Connecticut's Hidden White Sand Beach Is A Bayside Paradise Found Through A Tunnel Under Railroad Tracks

The New England coastline is famous for picturesque waterfront villages, beaches and boardwalks, seafood restaurants, and marinas filled with bobbing sailboats and commercial fishing vessels. Niantic, Connecticut, embodies all of that and adds a fun twist. One of its beaches is reachable via a tunnel under railroad tracks. Named Hole in the Wall Beach for the tunnel that carved a hole in the concrete support for the railroad tracks, it shows how industry and recreation can coexist. 

Back in 1894, the railroad provided a much faster mode of transportation and revolutionized trade and tourism, which previously relied on steamships. Cars, trucks, and interstates came later, and the tracks still transport many daily passengers on the commuter Metro-North Railroad and regional Amtrak trains. Passengers in summer sitting by the window on the right when heading north will be treated to the sight of beachgoers lounging on the sand and swimming along the small, curved strip of Hole in the Wall Beach.

Between New York and Boston, Niantic has only 3,600 residents and is part of the town of East Lyme, which has a population of 19,000. Niantic is under an hour from both New Haven and Hartford, which boasts the closest large airport, and a half hour from Hammonasset Beach State Park, which, at nearly 1,000 acres, is Connecticut's largest shoreline park. Located by two water sources — where the Connecticut River meets the Atlantic Ocean – Old Lyme is another quaint Connecticut town with a waterfront walk, just 16 minutes from Niantic. 

On the south end of Niantic Bay, Hole in the Wall Beach is a strip of white sand just a two-minute walk from Main Street and its shops and restaurants. A jetty creates a calm swimming area so this spot is popular with families. Facilities include a bathroom and outdoor showers as well as a parking lot that can fill up, so arrive early on hot summer days. 

Walk from the parking lot to the tracks, which you'll pass under in the few steps it takes to get through the tunnel to the beach on the right. Find a spot and relax — but you might want to look up the train times. The first time you experience the Amtrak Acela speeding by, you might be slightly shaken. It does make for great photos! There are a few rules to follow, like no ball playing or frisbee in swim areas. Visitors also can't snorkel, use fins, or bring alcohol or tobacco onto the beach or boardwalk. There is a lifeguard in season who enforces these rules.

A beach pass is required during the summer to park at Hole in the Wall Beach, and the price isn't small. Both East Lyme residents and nonresidents are required to purchase either a daily or seasonal pass. The nonresident daily pass charge is $45 on weekdays or $55 on weekends while residents pay $25 daily or $35 for weekends and holidays. If nonresidents don't park at the beach lot, the price is $20. Passes are sold at the community center. 

Hole in the Wall Beach is sandwiched between two other recreation areas: Niantic Bay Boardwalk to the left and McCook Point Beach & Park to the right. The most popular thing to do in Niantic is walk along the boardwalk, which is just over one mile long. Separated from the Long Island Sound by rocks, the boardwalk ends at Hole in the Wall Beach at one end and Cini Park at the other. It's not a wooden boardwalk with amusements as you'd see at more famous boardwalks in Atlantic City, New Jersey, or Brighton Beach, England, but the concrete waterfront path is well-used and well-loved. 

On the other end of Hole in the Wall Beach, McCook Point Park & Beach is actually composed of two beaches separated by a grassy hill. Also in East Lyme, the 710-acre Rocky Neck State Park is a beloved recreation spot with secret coves and forest trails. Well-known non-beach activities in Niantic are geared toward readers and kids. The Niantic Book Barn is the largest used book store in Connecticut, home to 350,000 tomes, and the Niantic Children's Museum is a fun place for little ones ages nine months to nine years old who can peer through a kaleidoscope and microscope, meet a gecko, and play with trains.

Niantic's most outstanding hotel is the 16-room Inn at Harbor Hill Marina. Accommodations come with fireplaces, soaking tubs, and balconies overlooking the marina and Niantic River. Rates stay around $269 per night.