'The Beach' Now Open For The Season At Campus Martius Park

DETROIT (WWJ) - It's a sure sign of spring as "the beach" opens to visitors to Campus Martius park in the heart of downtown Detroit.

Bob Gregory with the Downtown Detroit Partnership says the idea for the beach came from Paris where sand is trucked in each summer to create a beach along the Seine.

He told WWJ's Sandra MCNeill the beach attracts hundreds of thousands of visitors, including people who work downtown, area residents and tons of tourists.

"It's really one of the most popular things we actually do in the park during the whole year," Gregory said. "...It's a small little patch of sand, but we've got great seating, a place to chill, put your toes in the sand, look at the downtown skyline."

What do people love about it?

"The attraction of it is sitting there — whether you're in a chair or with your kids or having a drink on the deck  — is that juxtaposition of the sand, and than as you look up you see all of this beautiful architecture od  downtown Detroit," Gregory said.

"You know, the Penobscot building, the Guarding building, First National building, the Yamasaki building. You see all those buildings as you sit there and it's kinda like, 'Where am I?'"

Now in its fifth year, the beach is open 11 a.m. to 11 p.m. each day, located where the ice skate rental is found in the wintertime. Admission is free.

The dining area will open when the weather improves. Get more park information at this link.