Stage Fort Park & Welcoming Center

Lovely park! Simply beautiful and full of history. There is an indescribable feeling walking around where my ancestors settled over 300 years ago. The park was clean, trash barrels and recycling options can be easily found along with bags for dog waste. The bathrooms were not open today, off season, but there was no fee to park. Fair enough. I cannot wait for summer, we will definitely return to utilize this unique spot.

Nice small quiet beach. Little bit if sand, but rocks to explore and jump off off. We had a great time

We headed over to Stage Fort Park to do some fishing off the rocks towards the north end of the park. The park has really nice facilities and has some very scenic surroundings and trails. The beach seemed pretty crowded when we were there and found some nice hiking trails down towards the water. Great fishing spot too with fantastic views of Gloucester harbor.

The biggest travesty is that my entire childhood passed and I never visited this beach. This park is like a giant Indiana Jones adventure — secret paths, a cove beach, a giant plaque commemorating the phenomenal history of Gloucester. Also extremely notable the baseball diamond and the snack bar with one of the best clam rolls that I have ever had. They allow grills so it’s a beautiful spot for a BBQ too.
I just wish that they took a bit better care of the place. I often see cans and broken bottles among the rock paths. It would be a shame if a child sliced his foot open on any of that garbage.

LOVE the dog park. So friendly. Every person I have ever met in the dog park has been really great.
Everyone is extremely polite and down to earth, Everyone picks up after their dogs. My dog and I love hanging out down at Stage Fort Dog Park.
My dog has the tendency to be lazy. Bringing her to the dog park takes care of that. She runs until she has no energy left.

Well I just saw another post that said parking is $ 15, which certainly would have lowered my rating of 4 stars, but there was no guard on duty when we were there and didn’t have to pay for parking (guess it was my lucky day and I didn’t even know it!). The park is dog friendly and well kept. While there isn’t a beach, there is a nice path by the water with rocks for people to relax on and overlook the water. There are fields for athletics and a volleyball sand ‘court’.
My favorite part was the soft served ice-​cream, because my girlfriend and I shared a ‘regular’, which was huge and more than enough for the two of us. They also gave our dog a doggy cup with some ice-​cream and a treat for free (Banksy, the pup, was very appreciative!

Beaches
lights
and
history
Stage Fort Park is the place where the very first settlers of Gloucester came ashore back in 1630. They even have a huge boulder with a plaque on it to remember the occasion.
The park is a whole lot more than just a part of history. One of those parks that seems to have everything. Two beaches, Half Moon and Cressy, are located within the park and although not the greatest beaches in the world they are nice places to walk in the cold weather and nice for a refreshing, and I mean really refreshing, dip in the water in the summer. That water temp is numbing even in the warmest weather.
The park also has a nice playground, some ball fields and a whole lot of room for picnics and even weddings. Dogs are allowed as long as you clean up after them and public bathrooms are available.
One of the problems with the park is that they kill you for parking. I believe the last I heard it was fifteen bucks. But I always go in the off season so I don’t have to worry about the parking fee. And even if you go in the summer you can always find on street parking for free as long as you are willing to walk a bit.
A very cool park that lovely views of the ocean and you can even see Eastern Point Lighthouse in the distance. A wonderful place to enjoy the sea breezes and catch up on your history.

Arrived in Gloucester at two am and slept al fresco on the back porch of the beach house/​visitor center. Outdoor plugs to charge cell phones and free wifi. Woke up to sunrise from the ocean. Got lunch from the causeway and ate it on the porch until the mid day pressed us to more important activities. Best hotel ever. And there is a beach shower. Bathrooms were locked until staff opened them about nine am. but there are many oak trees nearby. Sweet ladies inside during business hours told us all about the area’s local hot spots.

Popped over to the new dog park, and really enjoyed ourselves. Fun group of dogs and people, and I look forward to going back to explore some more!

Stage Fort Park is located in Gloucester, MA.
Some Pros and Cons —
Pros:
— Dog Friendly
— BBQ
— Park
— Beach
— Hiking Trails
— Kids Playground
Cons:
— $ 15 Parking Fee
— Dirty Toilets (To be fair, I went in around 4pm. and the toilets close at 5pm)
Conclusion:
— Cute
— Cozy
— Convenient
— Not sure if it was really worth the $ 15 parking fee

A cozy park with great views, lots of shade, extensive playground, and a small beach nested in a cove. Clean toilets and changing rooms, but this place has no shower for body or feet. Did get a few mosquito bites at the playground, but it was okay. Beach cove offers great fun hunting for crabs and hermit crabs. Seaweeds in the water. No waves. The sandy beach is partially shaded and that is a plus for those who want to have a break from the sun while still enjoying the beach. No need for umbrellas! Parking is $ 10/​day. Parking outside the park is free for an hour if you want to drop off and pick up people.
The sign says there are no lifeguards, but there were actually two lifeguards on duty. Mainly their job is to tell the boys to not jump off the rocks into the water. This is a low-​danger swimming place.
We would definitely come back here again.

