Favorite east coast beaches

[dancingirl21]

We have always been Carolinas-people for beach vacations. DH grew up going to Ocean Isle Beach in NC every year. We are currently in Carolina Beach. We were talking yesterday about what we should do next summer. DH brought up doing a split trip - half a week in Washington DC and half the week at a beach. We’ve never explored beaches on the northern part of the east coast and thought this might be a good opportunity. Or we could just go back to NC. We are very open.

We will be driving from the Chicago area, and we don’t mind a road trip.

These places all book up a year in advance so we should start planning now for next summer. Tell me about your favorite beaches!

[Velar Fricative]

Not a beach person but I do live in the northeast. These are the most popular destinations near me:

Jersey Shore (it’s long, but the consensus IRL is that Cape May at the bottom tip of NJ is best for families, but others may have specific recs)
Ocean City, MD
Cape Cod, MA
Rehoboth Beach, DE

DH just left for the store but he’s originally from Long Island so I can ask for destinations there. Growing up, LI always seemed like a beach destination for day trippers, but there might be some areas where you can make a vacation out of it. The above list is arguably better for vacations though. If you plan to split with DC, I’d remove Cape Cod (and LI) from consideration.

[Bernadine]

We love Cape May! Such a cute little town!

[gummybear]

As far as South Jersey goes, if you want a good swimming beach and lots of family focused activity, go to Ocean City. If you want a good swimming beach and better restaurants/bars and moderate family activities go to Sea Isle or Avalon. If you want a slightly treacherous swimming beach (but still beautiful to sit on) but fantastic restaurants and less typical family activities (no rides/hardly any arcades etc) but more nature/history things to, go to Cape May.

OC is really congested IMO and too much for me.
Sea Isle is tolerable but still too crowded. Both these places have nice flat beaches you can walk out into the surf. CM has way more to offer overall and is less of a shit show but the beach has a dangerous drop in the surf and the sand isn’t as powdery bc it’s all dredged on the main strip (Cape May Beach)

[VillainV]

Are you looking for places with amazing beaches (ie: soft sand, clear water) or cute beach town with lots of fun things to do? Or both?

For east coast beaches I really like St Augustine. It has both a nice actual beach, and is a fun place to visit. But it’s pretty far south for you.

[firedancer10288]

Lewis, De is probably my favorite. You can also take the ferry to Cape May for a day trip.

[ECB]

I’m familiar with the Maryland and Delaware beaches. I grew up going to Ocean City, MD. i don’t really like going there any more. Congested and just “busy” - too much going on.

Rehobeth and Dewey DE are further north. This is where we’ve gone the past few years. Smaller, quieter (but not “quiet” in the summer - just not as busy and crazy as OC). There is Bethenny, which is in between Dewey and OC. i haven’t spent much time there, but it’s even smaller and feels more quaint.

I’ve been to Cape May once, about 10 years ago. I agree with who mentioned it - we liked it and found it to be quaint.

[Deleted]

I grew up going to the beaches in South Jersey and am partial to Wildwood Crest and Cape May. The beaches are free, which is nice. Depending on where you stay in the Crest, you walk to the Wildwood Boardwalk which is huge. Cape May is just a short drive to the Wildwood Boardwalk.

Ocean City, NJ is good if you have kids, but keep in mind that it is a dry town, so none of the restaurants serve alcohol. Also, at least the last time I was there, you need to pay for Beach Tags.

We've taken our kids to Rehoboth, DE before which is nice as well, but the Boardwalk is not as big as the ones in OCNJ and Wildwood, so if you're kids are older, they may get bored of the offerings.

[dancingirl21]

We like a quieter beach, which is why some of the Carolina beaches have been good for us. We don’t need things to do other than the beach. Maybe a restaurant or two. We also prefer an area with low rise condos and houses, not huge hotels/condos.

Kids will be 10 and 7.

[msmerymac]

Jun 20, 2022 6:35:54 GMT -5 Bernadine said:

We love Cape May! Such a cute little town!

This. I LOVE Cape May. So walkable and bikeable too. The beach is pretty large, although it doesn't have a classic boardwalk. The community to the north, Wildwood, does have a very nice boardwalk and beach. Also a lot of hotels with a mid-century vibe (think neon signs and stuff). Wherever you go, make sure you can walk or bike to the beach, though, because summer parking is brutal. 

The Jersey shore also gives you a chance to do some day trips to other shore towns. You can easily go visit Lucy the Elephant in Margate, which is a cool piece of Americana, then have lunch in Atlantic City. 

