Rocky Neck State Park

Rocky Neck is the beach we recommend to anyone with kids under six. The crescent is protected, the bottom is sandy, and the water stays shallow so far out that little kids get real swimming independence while you stand there in knee-deep water like a lifeguard statue.

The Ellie Mitchell Pavilion sets the tone: a huge 1930s stone and timber hall built by the CCC, up on the rise behind the beach. The kids decided it was a castle and I did not correct them, because honestly, look at it.

The water is shallow for what feels like a quarter mile. You can stand in waist-deep water and still count everyone's head without squinting. That's the whole sales pitch for a dad.

The Amtrak line runs right across the marsh behind the beach on a causeway, and a few times an hour a train rolls across the top of the view like a toy set come to life. Between the trains, ospreys work the marsh. There's a viewing platform if your crew is into either.

Low tide opens up tide pools and hermit crab hunting at the rocky ends of the crescent. Bring a bucket, accept that the bucket will come home with 'friends' that must be returned before you leave.

There's a campground here too, up in the woods across the marsh, connected to the beach by a walking path. Smaller and quieter than Hammonasset's scene; the trade is fewer amenities for more calm.