Maybe you already have a favorite beach — one where you already know how to get a free parking space, where the best spots in the shade are, and when the soft serve ice cream truck is making its rounds.
If you're looking to try something new this Fourth of July, or throughout the summer, here are six beach destinations around the U.S. that will inspire a new adventure.
Keep in mind that AAA predicts this Independence Day holiday period will be a record-breaking one. Approximately 71 million people are expected to travel more than 50 miles from home between June 29 and July 7, with more than 60 million of those people taking to the roads. So be safe and allow yourself plenty of time to drive.
What do you think is the best beach in America? Let us know in the comments (or keep a secret, we understand).
The next time you're stuck in traffic heading to the Hamptons, Cape Cod, or other crowded beach hotspots, consider the wonders of South County, Rhode Island (officially Washington County). With 100 miles of coastline, this jewel of the Ocean State is just two and a half hours from Manhattan and one and a half hours from Boston, no plane or ferry required. Along the coast between Watch Hill and Charlestown, 14 public beaches await you.
In a corner of northwest Michigan known as Sleeping Bear Dunes National Lakeshore, one of the most popular activities is racing down the 300-foot-tall sand dune climb. Kids sprint down, shrieking as loud as the herring gulls overhead. They come out sweaty and out of breath at the bottom, with the sparkling sapphire blue of Lake Michigan stretching out like an ocean. Just be prepared to gulp down oxygen and slide back uphill.
Wailea Beach Path, which winds along Maui's south shore, reflects the island's contradictory character. On one side of the path, luxury resorts line the path, flaunting swim-up bars and nightly torch-lighting ceremonies. On the other side, a more subtle drama unfolds, where native flora—honey-scented na'io bushes, spiky hala trees and hibiscus flowers—bloom along the rocky shoreline. Cool off with a dip in the waves along the way.
A West Coast road trip that focuses solely on US 101, the main north-south coastal highway, misses out on some spectacular scenery. The Three Capes Scenic Loop winds 40 miles along windswept cliffs, through towering forests of centuries-old Sitka spruce and past charming beaches, including those along Netarts Bay with its string of oyster beds.
Have you ever visited an incredible beach but worried it wasn't worthy of your fond memories? For author Miya Guarnieri, that gorgeous stretch of golden sand was Punta Caracoles Beach (as some maps call it), Puerto Rico, about an hour's drive west of San Juan. On her journey to rediscover it, she visited several beaches on the north coast of the island, including La Posa del Obispo, where natural rock formations create crystal-clear pools perfect for floating, and which might just be the perfect beach for you too.
The coast along State Highway 30A stretches for 24 miles in the Florida Panhandle and is known for its soft “sugar sand,” which is crushed quartz crystals that washed downriver from the Appalachian Mountains thousands of years ago. Play in the sand at Topsail Hill Conservation State Park, which has three miles of undeveloped beach. Look for the 25-foot-tall sail-shaped sand dune for which the park is named. (Before swimming at any beach along 30A, check the beach for warning flags indicating dangerous conditions.)
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