Tobay Beach is a restricted access recreational
beach
A beach is a landform alongside a body of water which consists of loose particles. The particles composing a beach are typically made from rock, such as sand, gravel, shingle, pebbles, etc., or biological sources, such as mollusc sh ...
located in the middle of
Jones Beach Island
Jones Beach Island is one of the outer barrier islands off the southern coast of Long Island in the U.S. state of New York.
Etymology
It is named for Major Thomas Jones, who first came to Long Island in 1692, where he proceeded to build the ...
, a barrier island off the South Shore of
Long Island,
Nassau County,
New York, United States, within the
Massapequa
Massapequa (, ) is a hamlet and census-designated place (CDP) in the Town of Oyster Bay in Nassau County, on the South Shore of Long Island, in New York, United States. It is considered the anchor community of the Greater Massapequa area. The po ...
11758 Zip code. Its name is a portmanteau for the
Town of Oyster Bay, which owns and manages the beach. Residents of the town are allowed entry, with limited access for non-residents.
History
Tobay Beach was opened to the public sometime between 1926 and 1949, and has been owned and operated by the Town of Oyster Bay since its opening date. The beach became the backdrop of one of
Marilyn Monroe's famous photoshoots in June 1949, taken by
Andre de Dienes. At this time, the beach was mainly used for its
marina. The beach became more "visitor-friendly" in the 1960s as the population of the town grew; the parking lot expanded from less than one-fourth of today's lot's size to three-fourths, a main building with restrooms was constructed on the north-side, and the shoreline was enlarged on both the north and south sides.
The entrance to the beach from
Ocean Parkway was redesigned in the 1970s; it was originally a oval-shaped
traffic circle
A roundabout is a type of circular intersection or junction in which road traffic is permitted to flow in one direction around a central island, and priority is typically given to traffic already in the junction.''The New Shorter Oxford Eng ...
, but traffic was restricted to and from the parking lot to the westbound lanes. Vehicles on the eastbound lanes have to use a
turnaround 2,000 feet away from the main entrance.
In the 1980s, a second round of improvements came. A helipad was made, a large welcome sign was constructed, and the parking lot was extended to its current length. In 1989, the town began to stabilize the dunes against erosion.
The Town has improved upon the beach a lot in recent history. In 2008, the marina reached its current size, and 2009 the
spray park opened to the public. In 2010, new dining was provided, and a
miniature golf course was opened to the public a year after. After
Joseph Saladino became
Town Supervisor
The administrative divisions of New York are the various units of government that provide local services in the State of New York. The state is divided into boroughs, counties, cities, townships called "towns", and villages. (The only borou ...
in 2017, he switched the food vendors at the two (previously three) dining locations, and replaced the miniature golf course with more public dining space. The spray park was completely redesigned in 2019, along with a new fitness area and playground.
During the
COVID-19 pandemic
The COVID-19 pandemic, also known as the coronavirus pandemic, is an ongoing global pandemic of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2). The novel virus was first identi ...
, the beach remained opened, however with 50% capacity, and with face coverings and social distancing required as per New York State regulations. The hours of operation of the beach diminished between March and July, and in late May, a live-camera of the beach was posted on the beach website to inform beachgoers how crowded the beach is.
Description
Access to the beach is via Ocean Parkway. Tobay Beach is far east of
Jones Beach State Park and just west of
West Gilgo Beach across the
Nassau–
Suffolk County line.
It contains four pavilions, five food stands, surfing and soft boarding area, and a picnic area. There is also a 150-slip marina along
. Near the parking lot, there is general playground and fitness area. The spray park has a food stand, a water playground, and other water-related toys.
References
External links
Official Site
{{coord, 40.61107, -73.42985, type:landmark, name=Tobay Beach, display=title
Oyster Bay (town), New York
Beaches of Nassau County, New York
Parks in Nassau County, New York