With hot weather on Juneteenth, bumper-to-bumper traffic and parking lots at capacity kept would-be beachgoers away.
With hot weather on the Juneteenth holiday Wednesday, many tried to hit the beach in Massachusetts. But heavy traffic and packed parking lots kept a lot of would-be beachgoers away.
Some took to social media with photos showing bumper-to-bumper traffic, making a short trip take double or triple the amount of time.
Kelly Quinn of Boston's West Roxbury neighborhood made it to Nantasket Beach in Hull with minimal traffic and a spot to park.
"I was surprised that when I got here at half past 8, it wasn't worse," she said.
Within an hour later, she said it had filled up completely.
"It really really got full very quickly," she said.
It got so packed that cars were turned away on the hottest day of the year. Aerial footage showed parking lots full and traffic backed up in and out of the beach all the way to the Hingham rotary.
The same situation was going on at White Horse Beach in Plymouth, with cars being turned away after a traffic nightmare.
One mother waited until 2:30 p.m. to make the trip to Nantasket, and even then, it was full. Massachusetts State Police alerted everyone at that hour about the packed beaches and traffic.
Others waited until even later in the afternoon to get their beach day started.
If you're thinking of hitting the beach Thursday, people are advised to plan ahead to avoid sweating and sitting in traffic.
