The water feels better without that damn sweater!

June 10, 2008 3:55 PM

It's so hot... so, so hot. So I'm looking for the best places in New England (specifically Boston-and-environs and Central Vermont) to go night-swimming and/or skinny-dipping.

Natural bodies of water--rivers, ponds, lakes, ocean--preferred.

Please don't answer with places where trespassing would be involved. (I've had one close call, which is one too many; I don't need a record, thank you!) That means no parks or public places that "close" after a certain hour.

Gold star for GoogleMaps links or directions on where to park or walk.

Feel free to answer via MeFiMail if you feel that listing in a public place like this would compromise the sanctity of your favorite secret swimming-hole.

posted by not_on_display to sports, hobbies, & recreation (12 comments total)

Plum Island off newbury / newburyport? I don't know about skinny dipping, but you can park pretty easily at night. About an hour north of Boston, on the NH border. You'll be swimming in the atlantic, which is fairly natural.
posted by jenkinsEar at 4:16 PM on June 10 [1 favorite]

if you ever get out to Western Mass you could check out Puffer's Pond in Amherst - it is often busy with folk on hot days but the water is always remarkably (even ridiculously) cold
posted by jammy at 4:36 PM on June 10

Spy Pond in Arlington. It's one of those places that says 'swim at your own risk' which is because there is no lifeguard. I haven't been in there in years, but never had trouble when I did swim there. A co-worker of mine just went skivvy-dipping there the other night and the cops rode by them and kept going... so I don't think there was any trespassing going on. Don't swim there after a heavy rain--there's some runoff business that happens.

You may also want to check out the Mystic Lakes too. I don't know the rules there. Carson Beach in Southie, maybe? Again I don't know the rules about nighttime.

Those are the only spots I know about that don't include climbing a fence. Good luck, it's supposed to get a tiny bit better tomorrow!
posted by jdl at 6:23 PM on June 10

It is still way too cold (for me) to be swimming in VT, especially at night, but what can I say... I'm a Vermonter. I used to have a great book about swimming holes in Vermont but I lent it to a friend and... you know how that goes. Anywho... I googled "Vermont Swimming Holes" and came up with this:

http://www.running-water.com/holes/vermont/bingham.htm

I've been to a few, but not in Central VT (I live further north). Of course now that those nasty thunderstorms have brought in a cold front (yippee!) you may no longer want to dip your skin into the cold cold waters of New England.
posted by vermontlife at 6:43 PM on June 10

I know you don't want off-limits places, but the far side of Walden Pond is especially nice on a hot midnight, and it's far from the easily-accessible-to-police-cruisers main beach.
posted by zippy at 7:18 PM on June 10

skinny-dipping
yeah, um, Walden. What zippy said. And I've never known anyone to have any trouble there (I was under the impression it was an "at your own risk after hours" place, anyway). It's absolutely hell during the daytime though, even on a weekday. Packed.

The pond at Tufts though is actually off-limits. (Apparently because the people found in it are usually drunk off their ass.)
posted by whatzit at 8:31 PM on June 10

this was quite a few years ago, but I never had any problems skinny dipping in Walden Pond at night.
posted by chelseagirl at 8:48 PM on June 10

Give this a try, not_on_display: http://www.swimmingholes.org/vt.html
posted by terrapin at 3:20 AM on June 11 [1 favorite]

I know more than a few folks that have done the Walden thing but most have stories of almost getting caught.

As for the Plum Island recommendation - be careful. Though the surf is usually mellow in the summer, that place is legend for it's strong rip currents.

For ocean front near to Boston, I really can't think of much. Many beaches are either city run, MDC run or private and usually lined with lots and lots and lots of houses. The only one near the city that MIGHT work is Nahant beach, but it is open dawn to dusk. So you would run the risk of getting nabbed if you parked there. Unless you took the T. Anyway here is the link: Nahant
posted by WickedPissah at 7:35 AM on June 11

Here's the book I was referring to in my previous post:

MAKE A SPLASH - SWIMMING HOLES AND WATERFALLS OF THE GREEN MOUNTAINS
Author: Minor, Jason
Published: 1998, Master Studios
Comment: (From book publicity) A unique guide to 40 swimming holes and waterfalls up and down the length of the state (Vermont), both in and away from the Green Mountains. Most are roadside. For each spot there are directions, description, location map and photo. 112 pp, 6" x 9". Purchase: $14.95, From Jason Minor, RR1 Box 260, Swanton, VT 05488
posted by vermontlife at 9:46 AM on June 11

Eponysterical? Anti-eponysterical?
posted by JMOZ at 5:32 PM on June 11

Since it'd be night when I'd be skinny-dipping, I think it'd be eponysterical. It's anti-eponysterical when I introduce myself at a meetup.

Thanks all for answering. Now to get funk-kay!!
posted by not_on_display at 6:49 PM on June 12