Favorite Beach?

[boyst]

What's your favorite/go to beach and why?

 

Me, Atlantic Beach, NC. It is quiet. Not huge and fancy just calm and fun. Lots to do if you knowhow to find it. Blackbeards house, Cape Lookout Lighthouse, Ft Macon (if someone links the wiki for me if appreciate it - I am on tablet)

 

For those curious this is better then Myrtle Beach. Its the outer banks and its not the redneck riviera.

[PromoTheRobot]

What's your favorite/go to beach and why?

 

Me, Atlantic Beach, NC. It is quiet. Not huge and fancy just calm and fun. Lots to do if you knowhow to find it. Blackbeards house, Cape Lookout Lighthouse, Ft Macon (if someone links the wiki for me if appreciate it - I am on tablet)

 

For those curious this is better then Myrtle Beach. Its the outer banks and its not the redneck riviera.

 

For years I went to Emerald Isle which is the opposite end of the barrier island from Atlantic Beach. Then we started going to Carolina Beach, just south of Wilmington on Cape Fear. Beaches are nice and a beachfront condo can be had for less than $1,000 in summer. Plus I like having more stuff around, bars, restaurants, shopping, etc, than EI has.

 

First thing I do is stop at my favorite produce shop in Wilmington and get 20 lbs of muscadines and scuppernongs. Also CB has Britt's Donuts, a real old-time donut place. Only two things on the menu: coffee and glazed donuts fresh out of the fryer. There's usually a line out the door.

 

PTR

Edited June 29, 2013 by PromoTheRobot

[Guffalo]

We have a cove and a secluded beach near our house we like to go, backside of Jones beach in long island, NY. Almost private, only accessible by boat. Just pull in, anchor from the bow, stern anchor to the beach, relax for the afternoon. If there is a concert in the stadium, around 3 pm they do a run through, sometimes we will spend the night and listen to the full concert.

[rochester rob]

Love Atlantic beach. Further down the coast Folly beach but best of all Edisto beach. Edisto has more public access to beach front than anywhere We have ever been.

[Miyagi-Do Karate]

Trunk Bay-- St. John. Ranks up near the top for me.

 

I've been to some better beaches, but those are more one-time things (eg, unreal beach I went to once in Antigua).

[mrags]

Next year this time, ill be able to say in Jamaica as my wedding and honeymoon will be there. For now, the best one ive ever been to was in Cancun. Incredibly crystal clear water.

 

As a kid, I used to love going to a place in Canada. Had huge sand dunes all over the place. I think it was called Gunthers Grove.

 

 

[San Jose Bills Fan]

Hmmm, there are two main categories. Salt-water beaches and freshwater beaches.

 

I love both but being a WNYer I'm actually partial to freshwater.

 

Of course part of that is nostalgia, sentimentality, etc.

 

Although they don't have anywhere near the poster-worthy splendor of tropical or oceanic beaches, I love the timeless, sleepy quality of the beaches in Fort Erie from Sherkston, to Crystal/Bay, Thunder Bay, Windmill Bay, Bertie Bay.

 

All of these beaches have good quality natural white sand.

 

I also love the character of cottage towns which come alive in the summer and the sad, inevitable end of the season in September when we know another summer is past. The shortness of our summers makes the beach life in our area all the sweeter, IMO.

 

I also love how on many area beaches in WNY and Southern Ontario that one can find a quiet stretch to be alone. When we lived in WNY, I would sometimes pick my wife up as she was getting out of work at M&T downtown with a beach bag with towels, swimsuit, etc and a shaker full of margaritas and we'd drive down to Bennett Beach for a late afternoon, weekday unwind, maybe a meal at Peppers or Connors.

 

I've never been to Seabreeze in Irondequoit but on the map it looks very interesting with a thin spit of beach separating Lake Ontario from the Bay.

[birdog1960]

i like kure beach which is a mile or two from carolina beach. no fast food. no high-rises and reasonable condos.

 

my all time favorite is praia grande ("big beach") near lisbon, portugal. http://www.google.com/imgres?imgurl=http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/8/8a/Porto_Covo_-_Praia_Grande.jpg& . big waves and beautiful jagged cliffs surrounding. wicked undertow. they have very reasonable group surfing lessons with a few instructors (college kids) that speak english. but, damn, surfing is tough.

[Mr Info]

Any beach in southern Corsica but Porto-Pollo stands out but going there is a rarity for me and probably anybody else.

 

But on the east coast, I prefer Chincoteague/Assateague on the DelMarVA peninsula. Chincoteague is a quiet town and Assateague is in the federal park system so there is no development on the beach. No hotels, buildings, or anything to impede your view of the beach. If you have a sand vehicle, you can get a permit to drive and find your own private section of the beach. It's a bit more laid back beach scene but I find it relaxing. The only time I would recommend not going is pony-penning week. That is when the island is too crowded...watch it on TV instead.

