Coopers Beach

Every year Dr. Stephen Leatherman, the coastal scientist better known as Dr. Beach, ranks the best beaches in the country on a long list of criteria, from sand quality and water to safety and setting. For thirty-five years the top spot had gone only to beaches in Hawaii or Florida. In 2025 Coopers Beach broke that streak and became the first northern beach ever named number one in America.

The judges singled out its soft, white Atlantic sand and the rolling dunes that create what they called the perfect backdrop for a relaxing day, a classic Hamptons beach experience. It was a striking result for a beach where the water is bracing rather than tropical, proof that a wide, clean, beautifully set shoreline can outshine warmer competition.

What sets Coopers apart is its scale and its sand. The beach is made of grainy white quartz sand, soft underfoot and bright in the sun, and at low tide the shoreline stretches hundreds of yards from the dune line down to the water. There is simply a lot of room, so even on a warm summer day the beach absorbs its crowd without feeling packed.

Behind the sand rise tall dunes covered in American beach grass, a natural wall that both protects the shore and frames it, with the large summer estates of Southampton set back beyond them. That combination, an enormous open beach backed by grassy dunes and grand shingled houses, is the picture most people carry of the Hamptons, and here it is a public one.

Southampton is one of the earliest English settlements in New York and long the heart of Hamptons summer society, and Coopers Beach is its front-row seat on the Atlantic. A day here is the simple pleasures of an ocean beach done at a grand scale: long walks on the firm wet sand at the tide line, cooling off in the surf under the lifeguards' watch, and stretching out on the soft dry sand with the dunes at your back.

Because it is an open-ocean beach the surf can be lively and the water cool even in high summer, so it rewards a little care as much as a swimsuit. The far ends of the beach quiet down as you walk away from the main access, and the shoulder seasons of late spring and early fall trade the peak crowds for softer light and near-empty sand, arguably the beach at its best.

Coopers Beach is on the ocean side of Southampton, out on the south fork of Long Island roughly ninety miles east of Manhattan, reached at the end by the town's beach road. Summer parking is limited and controlled, so the single biggest tip is to arrive early on a warm day or sort out your access before you go, because the sand fills up long before it feels crowded.

Pack an umbrella for shade, plenty of water and sunscreen, and shoes you do not mind leaving in the car. Then walk down over the dune line to the widest, whitest beach the Northeast can offer, and see for yourself why a stretch of cold Atlantic shore finally out-ranked the tropics.

The closest Boutel™ stays, so you can turn this stop into an overnight. Each is a place we chose through independent editorial review, never a paid placement.

Coopers Beach is Southampton's celebrated ocean beach on Long Island's East End, a wide expanse of soft white sand backed by dunes and grand oceanfront estates. Regularly ranked among the best beaches in the country, it offers classic Hamptons scenery with proper public amenities, making it one of the easiest and most rewarding ocean beaches in the area for day-trippers to enjoy.

For a top ocean beach it is well equipped, with lifeguards during the season, restrooms, a concession stand or cafe, and chair and umbrella rentals, so you can arrive fairly light and still have a comfortable day. It is a well-run beach that balances its upscale surroundings with genuine public access, which is part of why it is such a popular Southampton destination.

Coopers Beach charges a daily parking fee for non-residents, and no special resident permit is required to use the paid lot, which makes it one of the more accessible Hamptons beaches for visitors. That said, the fee is steep and the lot fills on summer weekends, so arriving early in the day is the key to getting a space and enjoying the beach before it gets crowded.

It can be, with normal ocean sense. This is the open Atlantic, so expect waves and the possibility of rip currents. Swim near the lifeguards during guarded hours, follow the warning flags, keep children within reach, and avoid swimming alone or once the guards are off duty. If you are ever caught in a rip current, do not fight it; stay calm and swim parallel to the shore until you are free.

Summer is prime for swimming, lifeguard coverage, and full amenities, though it is also busiest and parking is pricey and fills early, so come in the morning. The shoulder seasons of late spring and early fall are quieter and lovely for long beach walks against the dune-and-estate backdrop, and sunsets here are beautiful. Whenever you go, bring sun protection for the wide-open sand.