The Sandbox at Seastreak Beach

8/15/25. The fist musical act arrived late and did not start until 420 instead of 4. The next act Not leaving sober said they were taking a 10 minute break but took 20 minutes the next break. They said they were taking 15 minutes and took 35 minutes which only left 25 minutes for them to play.

Atmosphere: 4

Food: 3

Service: 3

This place is a great spot and very family-friendly. The food and drinks are good, and the musicians are terrific. However, I would recommend not allowing pets. The odor becomes unpleasant with so many dogs urinating in the sand. The worst part is that kids are playing with their toys while people walk around in flip-flops or barefoot, mixing up that sand definitely kills the vibe and pretty nasty. 🤮

Atmosphere: 3

Food: 3

Service: 3

I had to remove a star because there was no food available during the day. I thought there would be food trucks but I was told they come closer to dinner time. I did order a pina colada and it was delicious and you are allowed to bring your own food and snacks so definitely do that.
We drove and were able to park in the lot. The lot was way more crowded than the sand was, strangely. I thought there would be way more people but it was pretty light.
Lots of families so definitely family friendly.
They have chairs that many people were taking and sitting on in the water. Lots of picnic tables and areas to sit at.
The water is really calm. It’s a bay. So you can walk pretty far out and won’t be knocked over by any waves. People were playing catch and just having a great time playing in the calm and cool water. It was fun. It wasn’t a bad drive from New York so I’d recommend driving if you got the time.

Atmosphere: 5

Service: 4

Cool spot to stop after arriving on the ferry. The band was great. There were food trucks and a a bar to order drinks.

Very clean and well organized, with a welcoming and friendly team. The music created a great vibe — enjoyable and at the perfect volume.

Atmosphere: 5

Food: 4

Service: 5

Lovely place with free parking and a minor cover charge. Food trucks, decent drinks, live music and a small beach for kids to enjoy.

Atmosphere: 4

Food: 3

Service: 4

We were stopped by a teenaged security guard and asked to pay $15 each for admission bracelets. We get in and meet our group, who told us they didn't have to pay anything to get in. We look around and half the attendees had bracelets and half didn't. I went back up to the teenage security guard and politely asked about this, and all I got were stammered, half-assed excuses. Are you just picking random people to charge for admission?! Total BS.

I had high hopes for my visit to The Sandbox, but unfortunately, the experience was negatively impacted by one of the food truck vendors on-site. On Sunday 8/3, my best friend and I visited and ordered from the food truck located closest to the admission and bag check area (unfortunately, I did not get the name of the truck). The service from this vendor was alarmingly slow and unprofessional. Orders were taking as long as 30 minutes, and customers who politely inquired about their food were met with visibly poor customer service. While the young man working the register — identifiable by his septum and double nostril piercings — was initially friendly while taking orders, things quickly deteriorated.

I ordered a burger with a side of onion rings, and my friend ordered a buffalo cheesesteak (we ordered this together). Our wait time was 20 minutes. I checked our food before leaving and noticed I had only received two onion rings and no sauce, despite ordering a full side. My friend’s cheesesteak also tasted undercooked and unpleasant.

While waiting, I observed the same employee engaging in tense interactions with other patrons. One man, upset that he and his wife had waited over 30 minutes while others were being served despite ordering after the couple, expressed his frustration. Instead of handling the situation with professionalism, the employee responded with hostility and poor attitude. He proceeded to have a back-and-forth with the man rather than apologizing or deescalating the situation.

Additional incidents occurred, including a mix-up where a mother and daughter received the wrong order — one that included meat despite their request for none. The same employee admitted to accidentally switching their order with the man’s order (who was upset prior), but that customer responded angrily for being accused of stealing as he clarified that he paid for all of his food. The employee was extremely dismissive and used inappropriate language, even insulting the man to the women who were waiting stating, “That man is just in a pissy mood.” The situation escalated unnecessarily, with customers feeling disrespected and unheard.

Eventually, I approached the employee myself, making it clear that I had experience in food service and was not there to be confrontational. I calmly explained that my order was incorrect. He responded with surprise, saying, “Oh, you wanted a side of onion rings?” and then took another 20 minutes to fulfill the order correctly. He seemed to be polite only when customers were polite with him, which baffles me because we are paying for our food and trusting that it be made in a timely fashion without being insulted or, in this case, accused of stealing.

Overall, while the beach setting was enjoyable, the food truck experience was deeply disappointing. I encourage the management at The Sandbox to be more selective in choosing vendors, ensuring that all on-site services reflect a higher standard of professionalism, efficiency, and respect toward guests. My best friend and I genuinely wanted to like this spot! Unfortunately, we won’t be returning nor recommending the spot to others unless they are opting to eat beforehand.

Atmosphere: 3

Food: 1

Service: 1

I love the tranquil vibe in this quiet little hidden gem! Free parking. Free entrance. Nice cozy little spot to enjoy the bay and soak up some sun 🌞 Good play list, a little afternoon entertainment 🎼🎶🎵🎙 depending on the day, and a great ride back home if you leave after 6pm!! My 2nd favorite go to place!!

Atmosphere: 5

Food: 5

Service: 5

Fun place, we didn’t try the food. Did have a couple drinks they were good, went to see my daughter’s volleyball game.fun time

Atmosphere: 4

Sweet little beach area, we love bringing our little ones here. No big waves and the amenities are awesome. However, maybe we misunderstood but we didn’t think this was a private personal beach. My husband was yelled at for attempting to set up a canopy tent (it was actually a folding chair that came in a carrying case so not sure why it was called a canopy tent) 5 feet away from this woman. The beach was PACKED and after walking the entirety of the shoreline this was the only spot that could fit our group of 5. We had two small folding chairs and my kids sand toys. I offered to move our group if the woman wanted to get up and find us another spot but she declined. We still love it here and will be back, JUST BE AWEAR if you plan on visiting this beach area on the weekend there is a chance someone might sit within a few feet of you if there is LITERALLY NOWHERE ELSE TO SIT. Believe me we would have moved if we could, Karen.

Came here for a girls' beach day, and it was a great experience! To start the journey over is pleasant and offers views that people pay to get on yachts for. Once there, they offer plenty of chairs that you can position however you need to, and theres a surplus to accommodate any group size. The beach itself is pretty, and the water is surprisingly clear, we even saw fish and a horse shoe crab! Theres so much available seating with an army of picnic tables and chairs, and they also have a couple food trucks and a good bar 🍸

Drawbacks [but not deal breakers]:
Please add a beach umbrella rental option! The sun was COOKING lol The food at the trucks arent really vegan friendly, so if you're a veggie person, make sure to bring your own or come well fed! However, the fries were DELISH. The beach itself isnt the biggest but we found a good spot ☆

Overall, a wonderful and aesthetically pleasing experience, will be sure to visit in tbe future ✨️

Atmosphere: 4

Food: 3

Service: 3

Had a great time until it started to pour.
The beach has no life guard, so I was on the beach with the kids.

Atmosphere: 5

Food: 5

Service: 5

Had a wonderful evening at the Sandbox, Highlands last night with a group of business friends. Great spot to chill and listen to music in a quiet and beautiful setting. Plenty of food, a full bar and the hostess, Taryn, was awesome.

Atmosphere: 5

Food: 5

Service: 5

Introduced to this place by friends. Wow, a great place to chill out with friends and family. Great atmosphere, service. Just a great way to spend time or end a day at!

Atmosphere: 5

Food: 5

Service: 5