Just off the coast of the city of Bridgeport is a place called Pleasure Beach. As far back as 1892, it held an amusement park, but the last few decades it has been difficult to access – the bridge to access it from downtown Bridgeport burned in 1996, and the other way to access it was a long walk from a neighboring town. Due to its seclusion, it became a site for vandalism and partying, but also a site that nature reclaimed as its own. In the last few years, the city of Bridgeport has restored access, via a water-taxi, and has worked to make the “island” visitor-friendly again. To me, the combination of old ruins and quiet beaches makes this a great day trip.
To get there, use 19-1 Central Ave, Bridgeport, CT in your GPS. I don’t think that is the official address of the ferry, but it will work just fine. There is no dedicated parking lot, so you’ll have to find a spot on the local roads.
As of this writing, the water-taxi is free, and its a short jaunt to the island. Once on the island, there were multi-person golf carts shuttling people down to the beach. Or, you could opt to walk the 1/2 mile or so to the beach on your own – the benefit to this is you get a closer look at the old burned-out bridge and the other details of the island. There are bathrooms, a playground and concession stand, but you would be wise to pack food and water.
Right after we arrived, there was a thunderstorm that came through that scared everyone away, so we spent a summer Saturday afternoon on the beach with one other family of four, two life guards – and no other humans in site (well, other than the hustle bustle of Bridgeport on the other side of the water).
We walked down the beach looking for shells, avoiding the roped off areas protective the Piping Plovers that were nesting, and we climbed part-way out onto the stone jetty. My wife took a nap while the kids skipped rocks into the ocean. Mostly, thought, we just hung out and enjoyed a warm and relaxing day on the beach.
On our next trip, we hope to do some more exploring. There’s an old road that looks like it goes the full length of the property, and I am hoping its not “off limits” to hikers.
For more info on the Pleasure Island, check the links below under “Sources”, and for info on the ferry visit https://www.bridgeportct.gov/content/341307/341415/342217.aspx
Sources:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pleasure_Beach