WWII Memorial Beach (the City of Marlborough also calls it World War II Memorial Beach, and most locals just say Memorial Beach) is the city's freshwater swimming beach on Fort Meadow Reservoir, a 260-acre lake that straddles the Marlborough and Hudson line northeast of downtown Marlborough. The Marlborough Recreation Department runs it. The beach sits on the reservoir's smaller secondary basin, right beside the grass-covered Fort Meadow Reservoir Dam, and looks across the water at Hudson's Centennial Beach on the far shore. The park around it covers about 13 acres of lawn, shade trees and shoreline.

The entrance and the city parking lot are on Causeway Street, just off Hosmer Street. An attendant works the gate during the season and checks every car. Marlborough residents get in free, but only with a driver's license or vehicle registration showing a Marlborough address; the city says no other ID is accepted. Non-residents pay a $20 daily parking fee, which makes this a municipal day-use charge rather than a residents-only beach. Drop-offs are not allowed, so plan on parking. Accessible parking sits closer to the sand and is assigned after you check in with the attendant.

Swimming is limited to a roped-off area off the sand, and the Recreation Department staffs it with lifeguards every day through the summer. The city tests the water weekly. It does not publish depths or bottom conditions, but it recommends water shoes, a hint that the bottom is not all soft sand. Only Coast Guard approved swim aids are allowed, and snorkels, fins, nose-covering masks and inflatable toys are banned (goggles are fine). Children 14 and under must have a parent or guardian with them, and babies need swim diapers. When a lifeguard blows one whistle, stop and look; repeated long blasts or an air horn mean everyone out.

The beach opens in early June. Public swimming runs 11 am to 6:45 pm, seven days a week; the lot opens at 10:45 am and closes at 7 pm, and the restrooms close at 6:30 pm. The season ends around Labor Day, and swimming can shut down for a few days in late summer. The city keeps the beach closed from May 1 until opening day, so outside the summer window there is no swimming and no lifeguard. Check the city's beach page each spring for the new dates.

Know the hazards before you go. Fort Meadow Reservoir allows motorized boats, so stay inside the ropes. Freshwater beaches in Massachusetts can be posted for bacteria after heavy rain or for cyanobacteria blooms, and the state's beach water quality dashboard shows current closures during the season. Marlborough and Hudson have drawn the reservoir down about four feet in the fall in past years for weed control and repairs, which leaves the shoreline muddy and wide. Rules are strict: no grilling, no pets, no alcohol or tobacco, no glass, no Bluetooth speakers, no group parties, and tents only on the grass. Boats and kayaks may not land at or launch from the beach.

Away from the water the park has restrooms, a playground, a basketball court and a walking track around the grounds. The Hixson Boat Launch elsewhere on Fort Meadow is for Marlborough and Hudson residents only, so out-of-town paddlers should not count on getting a boat onto the lake here.