Dionis Beach

Nantucket's best-kept family secret. North shore location means calm, warm water. Surrounded by high dunes that block the wind and create natural privacy. Get there early.

Dionis Beach is the calm, family-friendly counterweight to Nantucket's south-shore surf beaches — a long stretch of north-shore sand on Nantucket Sound, sheltered by tall dunes that block the prevailing southwesterly and create something like a natural windbreak. The water is warmer here than at Cisco or Surfside because the Sound is shallow and protected, and the bottom slopes gradually for safe shallow swimming. There's a small bathhouse with restrooms and outdoor showers, lifeguards in the main swim zone, and a sleepy, locals-mostly atmosphere. The parking lot is small; arrive by 10am on a summer weekend or bike the Madaket bike path and walk the last quarter-mile.