Wayzata Beach is the City of Wayzata's public swimming beach on Wayzata Bay, the northern arm of Lake Minnetonka. The city lists it as part of Wayzata Beach and Marina at 220 Grove Lane East, a few blocks from the shops on Lake Street. The sand sits on a small point of parkland between the lake and a dredged lagoon, with Shaver Park on the other side of a footbridge to the west. The beach has a long local history: Rufus Rand, Wayzata's first mayor, paid for a municipal bathhouse and beach in the 1920s, and the town hired its first lifeguards in 1929.

Getting there is easy from Highway 12 or Wayzata Boulevard. Head south into downtown Wayzata. The beach is at the west end of the downtown waterfront, west of the Boatworks building, reached by Grove Lane East. A city-owned lot sits next to the beach. The spaces closest to the sand need a beach parking permit, and those permits are issued at City Hall to Wayzata residents only. Everyone else can use the remaining spaces in the same lot or free street parking nearby. The paved Dakota Rail Regional Trail starts close by, so arriving on a bike is a good option.

The swim area is a sandy beach with an H-shaped swimming dock off the shore, the same docks where generations of Wayzata kids took swimming lessons. The city does not publish depth figures for the swim area, so check it on foot before letting children wander out. Lake Minnetonka is big and warms slowly. June water is brisk, and the most comfortable swimming is usually late July and August. The city describes the beach as open to the public from mid-June to mid-August, and it states plainly that no lifeguard is on duty, so you swim at your own risk and children need an adult watching them.

There is no admission fee. Swimming, the sand and the park are free to anyone. The only charge you might run into is for rentals: Wai Nani Surf, Paddle and Pedal runs a seasonal stand at 250 Grove Lane East and rents paddleboards and kayaks by the hour (about $28.50 for one hour before tax at last check).

Water quality is the main thing to watch. Hennepin County Public Health samples beach water for E. coli each summer between Memorial Day and Labor Day and recommends closure when results exceed EPA guidelines, and Wayzata Beach has been closed for high bacteria counts before, including in July 2010. Check the county's beach page or the city before you go, especially after heavy rain. Wayzata Bay also carries steady boat traffic in summer, and the BNSF main line runs along the downtown shoreline, so cross the tracks only at marked crossings.

The park around the beach is set up for a full day. The city lists a playground sized for kids roughly 3 to 8, a volleyball court, shaded picnic tables, Adirondack chairs near the water, a seasonal outdoor shower, summer restrooms and a concession stand, plus a drinking fountain and fishing. Canoe and kayak racks, boat slips and a short-term public dock are part of the same city marina, and the Lake Street restaurants are a short walk east.