Which beach for what
Every guide here starts from one need and ends at specific beaches, with the lifeguard, dog and facility facts that decide whether it works.
- Best Hamptons Beaches: Ten Picks by What They Do BestNo single beach wins. These ten win something specific, and the facts that decide it are listed.
- Calm Water Beaches in the Hamptons for KidsFor truly gentle water, go to a bay or Sound beach. The Atlantic is rarely calm.
- Best Hamptons Beaches for Families: Facilities FirstLifeguards, bathrooms, showers and lunch: the beaches that cover all four.
- Dog-Friendly Hamptons Beaches: Rules by Town and SeasonIn summer the rules are strict and different in every town. In the off-season most of the coast opens.
- Best Sunset Beaches in the Hamptons, and Why Most MissThe ocean beaches face south. In summer the sun sets northwest, behind the dunes.
- Quiet Hamptons Beaches: Unguarded, Empty and HonestQuiet means no lifeguards, no facilities and nobody selling you a snack. Know the trade.
- Best Beach Walks in the Hamptons, Mile by MileThe long walks are on the barrier beaches and the east end, not the village beaches.
- Surf Fishing in the Hamptons: Beaches and PermitsThe classic South Fork surf-casting beaches are county and state parks.
- Accessible Hamptons Beaches: Mats, Ramps, Beach WheelchairsSeveral operators lend beach wheelchairs. East Hampton lays accessible mats at two beaches.
- Hamptons Beaches With Food: Snack Bars and Food TrucksA dozen beaches have lunch on site. Many others do not, so check before you go.
- Bay Beach or Ocean Beach? How to Choose in the HamptonsBay for calm, warm water and sunsets. Ocean for waves, surf and the classic look.
- Hamptons Beaches in Fall and Winter: What ChangesThe beaches stay open. Dogs get the run of them, the guards go home and the seals arrive.