Swimming: Yes

Sunbathing: Yes

Lifeguard On-Duty: YES (Summer Months)

Buses & Train: S51, S78, S79 , S81 local buses. Staten Island Railroad Grant City stop.

Midland Beach: Once THE Spot, Always The Spot

Midland Beach (formerly known as Woodland Beach) is located on Staten Island’s East Shore, just South of South Beach, right off of Father Cappodano Boulevard. If you keep going South, you run into New Dorp Beach.

Back in the 1990s, the Midland Beach parking lot was THE hangout spot in the evenings during warmer months, for a multitude of groups gathering together ranging from elders to teens, and everyone in between. There were always cool cars parked, though it wasn’t a car show, per se. The cool sea breeze, or at least a sea breeze in the Summer months, was enough to drawn a crowd nightly.

Nowadays, it’s mostly older people frequenting this quiet beach, and the parking lot social scene isn’t really a thing anymore. The shoreline of Midland Beach stretches for 2.5 miles. The water is usually mostly calm, except if a storm is coming up the coast. Lifeguards are on-duty from Memorial Day Weekend to the weekend after Labor Day.

Midland Beach Was THE Spot in the 1800s, Too

The 1990s weren’t the first time that Midland Beach was a spot people flocked to. Back in the 1800s, Midland Beach was a top resort spot for America’s affluent, and was opened to the general public in 1896. The area was densely packed with hotels. Sadly, this was all ended with a series of fires in the 1920s that burned down some of the hotels and entertainment piers, including many uninsured properties and structures.

While in its heyday, Midland Beach had a 1,700-foot (520 m) pier at its shoreline of Lower New York Bay, where islanders and visitors alike could take a steamboat, the William Story, to Whitehall Ferry Terminal.

McDonald’s…Sort of Close by the Beach

Midland Beach has a McDonald’s, but it’s all the way up the road from the water, all the way up past Egbert Intermediate School, right on the intersection of Hylan Boulevard and Midland Avenue. This was one of the island’s flagship McDonald’s restaurants, but the original structure was torn down and replaced with the newer version of the brand’s building a few years back.

Concerts and Events

There have been many concerts and events at Midland Beach, and the area is ideally suited with giant parking lots to fit visitors’ cars. The best part is, it’s all free, there’s plenty of space to not feel crowded and the police are there to help out, rarely deal with bad behavior, as it’s a good scene.

Borough President Vito Fossella’s Sounds of Summer Concert Series sometimes takes place at the Midland Beach Plaza, among other cool Staten Island spots. This program provides amazing acts during the Summer months to islanders, NYC residents, and visitors alike. No admission, no parking fees. [click to link to Sound of Summer Concert Series Website]

Fishing: Yes