Midland Beach and Franklin D. Roosevelt Boardwalk, from Fort Wadsworth to Miller Field

Midland Beach shares the Franklin D. Roosevelt Boardwalk with neighboring South Beach, and tends to be the somewhat less crowded of the two beaches.
Attractions include a playground and courts for tennis and shuffleball, as well as a sea turtle fountain for children.

South Beach, from Fort Wadsworth to Miller Field

Beachgoers can sunbathe while taking in a lovely view of the Verazzano Bridge, bike through a scenic trail, jog along the boardwalk, kayak, play tennis,
There’s fishing off of the Ocean Breeze Fishing Pier, one of the city’s most popular.
A park on the beach designed especially for seniors contains chess tables, benches, and bocce courts.
The beach’s Fountain of Dolphins is a popular stop on any tour of the boardwalk.
Beach mats are available for wheelchair access.

Wolfe’s Pond Beach, from Holton Avenue to Cornelia Avenue

Wolfe’s Pond Beach is the city’s best-kept secret, a small, calm, and secluded beach that’s a perfect retreat for those looking to get away from summer’s crowds.
The surrounding parkland includes a wildlife and plant refuge.

NYC has more than 50 public outdoor swimming pools in all five boroughs_nyctraavelguru — NYC Dept. of Parks and Recreation photo McCarren Park Pool

Guide to NYC Public Outdoor Swimming Pools

The city’s outdoor public pools reopen for the season on June 27 and are open daily 11am to 7pm, with a mid-day break for pool cleaning .

They are open daily from 11 a.m. through 7 p.m., with a break for pool cleaning between 3 p.m. and 4 p.m.

Many have FREE swim programs for kids and adults.

Swimsuits are required to enter the pool area, according to the city’s Department of Parks and Recreation. Coverups are permitted, but only white T-shirts are allowed inside pool areas. Free sunscreen is provided across all five boroughs.

Not permitted in NYC pools –

Leave food, glass bottles, electronic devices, and newspapers at home, or in a pool locker.
Unbound periodicals tend to blow around and create litter, food can be messy to clean up after, and there’s too much water around to make sure your electronics stay safe.
Just to be on the safe side, we also recommend leaving valuables like jewelry and credit cards at home, or in a pool locker.

The first NYC swimming pools were introduced in the 1890s – floating pools in the East River and Hudson River. Read more of the fascinating history of NYC swimming pools here.

Bronx

Claremont Pool (170th Street and Clay Avenue)
Crotona Pool (173rd Street and Fulton Avenue)
Edenwald Houses Pool (Schieffelin Avenue and East 229th Street)
Floating Pool (Tiffany Street and Viele Avenue)
Foster Pool (East 164th Street, between Jerome and River avenues)
Haffen Pool (Ely and Burke avenues)
Mapes Pool (East 180th Street, between Mapes and Prospect avenues)
Thompson Pool (East 174th Street and Bronx River Avenue)
Van Cortlandt Pool (West 242nd Street and Broadway)

Brooklyn

Betsy Head Pool (Dumont Avenue and Thomas S. Boyland Street)
Bushwick Pool (Humbolt Street and Flushing Avenue)
Commodore Barry Pool (Flushing Avenue and North Elliot Place)
David Fox/PS 251 Pool (East 54th Street and Avenue H)
Douglass and DeGraw Pool (Third Avenue and Nevins Street)
Glenwood Houses Pool (Farragut Road and Ralph Avenue)
Howard Pool (Mother Gaston Blvd. and East New York Avenue)
Jesse Owens Pool (Lafayette Avenue and Malcolm X Boulevard)
Kosciuszko Pool (Dekalb and Marcy Avenues)
Lindower Park Pool (Strickland and Mill avenues)
McCarren Park Pool (Leonard and Bayard Streets)
PS 20 Playground Pool (Clermont and Myrtle avenues)
Red Hook Pool (Bay and Henry streets)
Sunset Park Pool (Seventh Avenue and 44th Street)

Manhattan

Abe Lincoln Pool (Fifth Avenue and East 135th Street)
Asser Levy Pool (Asser Levy Place and East 23rd Street)
Dry Dock Pool (Avenue D and East 10th Street)
Frederick Douglass Pool (Amsterdam Avenue and West 100th Street)
Hamilton Fish Pool (Sheriff and East Houston Street)
Highbridge Pool (Amsterdam Avenue and West 173rd Street)
Jackie Robinson Pool (Bradhurst Avenue and West 146th Street)
John Jay Pool (Cherokee Place and East 78th Street)
Marcus Garvey Pool (Fifth Avenue and 124th Street)
Sheltering Arms Pool (Amsterdam Avenue and West 129th Street)
Thomas Jefferson Pool (First Avenue and East 111th Street)
Vesuvio Pool (Thompson Street, between Spring and Prince streets)
Wagner Pool (East 124th Street, between First and Second avenues)

Queens

Fisher Pool (99th Street and 32nd Avenue)
Fort Totten Pool (Shore and Story roads)
Liberty Pool (173rd Street and 106th Avenue)
Marie Curie Park Pool (46th Road and 211th Street)
PS 186 Playground Pool (72nd Avenue and Little Neck Parkway)
Windmuller Pool (39th Road and 52nd Street)

Staten Island

Faber Pool (Faber Street and Richmond Terrace)
General Douglas Pool (Jefferson Street and Seaver Avenue)
Lyons Pool (Pier 6 and Victory Boulevard)
Maggie Howard Pool (Tompkins Avenue, between Hill and Broad streets)
PS 46 Playground Pool (Parkinson Avenue and Kramer Street)
Tottenville Pool (Hyland Boulevard and Jolin Avenue)
West Brighton Pool (Henderson Avenue, between Broadway and Alaska Street)

ecoXplorer Evelyn Kanter is a journalist with 25+ years of experience as a newspaper and magazine writer, radio & TV news producer & reporter, and author of guidebooks and smartphone apps – all focusing on travel, automotive, the environment and your rights as a consumer.