Nantasket Beach Still Has That Special Summer Feeling

The Paragon Carousel at Nantasket Beach (photo by Eric)

Many people felt like they were being taken for a ride when Paragon Park at Nantasket Beach in Hull, Mass., closed its legendary amusement park in 1984.

The better part of a century brought a joyous beach and amusement scene that exuded a classic New England summer tradition with, to name a few staples, the unbeatable combination of rides, arcades, souvenirs, waves and ice cream. Who can forget that wooden roller coaster or the bumper cars?

Paragon Park's closure gave way to housing development -- great for the people that live there by the ocean -- but sad for us to see Paragon Park and the memories associated with it just drift away. It was so close to home (about a half hour south of Boston, FYI), and really the ultimate day trip.

While we'll probably never see a return of Paragon Park, there are still significant remnants that still make Nantasket Beach a worthy New England travel destination:

The historic Paragon Carousel has been well-maintained. It's a beauty and is as good as ever!

The old clock tower is next to the Paragon Carousel, thus adding a touch of traditional dignity to Nantasket Beach. The clock is also in good condition and brings back such great memories.

The Carousels and Ships souvenir shop and the Dream Machine arcade line the main drag to remind us of those carefree, slightly tacky days gone by. The Fascination site remains -- kind of a mysterious, clandestine place to kids, but well-known to adults -- a destination that sort of mixes a table version of skee ball and bingo.  You can also find at Nantasket Beach a good, huge, gooey slice of pizza at places like Joseph's, ice cream at Carousel Creamery (right next to the Paragon Carousel), as well as play miniature golf at Nantasket Mini Golf.

Today's Nantasket Beach has an added element that didn't exist, as a whole, in the older days -- many high quality seaside restaurants and outdoor cafes are popping up all over the place. I like Jake's Seafood the best -- the water views are nice, the staff is efficient and pleasant, and the seafood always seems to be fresh. No surprise, given that they have a seafood market on the premises.

Yes, we find no "amusement" in Paragon Park being taken away from our kid-like hearts and souls, but Nantasket Beach is still a worthy  vacation destination. It's close to Boston and... oops, I almost forgot (not really, just writing that for effect)... the beach itself is worth a trip. Five miles of sandy ocean bliss, including harbors and bays to boat or fish make this not only one of the best beaches in the Boston area, but in all of New England. The roller coaster of emotions about Paragon closing will perhaps never go away, but the appeal of a great beach town with still plenty to do keeps us coming back.

The beach is simply beautiful -- expansive and with plenty of room for you! (photo by Eric)

You can see the condos on the far right, but the beach still dominates (photo by Eric)

The Dream Machine arcades (photo by Eric)

Carousels and Ships offers a classic gift shop scene to Nantasket Beach (photo by Eric) 

What would the beach be without a good ice cream place? (photo by Eric)

Sunset at Nantasket Beach. Beautiful! (photo by Eric)

Related articles and resources:
Visiting the Paragon Carousel 
Booking a room at Nantasket Beach
Family of four spends only $5 dollars for a day trip to Nantasket Beach
Ten ways to beat the heat on a hot summer day in the Boston area

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The Beauty of Nantasket Beach, Hull, Mass.

Article and photo by Eric H.
Nantasket Beach in Hull, Mass., is best associated with the former Paragon Park. All those amusements provided many years of joy for locals and vacationers, and memories of an endearing summer of eternal youth. Paragon Park has been gone since 1984 with some remnants still in place like a carousel, an arcade and souvenir shops, but what truly remains is the innate beauty of Nantasket Beach. After all that time being associated with Paragon Park never really allowed us to focus on just the beach. And what a great stretch of beach it is, possibly one of the best outside out of Cape Cod.  For just a nominal parking fee, the couple of miles of beach here is simply one of the places to be to relax during the waning days of summer vacation here in New England.

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Life is a Merry-Go-Round at Nantasket Beach, MA

Article and Photo by Eric H.

I found no "amusement" when Paragon Park at Nantasket Beach in Hull, MA, closed in 1984 to give way for cold and clinical condo development. This once-magnificent amusement park landmark -- bringing thrills to locals since the early 1900s -- brought a festive quality of life to this coastal community, just 20 miles south of Boston and easily accessible from our suburban locations.

While Nantasket Beach has made a bit of a comeback with a growing number of restaurants and hotels, the feeling just isn't the same for some of us traditional New Englanders. There are, however, three saving graces for the Nantasket visitor who wanted things to stay the same, forever: an original clock tower, one of the best ocean beaches on the northeast Atlantic coast, and the Paragon Carousel from 1928. Largely restored within its original housing, this special carousel features 24 restored horses and a Wurlitzer band organ that generates the carnival-like music -- creating a childhood sense of well being and security. There might be better carousels in this part of the country -- like the Empire State Carousel in Cooperstown, NY, and the Crescent Park Carousel in East Providence, as examples. It's funny, though, how one's own childhood merry-go-round memories override other carousels that might be better in quality. Sometimes, a healthy sense of denial preserves our happiest childhood memories.

Just the few times I had spent at Paragon Park was enough to create memories, to this very day. Sadly, the Paragon Carousel is now the last carousel in the Boston area, so we indeed need something to hold onto -- what better than a carousel horse and a beach to splash around from our golden years?

Read here about more information on the Paragon Carousel

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