Visit Pleasure Beach

Have you visited Bridgeport's Pleasure Beach yet? If you are a birder, butterfly lover, or all-around naturalist, we encourage you to stop by soon via the water taxi! Getting to Pleasure Beach is easy with free parking at the water taxi pier lot, 91 Seaview Avenue, Bridgeport. The water taxi will bring visitors to and from Pleasure Beach, and is also free.

 

While there you can enjoy our WildLife Guards program, which trains, mentors, and employs ten local high schools students and two crew leaders to monitor nesting birds and engage visitors, families, and friends about Pleasure Beach and its wildlife. The WildLife Guards are at Pleasure Beach every Tuesday through Saturday, approximately 9:30 to 3:30, and offer the following walks and outreach events each week.

 

Wednesday
11:00am Coastal Ecology Walk
1:00pm Touch Tank

Friday
10:30am Bird Walk
12:00pm Pleasure Beach Trail Walk
1:30pm Plant Identification Walk

Saturday
10:30am Coastal Ecology Walk
11:30am Pleasure Beach Trail Walk
12:30pm Piping Plover Activity
1:30am Pleasure Beach Trail Walk
2:00pm Seine netting

Coastal Ecology Walk
On this walk along the shore, participants will learn about Long Island Sound, its barrier beaches, and wildlife, from Piping Plovers to Prickly Pear Cactus.  Barrier Beaches are a rare habitat is Connecticut.  They provide habitat for many state threatened species, protect shoreline communities from coastal storms, and offers a place for visitors to learn about nature.  This is a 1 mile walk along the beach.  Bring water and sunscreen and appropriate footwear.

Touch Tank
Want to learn about the marine creatures that call Pleasure Beach home?  Stop by the Touch Tank at the Info Depot to see and touch crabs, snails, mussels and more.  Bridgeport’s WildLife Guards will be on hand to share their knowledge about these intertidal inhabitants.

Bird Walk
Pleasure Beach provides nesting habitat for piping plovers and terns.  It is also serves as migratory stopover habitat for shorebirds, songbirds, and raptors.  Join the Bridgeport WildLife Guards for a 1 hour bird walk.  Binocular are available on a first come first serve basis.

Pleasure Beach Trail Walk
Did you know Pleasure Beach used to have an amusement Park?  Want to learn more?  Join the Bridgeport WildLife Guards for a tour of Pleasure Beach.  We will explore the history of this amazing place and see some wildlife too.

Plant Identification Walk
Pleasure Beach hosts a variety of flora, from the state listed Prickly Pear Cactus, to Northern Bayberry – a favorite of the Myrtle Warbler, to invasive plants like Oriental Bittersweet.  Some of these plants provide food for wildlife, while others are less nutritious and tend to take over.  Learn what you can plant in your own yard to benefit birds and other wildlife.

Piping Plover Activity
The Piping Plover, a federally threatened bird species, nests right on the shore of Pleasure Beach.   Because their nests and young are very camouflage, visitors might walk right up to them and not realize it.  During this kid-friendly program, we will learn about the little things people can do to help these birds nest successfully.  We will make marshmallow piping plover chicks and signs to increase awareness about these birds.

Seine-netting
Want to learn about the marine creatures that call Long Island Sound home?  Meet the Bridgeport Wildlife Guards on the beach at 2pm.  We will use a seine net to catch fish, shrimp and other animals that live in the water off shore of Pleasure Beach. 

 

This is education, conservation and advocacy in action, all in one wonderful program, reaching thousands of visitors over the summer and making a difference for rare or endangered plants and wildlife on Pleasure Beach. We hope you take the opportunity to visit and enjoy it!

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