Robert W. Crown Memorial State Beach

Robert W. Crown Memorial State Beach in Alameda is run by the East Bay Regional Park District with the State of California and the City of Alameda, and is named for the assemblyman who campaigned to keep it public. From the 1880s until World War II, Alameda's beach was the largest on San Francisco Bay and an amusement center nicknamed the "Coney Island of the West," with concerts, rides, and balloon ascents. Today its 2.5-mile beach is the result of engineering: eroded sand was replaced in 1982 with sand pumped from the bay, and a 2013 project added 82,600 cubic yards to restore the beach and dunes.

The water is warm and shallow, and swimming is allowed year-round during park hours with no lifeguards on duty; a bathhouse at the west end has changing rooms. Windsurfers, kiteboarders, and kayakers launch here (no boat ramp), and fishing from shore needs a state license for anglers 16 and older. Crab Cove at the north end is a marine reserve, and the Doug Siden Visitor Center there has aquaria and exhibits on the bay and the beach's history, plus a self-guided "Memory Lane" trail. Each June a low-tide sand castle contest draws hundreds of people.

Dogs are not allowed on the beach, only leashed on lawns and paved paths. Parking is $5 per vehicle, paid by card at the lot pay station. Free beach wheelchairs are available through the visitor center.