The Best Beach Towns in the USA

Imagine the ideal Beach Towns in the USA . Depending on who you ask, some information may change: Perhaps you’re picturing a boardwalk lined with bike wheels or trudging across dunes in search of the perfect sandbar. Perhaps you have images of grumpy hot dog sellers, young people selling taffy, or butter spilling from a lobster roll onto your towel. Whatever you picture, it’s nearly likely to include warm sand, clear water, and an atmosphere that can only be characterised as “cool.”

Every type of beach can be found in the US. Additionally, the communities that spring up around these blissful beaches—from New England to New Jersey, from California to Michigan—are in and of themselves world-class travel destinations. The locations listed here are the best of the best; they are places where dreamy villages replace the sands, where locals and tourists get along, and where the cuisine and drink evoke many summertime memories. Bring extra sunblock.

Top Beach Towns in the USA

There is no denying that the USA boasts a wealth of spectacular natural beauty and modern, desirable places to live. Therefore, a lot of us have fantasies about travelling there and living there. Beach towns in the USA raise the potential for experiences and enjoyment to a totally new level. And in my experience, they offer a breathtaking perspective that you won’t soon forget. Here are some details about the American coastal communities that are worth seeing.

Asbury Park, New Jersey
Nags Head, North Carolina
Saugatuck/Douglas, Michigan
Cannon Beach, Oregon
Ocean City, Maryland
Anna Maria Island, Florida
Haleiwa, Oahu, Hawaii
Rehoboth, Delaware
Rincón, Puerto Rico
Tybee Island, Georgia
Santa Barbara, California

Asbury Park, New Jersey

Asbury Park, a once-famous tourist location that has since become as stale as months-old saltwater taffy, was originally best recognised as an outdated Springsteen allusion. The current has changed. The famous boardwalk vibes of AP have now been replaced with a “Brooklyn on the beach” attitude, which permeates the city’s storied (and freshly resurrected!) music culture. Are you thirsty? Topping the list of the more than 50 pubs in the area, Asbury Festhalle and Biergarten ranks alongside the consistently active Johnny Mac’s and the charmingly divey Bond Street Bar as the best place for outdoor drinking. Want to play some retro pinball? More than 600 machines can be found in the Silverball Museum Arcade. 

Asbury Park is worth completely introducing once more, boss, because to its vibrant arts scene, longstanding LGBTQ culture, and (obviously) stunning beach.

Nags Head, North Carolina

A trio of influential Outer Banks beach towns—Nags Head, Kill Devil Hills, and Kitty Hawk—have adopted the moniker Nags Head. Nags Head proper has 11 miles of beach and sound, including Jockey’s Ridge State Park’s biggest dune on the East Coast, making it a sanctuary for surfers on the East Coast (before it sets, scramble up to the top and catch the sun sinking beneath the horizon). In this laid-back area of the Atlantic, Jennette’s Pier is one of the top places to people-watch because of the unmatched fresh seafood served at classic family eateries. Visitors interested in aviation might visit the Wright Brothers National Memorial in Kill Devil Hills before climbing the 90-foot hill where the Wright Brothers tested their gliders. Additionally, the canals that crisscross Kitty Hawk’s village make for fantastic kayaking excursions.

Saugatuck/Douglas, Michigan

Provincetown is to Cape Cod what Saugatuck is to western Michigan. It is unquestionably a beach town for tourists, especially in the summer, but like many of Michigan’s best beach communities, its charm is meticulously preserved despite the inflow of tourists. Saugatuck, also known as “The Great Art-Doors,” has established a reputation as Michigan’s top destination for LGBT vacations, together with Douglas, its sister city over the river. Due to connections with the Ox-Bow School of Art, the Saugatuck Center for the Arts, galleries like the Armstrong De-Graaf International Fine Art Gallery, and the Saugatuck Antique Pavilion, it is also a popular destination for the arts and antiques.

Cannon Beach, Oregon

One of Oregon’s most recognised landmarks, Haystack Rock, which rises from the Pacific like the focal point of a titan’s rock garden, is located in Cannon Beach, which is both bustling and sleepy. The Goonies-famous monument may be the focus of the postcard, but little Cannon is teeming with gems thanks to its dog-crowded beaches, scattering of eateries, a profusion of breweries, and an overabundance of art galleries. This pocket of West Coast fun is quite walkable, and the shoreline is lined with tiny motels and cabin rentals that scream for long stays. After just five minutes, you’ll be able to blend in.

