Sherwood Island State Park —
Your Complete Guide

Sherwood Island State Park is Connecticut's first state park: 235 acres of beach, salt marsh and coastal woods on Long Island Sound in Westport, with more than a mile of sandy beach, a seasonal Nature Center and the state's official 9/11 memorial. Parking is free for cars with Connecticut plates; out-of-state cars pay $15 on weekdays and $22 on weekends and holidays. The park is open every day from 8 a.m. to sunset, straight off I-95 exit 18.

The park has three parts. The east side has East Beach, the Nature Center, the salt marsh nature trail, grassy paths and a model airplane field. Sherwood Point, in the middle, holds the 9/11 Living Memorial, which faces the Manhattan skyline, and the main pavilion (closed for 2026). The west side has West Beach, a shaded picnic grove, forest paths and an 18-hole disc golf course.

Despite the name, Sherwood Island is not really an island. The state bought its first land here in 1914, then fought what DEEP calls an epic 23-year land battle with wealthy neighbours before the shore was open to the public (history). Look closely at the beach and you will see bands of red garnet, white quartz and black magnetite sand, sorted by the waves.

Westport's Other Beaches

Westport's town beaches — Compo, Burying Hill and Old Mill — need a Westport beach emblem or a daily pass. Compo charges cars without an emblem $45 on weekdays and $70 on weekends in season, and Burying Hill $25 to $50, while Sherwood Island is free for any Connecticut car (Westport beaches compared, things to do in Westport).