So…you want to live near a beach?

When a client’s wish list says “beach nearby,” our McGarr Realty team members know just what to do.

First, we make a list of all the communities with Niagara beaches that are within walking distance, and then we start a serious search for a home that matches the rest of our client’s wish list.

Niagara’s 12 communities are full of areas that can make living near a beach a reality. From Grimsby to Port Colborne and everywhere in between, residents love to walk sandy Niagara beaches; launch kayaks for fitness and paddling pleasure; go fishing and enjoy a leisurely swim, all practically in their own backyards.

Areas where our team has had success putting families seeking to live near a beach include:

• Greater Fort Erie: Crystal Beach; Bay Beach; Crescent Beach; Bernard Avenue Beach; Waverly Beach and Windmill Point Park Quarry Beach.
• Wainfleet: Lake Erie Public Access Beach; Reebs Bay; Long Beach Conservation East and West; Long Beach and Chippawa Conservation Beach.
• Grimsby: Casablanca Beach; Grimsby Beach; Fifty-Point Conservation Beach and Nelles Beach.
• Lincoln: Charles Daley Park East and West.
• St. Catharines: Jones Beach; Lakeside Park and Beach, and Sunset Beach (Municipal Beach).
• Niagara-on-the-Lake: Ryerson Park Beach; Mississauga Beach, and Queen’s Royal Beach.
• Port Colborne: Humberstone Centennial Park Beach; Nickel Beach; Sherkston Quarry; Sherkston Elco Beach; Pleasant Beach; Sunset Beach, and Wyldewood Beach.

Water quality at Niagara’s beaches is monitored by Niagara Region – so you’ll know when it’s safe to swim, or prudent to stay out of the water. Results are available from the Region, Victoria Day through Labour Day, and will be posted on the website, HERE.

Links on this website also take you to maps of the region, and show the amenities offered at each beach site – like parking, bathroom access, trash and/or clean water access.

Not to be ignored are communities near Niagara’s other water sources – rivers and ponds where recreational facilities welcome residents to enjoy water play, such as canoeing, kayaking, or fishing.

Some of these include: The Welland Recreational Waterway; Morgan’s Point Conservation Area; the Niagara Waterfront Trail; the Green Ribbon Trail and Chippawa Creek Conservation Area. Check out the maps showing places where canoeing and kayaking are possible, HERE.

If you plan to operate a pleasure craft and travel along the Welland Canal (part of the St. Lawrence Seaway), check out the website Niagara’s Welland Canal for facts, information and details about the four municipalities through which the canal travels. 

When living near a beach, life operates at a bit of a different pace – simply because there is more of a “cottage” atmosphere. Leisure time draws residents to the water and its trails, for walking, running, cycling and wandering. 

Need a great place to watch the sun set? Or rise, perhaps? We’ve got those!

If that’s what you're seeking, our team at McGarr Realty can help make it happen. Give our office a call at 905-468-9229 in Niagara-on-the-Lake, or 905-687-9229 in St. Catharines. Send us a message HERE.

Then get ready to hit the beach – because you know summer is coming, eventually!