[Chef Jim]

Any beach in the USVI or the BVI but if I had to pick one it would be Smuggler's Cove on Tortola. Why? Well it's kind of a B word to get to so it's kind of quiet but mostly because most beaches in the BVI have ramshackle bars on them. One was a guy with a makeshift bar with everything you could want. He even had a blender for blended drinks. I think the pic below is him.

 

http://www.bestofbvi.com/info/tortola_beaches/smugglers_cove.htm

 

http://media-cdn.tripadvisor.com/media/photo-s/02/22/a7/22/steven-s-bar-area.jpg

[mead107]

Any beach will do.

[GOBILLS78]

Holden Beach, across the inlet from Ocean Isle. So quiet. Daughter loves getting up early to watch the turtles make their way. Great family beach. A couple bars are more than enough for me.

[Chef Jim]

Any beach will do.

 

I sometimes think that and it's usually on a nice day when I'm stuck at work. Then I think back to the time we spent a week in St. Martin. We came back to CA with another week's worth of vacation. We decided let's head to the beach! Well the beaches in Long Beach are nasty. With the major shipping off the coast and oil rigs less than a mile from the beach the sand was ugly compared to the Caribbean. We were there for probably 15 minutes then left.

[mead107]

^{I do like Waikiki beach.. but, I like Goose Rocks Beach in Maine just as much.}

Edited June 29, 2013 by mead107

[major]

A remote beach in Kauai

[BillsPride12]

I thought Hungington Beach, CA was gorgeous

[NDBUFFCUSEFAN]

Ocean beach dog beach in San Diego is my favorite, go 3-4 times a week with the pups.

[billsfanmiami(oh)]

 

 

I sometimes think that and it's usually on a nice day when I'm stuck at work. Then I think back to the time we spent a week in St. Martin. We came back to CA with another week's worth of vacation. We decided let's head to the beach! Well the beaches in Long Beach are nasty. With the major shipping off the coast and oil rigs less than a mile from the beach the sand was ugly compared to the Caribbean. We were there for probably 15 minutes then left.

 

Pretty easy to get beach spoiled in St. Martin! Lots of great beaches there and all offer a different experience. Wife and I have done 3 trips there together and I had been once before we met. We just did 10 days there with both our families this past December. Nearby Anguilla has some great beaches too including shoal bay which often shows up on top beaches lists. Actually trying to decide right now if we want to go back again this winter or take a year off and do a Florida trip. Never been to the keys.

[plenzmd1]

We spent a lot of vacation time growing up on Veranda Beach...does that count?

[Optometric Insight]

Sanibel. Lots of cool things you can do there and it can get pretty quiet if you find the right spots.

[The Big Cat]

In Erie: Beach 6, obvi

 

In Chicago: Montrose dog beach

 

In life: Virginia Beach, we vacationed there every summer

[drinkTHEkoolaid]

Forgot the name of the beach but on Andersen AFB in Guam there is a private beach with bamboo willys bar. It's a pretty cool beach. Not the best for swimming and its inside a reef so there really aren't many waves but as far as a beach to hang out on its AWESOME.

[tennesseeboy]

Caladesi Island in Clearwater Florida. Have to take a ferry or kayak out to it, and it is a preserve, but one great great beach. Can't think of another one on this continent I like better.

[4merper4mer]

There are so many. I thought I'd name my least favorite beach because most of you can't afford my favorites. I took a trip to Nebraska once; don't do it if you can avoid it; and looked and looked and looked but never found the supposedly famous Omaha beach. If you go, good luck finding it.

Edited July 1, 2013 by 4merper4mer

[GOBILLS78]

There are so many. I thought I'd name my least favorite beach because most of you can't afford my favorites. I took a trip to Nebraska once; don't do it if you can avoid it; and looked and looked and looked but never found the supposedly famous Omaha beach. If you go, good look finding it.

 

It's right on Grand Island, Neb.

[WWVaBeach]

Eternity Beach (Holona Blowhole Beach) on Oahu.

[Chef Jim]

Jost van Dyke in the BVI. White Bay beach. Best think is they have an honor bar there. You pour your own and pay whatever. So I pour a drink that is 99% rum with a spash of coke.

[The Big Cat]

Are you talking about Presque Isle?

 

Of course!

[The Big Cat]

Ever since I moved to Pittsburgh (2005), Presque Isle has been our go-to place for day trips. We love it there. It's such a hidden gem. Great beaches; awesome trails.

 

There are times when you come up across the sand, and it almost reminds me of the ocean (people kind of ridicule me for saying that, but I've been to the Caribbean a million times, so I have some credibility).

 

We used to be Beach 1 people, but I'm starting to head over to some of the other beaches now that we have a little one. Will have to check 6 out.

