Open year round, dawn to dusk.  Lifeguards are on duty from late June to early September.

From the mid 1600s until the late 1800s, Winthrop Beach and Short Beach were used mostly for utilitarian purposes:  clam digging, lobster fishing, kelp for fertilizer, rocks and gravel for ship ballast.

The arrival of public transportation to the north shore in 1875 along with the acquisition of the reservation in 1900 by the Commonwealth of Massachusetts, spurred the popularity of Winthrop Beach as a destination for city dwellers and tourists alike.

Today, Winthrop Beach and Short Beach are regarded as centerpieces of the year-round community which has replaced the hotels and cottages of the past, and continue to delight visitors of all ages.