Key Info Upfront:

Hours of Operations:
Day-use:

• Year-round 7 a.m. – dusk
• Mid-November – January 2: 7 a.m – 4 p.m.

Fishing:
24-hour access year-round.
Fishing requires that all persons must be actively fishing including children

Day-use Admission Fee:
These rates do not apply for special events, ie Lights on the Bay, Blues Festival, Seafood Festival, etc.

May 1-September 30:

• Weekends and holidays: $5/person
• Weekdays: $4/person

October 1-April 30

• $3/vehicle

And onto my review!

We took advantage of the pre-season prices, decent weather, and ad hoc grandparent babysitting to check out the oh so popular Sandy Point State Park’s beach.

What we liked:

• Very large beach area, with a nice walk to go around the whole way
• Pretty close to our home, maybe the closest
• Restrooms! (though closed off-season)
• Placid water
• Off-season this was awesomely uncrowded, very pleasant
• Plenty of parking, playgrounds, basketball courts, pavilions for rent, picnic tables
• Maybe weird but I liked that the sand was mostly soft, some light rocky areas, and some small shells
• Concessions! Not opened at the time but theoretically it would be nice to buy a cold water or snack if we forgot
• Small craft launch area if you are lucky enough to have one

What I was not a fan of: (emphasis on I, since my hubs babe did not agree)

• The sound and sight of cars crossing the bridge
• The major sized parking lot portends a very crowded beach
• The sand in most places had an orange tint to it
• I hear jellyfish are a problem in late summer
• Sun shades are limited to 10sqft which means our primary source is out of business

As we walked the length of the beach, we ended up in what we discovered was the beach to a closed parking lot when we entered the park– East Beach. East Beach was our favorite park of visiting. The sand is not the same orangy color as the main South Beach and there is less of a view of the bridge and less noise from cars. Unfortunately, East Beach is only open to those who have reserved shelters. If you are looking for a venue, you could do a lot worse than a covered picnic area by a nice bay beach. You could also walk from South Beach to East Beach like we did, but would not be as enjoyable in the heat and kids in tow.

Back at South Beach, I could see a pleasant day fishing there. There were several out enjoying the brisk day, trying to catch rockfish, catfish, and trout. Apparently April, May, and June are the best times to fish in the Chesepeake. I could imagine coming here on chill days like today, reading my book and waiting to catch something for dinner while the kids scoop up sand nearby. But alas, me and hubs have never gone fishing enough to remember what it is like. One day…

One potential con for Sandy Point is that there aren’t easy eats nearby, but we took advantage of being close enough to Annapolis to have a Sunday lunch date there. To be honest, many of my meals in Annapolis have not been memorable. But today may have changed that for good. We went to Preserve on the main strip and it was DELICIOUS. Crispy kale (excellent, coming from someone who aces kale chips on the regular), a burger, and special donut… I don’t think I will be forgetting that meal for a long time.

Concluding Thoughts

I get the appeal, large beach not far away from DC area. But personally I might reserve trips here for random weekday visits without kids, or if we get into fishing…