Visiting The Beach in the Rockaways, NYC, During COVID-19

It’s no secret that the Rockaway peninsula in Queens boasts some of the best beaches in New York City.

The sandy stretch of beach plus the 5-mile boardwalk draws millions of visitors every summer.

But you might be starting to sweat already – not from the summer heat – but from reading a statistic like that.

Millions of visitors?!

During the COVID-19 pandemic?!

Normally, visiting the Rockaways and hanging on the beach is something I do a lot, every summer. But this year, with the COVID-19 pandemic, I’ve been questioning all of my usual summer activities.

But how could I deprive myself of the beach – my happy place – especially now, when I know it would do wonders for my mental health and sanity?

So, the decision was made. My husband and I would drive out to the Rockaways on a weekend day to check out the beach, and see if it was safe enough to spend the day there.

Now that we’ve been there, I want to share all of my tips with you. Some of these recommendations are specific to the Rockaways, and others are more general and will apply to any outing to the beach.

Related: 5 easy summer weekend road trips from NYC

Heading to the Beach? General Tips to Help You Prepare

Obviously this year, there are a few additional essentials you want to pack besides your beach towels, sunblock and umbrellas.

Namely, masks.

And since you’re headed to the beach where it’s sandy and there’s water, I recommend bringing a couple of extras, in case the one you are wearing gets wet or dirty.

Second is antibacterial gel, spray, and/or wipes. Basically, whatever you can use to keep your hands clean, because other than public bathrooms, there aren’t many places where you can wash your hands. And depending on your comfort level, you might not even want to venture into a public bathroom during your entire visit. (That’s what the ocean is for, right??)

I also recommend bringing all of your own food and beverages. You might do this already anyway. If not, it’s something I recommend so you don’t have to wait in line with other people for food. You might be good at social distancing but it doesn’t mean everyone else is, so why put yourself at risk if you don’t have to?

What to Expect Specifically at Rockaway Beach

Now let’s talk about Rockaway Beach.

Technically, the city requires that everyone needs to wear a mask on the boardwalk and on the beach unless you’re swimming.

But that’s definitely not what we experienced.

Instead, many people were flouting this rule, even on the boardwalk. I was pretty surprised by this and disappointed to see that about a third of the people we encountered on the boardwalk were not wearing masks. (We wore our masks everywhere except on the beach.)

The good news is that the boardwalk is big, and you can pretty easily socially distance yourself from other people except when you’re near the food concession areas or in the public restrooms where it’s more crowded. (People did a good job of socially distancing while waiting in line for the bathroom but not so much inside.)

On the beach, I barely saw anyone wearing a mask. While on the one hand, this freaked me out, I also understood why. Who wants to sit on the beach with a mask on? Even if you’re under an umbrella, it’s hot, sweaty, uncomfortable, and cumbersome.

Full disclosure here – once we found our spot and got settled, we took our masks off as well. We felt comfortable doing so because we were outside and had a good 10-12 feet of distance between us and other people.

Related: How are you feeling about the new normal?

We also did not wear masks when we went swimming. While I wasn’t 100% comfortable with weaving my way past other people on my way down to the ocean without a mask, my desire to swim outweighed my anxiety.

And for those wondering, swimming is now permitted at all NYC beaches when lifeguards are on duty. Typically, that’s 10 am – 6 pm daily, but check NYC’s Parks official website for more accurate info.

Where to Sit at Rockaway Beach

I kind of feel like I’m giving away a secret here, but I’m going to share my tips on where to sit to avoid the big crowds so you can enjoy the beach with less anxiety.

Because these days, fewer people = less anxiety!

I recommend sitting at or near the surfing beach at 67^th – 69^th street, or just east of that in the lower sixties. Why? Because while there is a public bathroom, there are no public concession stands, which means fewer people.

Also, you technically aren’t supposed to swim at the surfing beaches, which also means fewer people. And fewer people means it’s much easier to spread out and socially distance yourself from others.

When we went to the Rockaways, we spent about 7 hours on the beach, and at no point did we feel like other people were sitting to close to us.

Also, many people were swimming by the rock jetties at one of the surfing beaches, and the lifeguards seemed to be ok with that.

What’s Open at Rockaway Beach?

The boardwalk concessions are officially open now at Beach 106^th, Beach 97^th, and Beach 86^th. That said, many modifications have been made to adhere to safety guidelines.

All employees are wearing masks, and plexiglass dividers have been installed. Each concession has a two window set up, one for ordering and one for pick-up. All the tables and chairs have been removed, so if you are planning to get food at the concessions, it’s to-go only.

The other big change is that the service and selection have been greatly scaled back and everything is outside. Brothers is up and running at  Beach 106th. At Beach 97^th, you can still order a limited number of alcoholic drinks from the Low Tide Bar and a handful of basic food items from High 97, but that’s it. None of the other vendors will be at Beach 97th this summer. But if you are craving ceviche, La Cevicheria (one of my favorite stalls normally at Beach 97th) will be doing a pop-up at Thank You cafe near Beach 116th.

There are also plenty of neighborhood restaurants that are open for take-out and outdoor seating. Two of my favorites include Tacoway Beach (aka Rockaway Taco) which is doing take-out orders all summer, and Bungalow Bar, which is doing both outdoor dining and take-out.

And a block away from Beach 67^th – 69^th, there’s a massive Stop n Shop and the Vino by the Sea liquor store. (Technically, you’re not allowed to bring alcohol onto the beach.)

Is It Worth Going to the Beach This Summer?

My answer is if you take the right precautions, then yes, it is 100% worth it.

I can’t tell you how good I felt after spending a day in the ocean, soaking up the sun and honestly, just forgetting about all of the crazy stuff going on in the world right now.

It was a huge boost to my mental health and sanity. (And we can all use that these days.)

So I say, go enjoy your summer and spend some time at the beach. Just do it safely. If you’re still nervous about the crowds, go on a weekday or early evening when there are fewer people.

I hope you found all of these tips about heading to Rockaway Beach during the COVID-19 Pandemic helpful!

If you have any additional questions, please leave a comment at the bottom of this post.

Stay safe. Wear a mask. And have a great summer!

Related: If you’re interested in other local travels from the NYC area this summer, check out this post about visiting Provincetown, Cape Cod, during the COVID-19 Pandemic.