Nahant Beach Reservation facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Nahant Beach Reservation
Long Beach
Nahant Beach Reservation Location in Massachusetts
Location	Nahant, Essex, Massachusetts, United States
Area	67 acres (27 ha)
Elevation	0 ft (0 m)
Established	ca. 1900
Operator	Massachusetts Department of Conservation and Recreation
Website	Lynn Shore & Nahant Beach Reservation

Nahant Beach Reservation is a special protected area along the coast in Nahant, Massachusetts. It covers about 67 acres (27 hectares) of beautiful beaches and fun places for people to visit.

A road called Nahant Road runs through the reservation. This road used to be known as Nahant Beach Boulevard. It was even added to the National Register of Historic Places in 2003 because it's so important.

The road gives you access to Long Beach, which is about 7,000 feet (2,100 meters) long. This beach faces the Atlantic Ocean to the east. The reservation also has a boat ramp where you can launch boats into Lynn Harbor.

At the northern end of the reservation, there's a traffic circle called Nahant Rotary. Here, Nahant Beach Reservation shares athletic fields with Lynn Shore Reservation. This whole area is part of the larger Metropolitan Park System of Greater Boston, which helps protect many parks and natural spaces around Boston.

History of Nahant Beach

In the early 1900s, the land that is now Nahant Beach and Lynn Shore was privately owned. This means it belonged to individuals, not the public.

Creating the Reservations

The Metropolitan District Commission bought these shoreline properties. Their goal was to create two public reservations. This way, everyone could enjoy the beaches.

Changes to the Area

After buying the land, some buildings, like the Hotel Nahant, were taken down. This helped open up the beaches for public use. It also protected the natural beauty of the area.

New Public Facilities

In 1901, a bathhouse was built at the northern end of the reservation. This was a place where people could change and get ready for the beach. Later, in the early 1900s, more things were added. These included shelters on the beach, benches for resting, and even a path for horses to ride on. All these additions made the reservation a great place for people to visit and enjoy nature.

Images for kids

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  windsurfer

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  surfer

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  shorebirds, with Little Nahant in the distance

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  aerial view