New London’s Ocean Beach named one of the best in the country

NEW LONDON, CT (WFSB) - Ocean Beach in New London was named one of the best in the country.

So many of us who grew up in Connecticut have memories there.

“It was great. I would bring lunch. Usually fluffernutters because of the heat,” said Betty Travisano of Uncasville.

Mother and son Betty and Ben Travisano are no different. They’ve been going to Ocean Beach since the 60s.

“We would have a picnic over there. There used to be picnic tables back then. We would have our lunch. And then the boys loved to go into the pool. It was ten cents then to go swimming,” Betty said.

“We would be in the sun for hours and hours and hours and you’d get sand in everything but remembering that? It’s a pleasurable memory,” said Ben.

After decades of family fun, Ocean Beach is still going strong, gearing up for another busy summer.

“We have a beach that rivals any other beach in the country. That’s why we get these awards every year. We’ve got rides, water slides, attractions and other things for people to do. And we are really aggressive with our entertainment,” said Dave Sugrue, General Manager of Ocean Beach.

Travel and Leisure named Ocean Beach as one of the top 25 in the country, the only Connecticut beach to make the list.

The beach was honored for its variety of things to do.

“We come for a lot of the music at night. They put on great shows here,” said Bill Tischer of Waterford.

Tischer is also a decades-long Ocean Beach fan.

“About 60 years,” Tischer said. “Coming with one of my friends and his mother, my mother, all of us down every summer at the beach.”

Give it a few weeks and a few degrees on the thermometer, and the boardwalk will be full again. So will the beach.

Live concerts, plenty of food, rides, artists, car shows, magicians, and of course the sand and the sun, it’s all on the agenda this year.

Each year about half a million people visit Ocean Beach.

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