Awesome playground and a nice way to spend an afternoon when it is too chilly for swimming.
We arrived had a picnic lunch on the top of these huge rocks with great views. Playground was new and clean with lots of kids. After we went down to the small beach at low tide and caught hermit crabs and made rock castles. Admittedly not a swimming beach but lots of fun for exploring. Finished the day by walking down to the fry shack for an ice cream. Beautiful views of the gloucester shoreline.
There are now outdoor shower /​foot washes down by the beach. The bathrooms had changing booths and were relatively clean. Staff at visitor center very helpful and directed me to were I could by some fresh steamers in town.
Only negative is there is a lot of newly broken glass in the rocky and beach areas so wear good shoes.

I asked the guard at the gate if Half Moon beach was good for swimming, and he confirmed that it was. Boy was I surprised to find a tiny, seaweed filled, smelly beach. If you are going with a family and want to build sandcastles, I’m sure you can have a good time. It also looked like a nice place for a BBQ. However, if you want a nice, sandy, and clean beach day for relaxing and swimming, you’ll waste your $ 15 parking fee. Spend the extra $ 10 or so and head over to Crane or Good Harbor Beach.

Compared to Good Harbor, Stage Fort Park is affordable ($ 15 for the day vs. $ 25 at GH). However, I left wondering what I paid this $ 15 for…
I wasn’t paying for them to clean the restrooms — they were cramped, dirty, and smelly. I wasn’t paying for a shower after a salt-​water dip since there isn’t a shower. I wasn’t paying for them to maintain the lawn since it was dry as all get out and very patchy.
Anyway, despite my negativity the two beaches in this area are about average. One is very ROCKY — so be prepared and bring beach chairs instead of just a blanket or be prepared to lounge on the lawn. The water is frigid but bearable if you can suck it up and it’s oh-​so crystal clear! There is a summer shack called The Cupboard just off the beach with pretty reasonable prices given that they could really rip you a new one and even some tasty fried seafood options (the clams were tasty!).

First time ever to Gloucester. My boyfriend took my daughter and I here and it was amazing. I really love places like this! The parking was free on Sunday & the sand was amazingly soft! Tons of fun exploring to do for all of us. The snack stand wasn’t open and I’m not complaining because there was an ice cream truck to get any drinks we needed. There are plenty of places to cook out and lay out some towels and relax $ a playground for the kids. We spent most of the time relaxing on the rocks and listening to the water. It was both peaceful and fun. We found all sorts of critters… crabs, lobsters, mussles, and snails in the ocean. My daughter had a blast and so did we! I will definitely go back, in fact I can’t wait! The gazebo is really nice and the view of the ocean and surroundings are fantastic. They even had a live band in the gazebo at night. Definitely would recommend this place :)

Very clean and relaxing beach. It can get really crowded

The beach was small and dirty. $ 15 to park– Crane Beach is well worth the $ 25 compared to this. I will NEVER go here again.

Only stopped here briefly, but it was a lovely and picturesque place to walk around and kill some time.
Maybe I timed it right (early June) but we didn’t pay anything to park at about 4pm or so.

Stage Fort Park isn’t really one of those places that come to mind when I think of my childhood. Maybe I just took it for granted back then. Maybe we didn’t visit very often, even though we lived right down the street at one point. I don’t know. What I DO know is that as a teenager, and now as an adult, I love the place.
Other reviewers have commented that it’s $ 10 to park. If you don’t have children with you, I’d suggest finding a place to park on the boulevard instead. Free parking! It’s a nice walk right along the ocean, too. What’s so bad about that?
Stage Fort has everything you might need, right in one area. There’s a great playground — definitely the best playground on Cape Ann — with tire swings and slides and things to climb on and see-​saws. There’s a ton of wide open grassy land to play frisbee, and even a baseball field. (If tennis is your thing, there’s a tennis court down the hill from the park — not technically part of Stage Fort, but close enough.)
There are two beaches, too, and even though they’re small, they’re usually not packed full of people. It’s definitely a good area for kids, because you don’t have to worry about losing them on a huge beach like Good Harbor.
The bottom of the Welcoming Center has public restrooms, which is always a good thing… and I believe there’s a porta-​potty outside of The Cupboard, too. Speaking of The Cupboard, during the summer, this is the best place to grab some food. You can eat there or take it across the street to the park and hang out on the picnic tables.
But my favorite part of the place is the walking trails. They’re all very short, but still a lot of fun. One brings you to the top of that huge rock you see by the baseball field. Or you can walk down to the cannons and look out over the ocean. It’s beautiful, it really is.

This park is so much fun. It boasts 2 beaches, a ton of open space for games and whatnot and there is even a small restaurant on site. The key here is to get there early, and be prepared to walk especially if you are using the beaches.
We recently spent the morning at Half Moon Beach and loved it. It’s small enough to be able to see everything yet there’s a lot of room to spread out.
With the beaches, the playgrounds, the dining facility and everything it has to offer the fact that it’s only $ 10 to get in is amazing considering the bigger more popular beaches in the area are at least double that and are always much more crowded. This has become our beach of choice.