Beaches

Run by Windjammer Watersports, Snorkel Park (31 Maritime Ln., tel. 441/234-6989, www.snorkelpark.com [1], 9 a.m.–6 p.m. Apr.–Nov.), the Dockyard’s [2] only beach, offers a fun-packed experience. While, technically, the ocean is free, the park expects visitors to either rent its water sports equipment or eat and drink at Hammerheads [3], the on-site café and bar.

The beach is small but clean, and its waters offer good snorkeling at the foot of Bermuda Maritime Museum [4]’s towering ramparts. Reef areas farther out in the shallow bay are also teeming with marine life. Kids love the giant slide and pontoons for jumping into the water. You can also rent Jet Skis, kayaks, noodles, pedal boats, sailboats, masks, snorkels, fins, and beach toys. Snorkel Park has large bathrooms as well.

Few people—including locals—are familiar with Glass Beach, but it is well worth a visit. As its name suggests, it is a repository for washed-up seaglass of all shapes, sizes, and colors. Unlike other coves where you can find seaglass, however, it is entirely comprised of glass, with so much piled up that you can’t even see the underlying sand. That wind-chime-like tinkling you hear as you approach is the glass pieces being turned over by gentle waves rolling in. The beach, located on the South Shore side of the road outside the short bridge leading into Dockyard, is not signposted. Follow Cochrane Road back from Cockburn’s Cut about 650 feet, and you’ll find a trail through the casuarinas woods (look for the historic stone tower). The beach lies at the foot of the trail.