Ocean City, Maryland

People adore this Mid-Atlantic shore town because it is permanently stuck in the 1980s. Nothing seems to have changed, from the outdoor cover band at Seacrets to the French fries at Thrasher’s, even though the vast majority of the motels, hotels and rental homes in the area were built in the 1970s and 1980s. Even a legendary classic, Ping Pong Summer, captures the nostalgic summer of a youngster on the OC boardwalk in the ’80s. (Perhaps you can relate if you’ve been to Orange County during Senior Week.)

Anna Maria Island, Florida

The northernmost of three charming beach towns on a seven-mile-long island, Anna Maria is so full of old-Florida charm, from its weathered architecture and ice cream parlours to seafood shacks by the shore, that it feels like a time warp to the 1950s. Its selection of kayaking and paddle boarding excursions, as well as snorkelling excursions to adjacent locations like Passage and Egmont Keys, where you may see stingrays, manatees, sharks, and dolphins, will please outdoor explorers. But in the end, this is a truly sleepy town (the speed limits seldom go beyond 35 mph), so plan to pleasantly relax on its immaculate, tranquil white sand beaches from sunrise to breathtaking sunset.

Haleiwa, Oahu, Hawaii

This non-touristy surf town on the North Shore is your gateway to some of Oahu’s most beautiful beaches, including the sea turtle haven of Laniakea and surfer utopia Sunset Beach. Parking is a pain, so stroll down Haleiwa’s picturesque main street. The majority of the boutiques, art galleries, and restaurants are locally owned, and the route is flanked with colourful ancient buildings that pay homage to the North Shore’s past as a centre for the sugar industry. While Aloha General Store is packed with island-themed trinkets (even if you don’t want tchotchkes, stop in for the legendary shaved ice/ice cream bowls), Surf N Sea, Hawaii’s oldest surf and dive shop, features amazing Haleiwa-emblazoned clothing.

Rehoboth, Delaware

There is a sizable LGBTQ community in Rehoboth, and you’ll see plenty of buff guys strutting along the beach in freakishly little speedos. But because to its traditional boardwalk, amusement park, and free summer concerts, this upmarket getaway on the Atlantic is enjoyable for everyone. Rehoboth has a greater bar and restaurant scene than Dewey Beach, which is three miles away, where most young people congregate for drunken beach parties. Dogfish Head founder Sam Calagione frequently may be seen skating around town, and his flagship brewpub and restaurant, Chesapeake & Maine, is one of the first indicators you’ve made it to the beach, making it a sanctuary for craft beer aficionados.

Rincón, Puerto Rico

The Caribbean reputation of Rincón is solid, yet surfers from all over the world come here to experience the “hang ten” feeling. For some of the greatest surf and sunsets in the hemisphere, wave riders, tourists, and longstanding residents alike are lured to this tropical oasis. If you go down the storied roads 413 and 4413, it won’t take you long to understand why Rincón is overtaking bustling San Juan in popularity: There are lots of activities available for energetic tourists, including world-class scuba diving, horseback riding, and whale-spotting. Surfboard-toting males contribute to the island’s distinct Boho vibe.

Tybee Island, Georgia

At the easternmost point of Georgia, Tybee is a barrier island with broad, sandy beaches and a laid-back atmosphere with just the perfect bit of strange. It is only 30 minutes from historic downtown Savannah. There are several hotels, but you’ll be entranced by the charming pastel-coloured rental homes with white Bahama shutters and white picket fences. The lengthy, eccentric past of this little, 21-square-mile island is what sets it apart. Grab a beer at a dive bar, like Huc-A-Poo’s, Tybee Time, or the Sand Bar, and strike up a conversation with a local. They’ll undoubtedly be happy to tell you everything there is to know about the area and Fort Pulaski, a nearby Civil War-era national monument that you can tour on foot or by bicycle.

Santa Barbara, California

This upscale SoCal enclave boasts a palm tree-lined shoreline with a Mediterranean flair and a stunning backdrop of majestic mountains and azure ocean. Don’t miss the Funk Zone’s Urban Wine Trail, which spans ten vibrant blocks and is home to 20 wine-tasting establishments along with converted warehouses and art galleries (read: wine crawl). Santa Barbara has some of the best products on the West Coast in addition to its delicious Mexican cuisine (try Lilly’s Taqueria), so stop by the Santa Barbara Public Market, a foodie’s dream featuring regional food booths where you can sample a bit of everything under one roof. Visitors to Southern California can also give up their cars and ride the Amtrak Pacific Surfliner for a gorgeous trip that puts them off close to the shore.

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