Day Trip to Horseneck Beach, Westport, MA

I have been going to Horseneck Beach since a kid. But I never realized it was so much more than just another beach!
It is about 600 acres of protected land. With marshes for kayaking, walking trail, beach, and island for excursioning and bird watching. Note, dogs are not aloud in alot of areas because of the protected endangered birds that are breeding. The best time of year to visit is spring or fall. Summer is too hot and buggy and winter too cold. Spring is my favorite because of the blooming sweet peas, daisies, and elderberries.
Goosebury Island
If starting from the parking lot my favorite route is straight through the middle of the island. The path is so beautiful with flowers and the ocean all around. It is peaceful and stunning. If you are riding a bike, you can make it down the middle, but you may have to walk it through some parts, then park it at the end and walk around. I suggest walking to the right side of the island. It’s fun maneuvering around the rocks and looking for seals! Hundreds of species of birds have been seen here. The piping plovers nest on the beach. Most of the nests are marked as they are endangered and it is advised to stay away. Other common birds are the cormorants, ducks, and ospreys. A lot of people come to chance a sighting of the more rare birds. On a nice day, you will see sailboats on the horizon and other boating activity.

Trail

From Goosebury Island you can continue on a bike/ walking path. It’s along the water and goes through Horseneck Beach Campground State Reservation and then through the public beach area. It is about 2 miles to the end. A lot of the path is between sand dunes and very peaceful. If you go past the end through the gate you can go a very short way down the street to The Back Eddy for a drink and great food! I recommend the stuffies!! For more information on the trail and Horseneck Beach and Campground visit: Horseneck Beach State Reservation – Buzzards Bay Coalition (savebuzzardsbay.org)

Horseneck Beach

If you want, you can park at the beach. There is a ton of parking. Check out the website above for parking fees. If you start here you can bike in the morning, chill on the beach after, then take a drive to The Back Eddy for dinner! The beach has nice bathrooms and is ADA accessible. 251 John Reed Rd, Westport, MA.

Horseneck Beach State Reservation Campground

We stay here every year. The first two rows along the beach there are no hook up and you must be fully self contained. The rest of the campground has electricity. There is a dump station as well. The staff are super nice and helpful.

Restaurants

I mentioned already The Back Eddy, 1 Bridge Rd, Westport, MA. We love going there. There is indoor seating but also outdoor seating on their deck. The also have a floating deck that when busy, you can sit and be served out there. But whenever we’ve been there we get drinks at the outdoor bar and sit on the floating docks where they have tables and chairs set up but no servers. Another place I love to go is The Bayside Restaurant, 1253 Horseneck Rd, Westpport, MA. The food is all local sourced and you have a view over the Audubon’s Allen’s Pond Sanctuary with the ocean in the distance. It is very pretty and the food is delicious.

The Bayside Restaurant

Main Street

Main Street has little shops, they are spaced out. The best way to get there is to go back north on route 88 and take a left on Hixbridge Rd. then take a right onto Main Street. This is about 10 minutes from the beach. It’s not an area to park and walk around. But the shops and restaurants are all nice. Ten Cousins Pizza is another of one our favorites as well as Lee’s market grocery store. Lee’s market is just uniquely set up and includes a liquor store. It’s just a cool grocery store, especially if you are camping. Partners Village Store has a very cute store and a little deli that serves breakfast and lunch. Delicious!!!

Brewery and Winery

Once you have had a nice lunch at The Bayside Restaurant, you can continue up the road to either Buzzards Bay Brewing or Westport Rivers Vineyard. We have been to both more than, well let’s just say “a bunch”! Buzzards Bay Brewing Company, 98 Horseneck Rd, Wetport, MA, has beer and a food truck. It’s a cool place to chill out. Then 5 minutes down the road is the Wesport Rivers Vineyard, 417 Hixbridge Rd, Westport. This winery has a lot to choose from, including beer for those who don’t like wine, and is beautiful.