Crescent Beach is the one you can see from the ferry — the long sweep of sand running north from town toward Clay Head. It’s the island’s default beach, and the default is good: walkable from the boat, swimmable for kids, long enough that the crowd thins the farther you walk.
The lay of it
The whole east-facing stretch goes by Crescent Beach, but it has neighborhoods. The southern end, nearest town, picks up the foot traffic. The middle holds Fred Benson Town Beach — the equipped one. Keep walking north and the blankets spread out; by the Scotch Beach stretch you can hear yourself think, and up toward Mansion Beach the crowd is mostly people who read guides like this one.
Fred Benson Town Beach
This is the family engine room, and it earned a “best beaches for families” nod from Coastal Living for reasons any parent will recognize in the first five minutes: lifeguards in season, gentle waves, and a big pavilion with showers, restrooms, changing rooms with lockers, and a concession stand. Chairs, umbrellas, cabanas, and boogie boards rent right there. Parking is a short, easy walk from sand — about a mile from town if you’re coming on foot or by bike.
If you have small kids and one beach day, this is the day. Nothing else on the island matches the logistics.
Timing
Boat-day arithmetic: the first ferries land late morning and the pavilion stretch fills behind them. Go before 10 and the beach is yours; the water’s calmer early anyway. In September the whole equation dissolves — warm water, empty sand, and the pavilion crowd back at their desks on the mainland.
Nearby
Walk north for Mansion Beach when you want surf and quiet. The full beach ranking puts Crescent second overall — first for ease. Lunch options back in town are covered in the eat-drink guide.