Beaches
- Thread starter Red Hills Nole
- Start date
Just south of VA Beach around sandbridge is excellent. I'd rank OBX/Corolla, Duck, Southern Shores NC second. Those have more limited "seasons" though.
South Carolina around Litchfield (south of Myrtle Beach) and further south the isle of palms outside Charleston is very nice too.
Florida beaches are good (nice sand/water/sun), just more busy and less family oriented. I prefer beaches that are next to residential neighborhoods as opposed to hotels, businesses, etc.
Outside the US? Aruba is my #1. I assume you're asking about US beaches.
South Carolina around Litchfield (south of Myrtle Beach) and further south the isle of palms outside Charleston is very nice too.
Florida beaches are good (nice sand/water/sun), just more busy and less family oriented. I prefer beaches that are next to residential neighborhoods as opposed to hotels, businesses, etc.
Outside the US? Aruba is my #1. I assume you're asking about US beaches.
Well, probably the best beach I’ve been to was in Jamaica, in the Negril area, at, well, Beaches. Also have an attachment to tiger tail beach in Florida. Also in Florida, the beaches at Sandestin were very nice, but very crowded.
Sanibel lighthouse, Ft Myers beach, siesta key Beach are our favorites.
Southwestern PA resident here. My go-to beach has changed over the years. First it was Avalon, NJ, when I was a kid. My stepbrother's grandparents lived 3 blocks from the beach. We always spent a week at their house eating soft-serve from the Avalon Freeze and skateboarding in the parking lot behind Gallagher's liquor store. During my first marriage, we spent several summers vacationing in the Myrtle Beach area, mostly in Garden City. Lately, when we have time, my current wife and I love visiting Nantucket. The beaches aren't the attraction, though. The water is cold and shark infested. At my age, though, nobody needs to see my pasty torso.
It is probably my ADHD but everytime I get to a beach I'm just like "what now?"
I like to get in the water.
While not the “best” beach, I would add that the black beaches on the big island were the most unique and interesting beaches I have been on.
Turks and Caicos islands has been our go to the last few years.
I have been to the black sand beach at Waianapanapa a couple of times, but the sand is not comfortable. More like pea gravel. But the beauty of it is amazing
Destin for us too, usually go right after school is out
Then we’ll make a return Florida trip later in the summer to a new beach
We like really warm gulf water!
Basically the whole stretch of beach from Pensacola to Panama city is pretty damned nice.
I was a big fan of Sandpiper Beach at Saylorville when I was in high school. I could get out of the water, shower, drive home, get dressed and be on time for work in 35 minutes. Good times!!
On the big island, Punalu’u beach was like that, but waipio had better sand.
Avalon is very nice but they are awfully strict on beach activities (no tossing a ball, a lifeguard stands in the water and won’t let you go more than about 20 feet off shore, etc) and the lifeguards spend half of their time training, during which time nobody is allowed in the water.
Cape Cod. For about ten years this was our go-to spot every summer vacation with the kids. The National Seashore is amazing, but the water is cold.
Diamond Beach, NJ. Next to Cape May, this is where we went every year as the kids got older. We are doing a family trip there again this summer.
Eagle Beach, Aruba. One of the only places in the Caribbean left that is outside of the Sargussum belt, Manchebo Beach Resort is now where the wife and I go in the spring. Absolutely perfect.
My sister has a house in Avalon. It's where they keep their boat. I grew up in Delco. We went to our cottage in Broadkill Beach/ Rehoboth in Delaware growing up and when older drank a lot of beers at the Springfield and Ocean Drive in Sea Isle. That's where my brother lives now.
Sitges, Spain... banana hammocks as far as the eyes can see. The actual beach kind of sucks, however.
Puerto Vallarta, Mexico... banana hammocks as far as the eyes can see. The actual beach is okay.
Destin, Ft Walton, Pensacola... beaches are amazing. Sugar sand...
Puerto Vallarta, Mexico... banana hammocks as far as the eyes can see. The actual beach is okay.
Destin, Ft Walton, Pensacola... beaches are amazing. Sugar sand...
