Description:
Along with Castle Hill and the Crane Wildlife Refuge, Crane Beach was once part of the vast early 20th-century summer estate of Chicago industrialist Richard T. Crane, Jr. The white sands of Crane Beach stretch for miles along both sides of Castle Neck, forming one of the most picturesque swimming beaches in all of New England. Crane Beach also provides important habitat for myriad wildlife and is an important natural barrier that protects the Essex River Estuary and its inland communities.