I have relatives coming from Colorado this week.
They have never been to the ocean!
I am planning a beach day with them on Thursday 8/18 (Rain likely for rest of week)
My first thought is Good Harbor in Gloucester -this gets us close to Rockport for food and Halibut Point later that day.
I don't know what the crowds will be at Singing Beach. I hear the parking fee is quite high there.
My go-to usual beaches are on Swampscott Marblehead line: Phillips and Devereaux
Any advice will be greatly appreciated.

Many Thanks,
LinB

My favourites are Wingaersheek (especially with young children) or Crane beach.
Parking fees seem to go up every year so google for the latest cost.

I also like the beach in Rockport even though it's rocky.

Parking is quite a bit cheaper on Crane beach when you go during the week.
http://www.thetrustees.org/places-to...on-prices.html

Will second sassy's recommendations, but get to these early if you want to find parking, as the lots tend to fill up quickly. Singing Beach can actually be reached via public transportation -- take the Rockport commuter rail up to the Manchester by the Sea stop, and the beach is about a half-mile walk from there.

Singing Beach only saves a few parking spots for non-residents on weekdays, and none at all on weekends. (As far as I know, they still have a program that's run by the boy scouts that charges you to park at the train station on Saturday/Sundays.) I agree that it is a fairly easy walk from the train station to the beach, but they charge a walk-on fee per person. I think they do that seven days a week, but I'm not positive.

All of the larger beaches on Cape Ann charge for parking if you don't have a sticker saying you're a resident. Wingaersheek is very pretty, and the surf is calm there. At low tide, you have to go way out to get to water that's deep enough to actually swim. It's great for kids. Good Harbor has choppy surf.

If you want to show people, who have never seen the ocean, an ocean beach--I'd go to a beach on the ocean and not in a protected area. My vote would be for Crane's Beach over others, like Wingarsheek, which is calmer and more protected.

Give your relatives the real experience!

Another vote for Crane's beach; great walking beach.

crane's Beach, definitely.

For first view of ocean, I think people expect sand and waves. Sand - Cranes Beach. Waves - not really all that great in Cape Ann area - but at least Cranes has ocean expanse to view.

Probably doesn't matter but Crane's isn't on Cape Ann. And Good Harbor gets plenty of surfers, so the waves can be quite good there.

Another vote for Crane's Beach. I think weekday parking there for a non-member is $15.

How much time did you say you have? Can you work in a ferry ride from Boston to Provincetown on Cape Cod to show them the magnificient National Seashore beaches there?

Here's the link for the ferry, $79.00 r/t and can be easily done in a day if it interests you:

http://www.bostonharborcruises.com/p...FQfd4AodkAq-yg

The views, coming and going, are quite nice. You can do one of Art's Dune Tours in Provincetown while you're there, couple it with a clambake and you'll have put together quite a day! That's what credit cards are for, right?