The beach surrounding my private island is pristine. I will not disclose the location for the safety of my family and staff.
Pensacola Beach (fort pickens area) mainly because my mother in-law lives in Pensacola. When we visit we will usually rent a beach house or condo in Pensacola beach and make it a mini vacation.
Bald head island, nc. No more than 25 or so retail establishments of any kind on the island. You ride around on golf carts. Old Baldy light house. inland waterway kayaking. A nice golf course. You can go to the beach in the morning and maintain a social distance of a quarter mile or so. Turtle nesting. The surf, as is typical for NC, is interesting enough to play in. at low tide, at the shoal, you can walk a good 1/2 mile out into the ocean in ankle deep water. If you have to go to the mainland, or inexplicably like Myrtle Beach, it's an easy day trip. If you're really lucky, you might run into Bill Bennett.
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Avalon/stone harbor have changed massively. Great as it’s residential and small shops.
The backside of Snipes Key in Key West, St. George Island, Shell Island in Panama City or any of the 30A Beaches. Snipes is more jumping in the water on a sandbar than a beach, but it’s secluded enough from the masses.
I miss Snipes and Marvin key. Some of the best times I've ever had on the water.
You can go all the way to gulf shores. Love that sugar white sand.
If the question is what is my personal beach that I go to the most often? The answer is St George Island State Park. It’s the closest beach to Tallahassee other than St Teresa and Alligator Point but it’s nicer than either of those. It’s not QUITE the pure white sand of the stretch from Pensacola to Panama City but it’s very close. It’s as white as the Gulf beaches from Clearwater to Ft Myers and is nicer than any Atlantic beach whether in Florida or the OBX.
So St George is my frequent “stay in Tallahassee” weekend beach. I’ll usually grab fresh local seafood in restaurants in bPanacea, Carrabelle, Eastpoint or Apalachicola and will usually stop at Eastpoint or Oyster City Brewing for some fresh local brewskis.
So that’s what I do if I just want to spend 4-6 hours at the beach. If I decide to spend more time and want to waste most of the day, we’ll go to the slightly better beaches in between Panama City and Destin in an area colloquially known as “30A” and eat in Seaside, Watercolors, Alys Beach or Grayton and grab some beers at Idyl Hounds or Grayton Brewery. Then I’ll hit one of the magnificent beaches at Grayton Beach State Park, Deer Lake State Park, Camp Helen State Park, or Henderson State Park.
If we’re spending a weekend or three day local area staycation, I’ll usually spend a day in Pensacola eating and drinking at McGuire’s Irish Pub, Flounder’s Chowderhouse, Sandshaker Lounge and/or Florabama Lounge and then spend some time at Gulf Islands National Seashore. The other day or two we’ll spend in Biloxi gambling or in New Orleans.
As far as best beaches other than in the Florida panhandle, my favorite is Cumberland Island just one exit north of the Florida/Georgia Border. It’s got abandoned Gilded Age mansions and even older ruins to explore plus tons of wild mustangs roaming the island.
The best beach in Hawaii I found was the secret red beach in Hana on Maui. My favorite beach in Australia was the golden sands and high cliffs of Bondi Beach. In New Zealand I loved the black beaches of Piha and Muriwai better than the white beaches of Abel Tasman because although those are internationally famous they don’t hold a candle to the Panhandle of Florida.
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Belongs in the thread ranking us as the 50th state in terms of natural beauty.
well since I started all this I guess it's on me to respond. I grew up in and around Tallahassee so my closest beach was/is Shell Point which would be nobody's image thereof. As I grew up I hung around enough cool kids to take a day trip to Alligator Point. Mostly "cause I had a car. All that including skipping school and going to Cherokee Sink was the spring/summer of my youth. As I grew up my parents would take us one weekend a year to Mexico Beach. No Hi rises just @ 12 miles of pristine gulf beaches. Well enough of reliving the past. My favorite beach is and will always be anywhere on the six miles of those in St.Josephs State Park Florida.
I would extend east to Mexico Beach, Cape San Blas and SGI.