 

Beach 6 is where all the girls were when I was in high school.

[jethro_tull]

been to several in jamaica- water's great but it's too hot. florida has nice ones, still too hot. carolinas / myrtle beach / ocean isle- it's too windy and humid, waves are too rough. california- water is too cold. hawaii is probably perfect- never been.

 

the best one for me is grand haven michigan. it's literally perfect.

[San Jose Bills Fan]

In Erie: Beach 6, obvi

 

In Chicago: Montrose dog beach

 

In life: Virginia Beach, we vacationed there every summer

 

Are you talking about Presque Isle?

 

Ever since I moved to Pittsburgh (2005), Presque Isle has been our go-to place for day trips. We love it there. It's such a hidden gem. Great beaches; awesome trails.

 

There are times when you come up across the sand, and it almost reminds me of the ocean (people kind of ridicule me for saying that, but I've been to the Caribbean a million times, so I have some credibility).

 

We used to be Beach 1 people, but I'm starting to head over to some of the other beaches now that we have a little one. Will have to check 6 out.

 

Awesome!

 

Glad to see others mentioning the Great Lakes a bit. I was surprised that no one had brought up a place like Mackinac Island or other gems like that.

 

Another one is Sleeping Bear Dunes in Michigan. My sister went there and raved about the beauty of the dunes, the white sand, and the clarity of the water.

[Pete]

I am not really a beach person but have to say I am partial to Hammonasset beach and RI beaches. Hammonasset and Cape May are the two main migratory points for birds on the east coast. And we get quite the variety. Lots of accidentals, and a steady variety of birds arriving from all over. Very cool. And RI is the coolest state few know. Great people, great beaches, big fun in this tiny state

[BUFFALOKIE]

I have had a beachy month. My kids and I vacationed in pensacola beach, which was beautiful. Perfect white sugary sand, great for sand castles, and not too crowded at the west end of the barrier island. There were some storms that started a couple of days before our arrival and persisted for our first two days there. The storms really churned up the water which caused it to be quite murky and full of seawead and some trash. By the end of the week though, the water was clear aqua-green again. We really loved it there. Three weeks later, my company sends me to honolulu. I walked waikiki beach yesterday. It is much coarser sand, which I dont think would make very good sandcastles, and there are waaaaayyy too many people, but damn it is beautiful! For asthetics, hawaii definately has florida beat. Its just too crowded though and most of the hotels are a bit of a walk from the beach. We had a beachfront condo in Florida and had plenty of space on the beach. My favorite thing about pensacola beach was the sand bars about 30 feet out from the shore made a nice shallow pool for the little ones to play in safely.

Edited July 2, 2013 by Stranger in a Strange Land

[PTS]

I'm a beach bum and have been to my fair share of beaches around the world.

 

My current favorite is Kiawah Island in SC. It's my family's go-to destination now. We just got back from a long weekend there in early June and have another trip planned in August.

 

That said, I'm also a big fan of the beaches in Punta Cana, Maui, Kauai and pretty much any beach on Oahu not named Waikiki.

[San Jose Bills Fan]

I have always wanted to go to the dunes, and wish I had when I lived in Ann Arbor. Might still make the 8-hour trek there (and to Mackinaw too--which i heard is really quaint and great).

 

Yeah my sister was a "studnet" at U of M when she went to Sleeping Bear Dunes.

[Donald Duck]

In Erie: Beach 6, obvi

 

In Chicago: Montrose dog beach

 

In life: Virginia Beach, we vacationed there every summer

 

 

what the hell are all them weird bugs? wear black and them critters ae all over you, hehe ( beach 6)

[Mark Vader]

I love Pismo Beach in central California. Nice beach town, attractive area, beach is pretty wide.

 

They have a very long pier where I have gone to the furthest point and the surfers are out there getting visits from the sea lions.

 

Pismo Beach is also famous for Old West Cinnamon Rolls. Best Cinnamon Rolls in the world.

[San Jose Bills Fan]

I love Pismo Beach in central California. Nice beach town, attractive area, beach is pretty wide.

 

They have a very long pier where I have gone to the furthest point and the surfers are out there getting visits from the sea lions.

 

Pismo Beach is also famous for Old West Cinnamon Rolls. Best Cinnamon Rolls in the world.

 

Yeah Pismo's pretty unique.

 

It's one of the few ocean beaches where you can drive and park your car on the beach and it's part of a huge range of coastal sand dunes were people go dune buggying.

[The Big Cat]

what the hell are all them weird bugs? wear black and them critters ae all over you, hehe ( beach 6)

 

Probably the man-eating ticks my mother always warned me about.

[JÂy RÛßeÒ]

I was just at a few of 'em - Ka'anapali on Maui & Waikiki on Oahu.