GLOUCESTER – Hawaii. San Diego. Santa Monica. Hilton Head.
And Gloucester.
All are on the latest Travel + Leisure list as homes to some of the best beaches in the USA.
Good Harbor Beach made the top 25 this year, alongside fabled coastlines such as Santa Monica Beach, Coronado Beach in San Diego, and Poipu Beach in Kauai, Hawaii.
Travel + Leisure highlighted the North Shore jewel for its “sugar-soft sand and relatively calm water,” as well as the sand bar beachcombers can walk across to explore Salt Island at low tide. Points for convenience were noted for the snacks and water toy rentals available at the concession stand.
To anyone who lives in or near Gloucester, the honor should come as no surprise.
“Good Harbor Beach is not only incredibly beautiful, but it has a welcoming feeling to it,” said Gloucester Mayor Greg Verga. “Families are able to enjoy the day in the clear waters and warm sand and visitors are able to find a sense of peace and relaxation in the quiet evenings. It is truly unique and we are so fortunate to live in a community with this natural wonder.”
The article did note that, as locals know, the parking is limited and beachgoers who want to secure a spot will need to get there early.
For those traveling to Good Harbor from outside of Gloucester, the city does have a new program in place to help ease some of that parking anxiety.
The City of Gloucester will utilize Yodel, a parking management platform, to allow non-resident beachgoers to reserve and pay for their parking space at City beaches up to ten days in advance. The technology will streamline the parking procedure for all visitors to Gloucester’s beaches. “This is a major step towards modernizing and advancing an outdated and inefficient system for both resident and non-resident beachgoers,” said Verga.
Yodel will serve as a digital pass platform and bring a modern solution to the beach parking management system. Non-resident beach visitors will be able to reserve parking in advance to guarantee a space while reducing traffic and improving service.
Gloucester officials say this will be an improvement from the traditional first-come-first-serve, on-site cash payment that has been the norm for decades at Gloucester beaches. Non-resident beach stickers will no longer be available, and reservations are nonrefundable.
“This will improve access for non-residents visitors and ease the delays and traffic that our residents typically face,” said Verga.
There will be no significant changes to the resident beach sticker process, and no reservations will be required for residents.
