US Beaches: Eight in the lower 48
If you're new here, you may want to subscribe to our RSS feed. Thanks for visiting!
With the warm weather, thoughts turn to the seashore. From year-round beaches in Florida and California to strictly summer locales like Cape Cod, here are some beaches to consider.
Cape May
A National Historic Landmark, Cape May at the southernmost tip of the Jersey shore is a perfectly preserved Victorian resort far removed from its boardwalked cousins further north.
Cape May Point State Park, located two miles out of town is an unspoiled beach. There, you can climb to the top of the world’s second-tallest lighthouse, hike on several trails through marshes or woodlands or just relax on the white sand. Admission to the part is free, there are restrooms but no refreshment stands, so you might want to pack a lunch.
Accommodations range from beachfront motels perfect for families with children to upscale hotels to Inns created from historic houses.
Carmel-by-the-Sea
Ansel Adams hung out here, so did writers Upton Sinclair, Robert Louis Stevenson and Sinclair Lewis. Carmel-by-the-Sea on California’s Monterey Peninsula still attracts artists but boho-chic has replaced boho-cheap. The town is chock-a-block with restaurants, antique stores and art galleries.
Carmel Beach features white sand and cypress trees and gently undulating sand dunes. There is no swimming here, but the view is spectacular. And at night you can build a bonfire on the beach south of 10th Avenue.
Lodging can be pricey,, but there are a couple budget friendlier motels available.
Coast Guard Beach
A great beach to hike, swim or soak up the natural beauty of the Cape Cod National Seashore, Coast Guard beach is located in Eastham, Mass. Coast Guard Beach consistently ranks as one of the best beaches in the U.S. in national surveys. But, beware, even in August, the waters off the Cape are chilly. Rest rooms are available and lifeguards are on duty.
Only three 3 miles wide from ocean to bay and six miles long, Eastham is home to 11 beaches, bike trails, and two lighthouses. The Cape Cod Rail Trail follows a former railroad right-of-way for 22 miles through Eastham and the towns of the towns of Dennis, Harwich, Brewster, Orleans, Wellfleet. You don’t have to follow the whole trail, there are plenty of beaches along the way.
Lodging ranges from unpretentious motels to deluxe B&Bs .
Coronado Beach
Just over the bridge from San Diego is the beach haven of Coronado. A peninsula connected to the mainland by a neck of land named the Silver Strand, Coronado is about a mile from downtown San Diego. Coronado boasts a marina, a public golf course, surrey and bike rentals, roller blades and a trolley ride. And if you run out of things to do here, you can find plenty of things to do in nearby San Diego.
Coronado Beach runs along Ocean Boulevard with a backdrop of mansions and the historic Hotel del Coronado. Lifeguards are on duty here and restrooms and shower facilities are available. At the north end, you can watch fighter jets in formation flying from the Naval Air Station.
Accommodations range from luxury resorts like the historic Hotel Del Coronado
to budget-friendly motels.
Cumberland Island
You can only get there by boat and the island has only one small inn, but nature lovers will adore the pristine beaches of Georgia’s largest and southernmost barrier island.
Once the summer home of the Carnegies and the Rockefellers, the ruins of the Carnegie mansion, Plum Orchard, is still on the island as is the burnt wreck of another Carnegie mansion, Dungeness. That’s about all the evidence of human habitation left on the island aside from the Greyfield Inn. In addition to the unspoiled beach, the island has a maritime forest with live oak, cabbage palm, magnolia, American holly, red cedar and pine, draped with muscadine vines and jessamine. A beautiful place for hiking. Bird watchers can try to track the 335 species of birds recorded on the island.
Maintained by the National Park Service, Cumberland Island does have camping available for visitors.
The Hamptons
About 90 miles from New York City lie the villages of the Hamptons, the place where the rich–and the not so rich congregate in summer. The Hamptons stretch west to east from Westhampton Beach to Amagansett with the fishing town of Montauk at the tip. The Hamptons are home to quite possible the best stretch of white-sand beach in the country. In fact, two of the area’s beaches were named among the top beaches in the US by famous “beachologist” Dr. Beach.
In the hierarchy of the Hamptons, Southampton ranks at the top of the list with its whiff of old money. The town, established in 1640, was the first settlement in New York State and features huge estates, and chic stores. Ranked as the No. 3 beach in the U.S. for 2007, Cooper’s Beach is the main beach in Southampton. It features a pavilion that offers lunch, shower facilities and lifeguards. Residents get in for free, while non-residents must pay $30 per day during the week and $35 on the weekend for parking.
East Hampton, founded in 1648, is the summer home of Martha Stewart, Jerry Seinfeld and Billy Joel, among others. The town itself boasts picturesque ponds and windmills and a a vibrant nightlife scene. On Main Beach in East Hampton, ranked at No. 7 last year, you can see giant mansions behind you as you stroll along the yards and yards of unspoiled white sand beach. Admission is $ 15 per vehicle per day or $225 for the season.
Accommodations are pricey, chic doesn’t come cheap.
Ocracoke Island
Fourteen miles of undisturbed beach can be found at Ocracoke Island at the southern end of the Outer Banks of North Carolina.
Accessible only by boat or private plane, Ocracoke is not a party place, nor is it a place for golf or tennis. It’s simply an undisturbed piece of land anchored by an 18th Century fishing village that didn’t have roads or telephone service until World War II. Today there are only about 800 full-time residents of the island. The pirate Blackbeard retired to Ocracoke after making a deal with the British Royal Navy to lay off the piracy. Unfortunately, Blackbeard reneged and was killed in a battle here in November 1718.
Bicycles are the chosen method of transportation for visitors here. A free ferry transports visitors from Hatteras to Ocracoke; the trip takes about 40 minutes. If you want to bring a vehicle on to the island it will cost you $15 to transport it from either Cedar Island or Swan Quarter.
Accommodations range from bed and breakfasts to mid-sized hotels. Rentals are also available.
Siesta Key
This island off Florida’s Gulf coast features sunny beaches with powdery sand that stretch for miles, shops from the chic and elegant to the hip and funky and restaurants ranging from relaxed cafes to upscale dining establishments. You can also take advantage of the cultural activities available across the bridge in Sarasota, such as the Ringling Museum of Art and the Asolo Reperatory Theatre.
The eight-mile long Siesta Key Public Beach features the whitest and finest sand in the world. The beach’s amenities include rest rooms, picnic tables, volleyball courts, a fitness trail and playground equipment. Situated between Sarasota Bay and the Gulf of Mexico, the waves here are gentle and warm year-round.
Accommodations range from condos to motels to luxury resorts. If you’re interested in beaches along Florida’s other coast, check out this guide to Ft. Lauderdale beaches.
Print This Post
Email This Post
RSS Feed
Post a comment