Silver Sands State Park

Silver Sands State Park in Milford, Connecticut sits along nearly a mile stretch of shoreline and features a three-quarter-mile, all-weather boardwalk, sand dunes, marshland, wildlife, and a dazzling array of seashells. The state park consists of 297 acres of beach, dunes, restored salt marsh, and both open and wooded areas. There is also a bird sanctuary on Charles Island, connected by a sandbar to the mainland that can be traversed during low tide. In addition to the beaches, boardwalks, and birds, this otherwise unassuming park might be hiding buried pirate treasure.  

Local legend says that Capt. William Kidd, a famous privateer, visited Charles Island in 1699 and buried treasure somewhere on the island before sailing to Boston where he was arrested. No treasure has ever been found. 

If you time your visit right, you can venture out to Charles Island, the “Thrice Cursed Island” to search for it yourself. Once the location of a bustling seaside resort, then a religious retreat, and potentially Captain Kidd’s lost treasure, the island is now a 14-acre sanctuary for rare birds. The island, a half-mile away from shore, is an important wildlife sanctuary for a host of rare species.

The state of Connecticut acquired the land that makes up the park after Hurricane Diane devastated the area in 1955. Throughout the park, you can spot the remains of the foundations of the homes destroyed in the storm. In 1960, Silver Sands became the state’s fourth shoreline park.