NJ does charge for beach tags, which means you have to pay for a permit to use the beach, but a lot of rentals will include seasonal tags. 

[meganew]

Rehoboth is great- we’ve stayed at Avenue Inn there a few times for quick trips.

We do quick day trips to Ocean City, and I don’t know… I wouldn’t want to spend a whole vacation at the Jersey shore. Lol. Sorry Jersey!

If you really don’t mind a drive, I’d drive up the coast and do New England. You could hit up a ton of beaches up in Newport and Cape Cod.

[thebreakfastclub]

I think you might struggle to find a beach rental for less than 7 days in the summer season.

As far as other beaches, I have really enjoyed Seabrook Island, SC. Close to Charleston, nice beaches, plus a beach club on the water with a ton of amenities.

[Monica Geller]

We just got back from Hampton Virginia/ Buckroe Beach. It was perfect for us but it’s not a tourist spot. We had a VRBO right on the beach, but it was a residential community. But the beach itself is part of their parks and rec; lifeguards, beach patrols, etc. The ocean is technically the Chesapeake and it was calm and shallow.

[ECB]

Jun 20, 2022 7:54:19 GMT -5 dancingirl21 said:

We like a quieter beach, which is why some of the Carolina beaches have been good for us. We don’t need things to do other than the beach. Maybe a restaurant or two. We also prefer an area with low rise condos and houses, not huge hotels/condos.

Kids will be 10 and 7.

So, yes, avoid Ocean City, MD then!!  

We LOVE OBX.  Been there many many times over the years and have stayed in all different areas, and this summer we'll be back down in Avon, which is very quiet.  So - I feel you on that front.  We like quieter, slower.

[jinkies]

Jersey shore is for convenience. I would not drive from Chicago to spend time there (sorry).

I've always wanted to do Chincoteague/Assateague with my kids. But otherwise I'd probably stick with the Carolinas.

[dcn]

It’s a pretty far drive from DC but Jekyll Island is a lovely place. It’s a state park so well maintained and no big hotels etc.

[dancingirl21]

Jun 20, 2022 8:19:55 GMT -5 ECB said:

Jun 20, 2022 7:54:19 GMT -5 dancingirl21 said:

We like a quieter beach, which is why some of the Carolina beaches have been good for us. We don’t need things to do other than the beach. Maybe a restaurant or two. We also prefer an area with low rise condos and houses, not huge hotels/condos.

Kids will be 10 and 7.

So, yes, avoid Ocean City, MD then!!  

We LOVE OBX.  Been there many many times over the years and have stayed in all different areas, and this summer we'll be back down in Avon, which is very quiet.  So - I feel you on that front.  We like quieter, slower.

My DH did throw out OBX. We haven’t been there and it might be a good option. Thanks!

[morecoffeeplease]

I would suggest sandbridge in va beach or kitty hawk. However i don’t know if you’d be able to get a rental for less than a week

[shopgirl07]

I’m partial to Martha’s Vineyard and Nantucket. There’s also some very nice beaches on the Cape. Race Point in Provincetown and Cahoon Hollow in Wellfleet are very nice. In southern Maine, Wells and Ogunquit are great.

[meli554]

Our family loves Bethany Beach, DE! Cute and family-friendly, and a short drive to Dewey/Rehoboth Beach or Ocean Coty, MD if you want something more to do.

[charlatti]

We love the Carolinas. Holden beach is great (right next to Ocean Isle) and we also like Topsail Island. Oak Island is on our list, but we tend to be lazy and stick with the familiar.

[Susie]

Jun 20, 2022 7:06:26 GMT -5 gummybear said:

As far as South Jersey goes, if you want a good swimming beach and lots of family focused activity, go to Ocean City. If you want a good swimming beach and better restaurants/bars and moderate family activities go to Sea Isle or Avalon. If you want a slightly treacherous swimming beach (but still beautiful to sit on) but fantastic restaurants and less typical family activities (no rides/hardly any arcades etc) but more nature/history things to, go to Cape May.

All of these are really special to me.  I guarded on the beach in OCNJ for 4 years in college, and have such good memories of that time.  It is a great, family friendly beach town (but dry).  There are large liquor stores just over the bridge, and everybody just stocks up there.

Avalon is where I grew up going, and my dad has a place.  I <3 it.  However, I have noticed in recent years way more Trump flags than I am comfortable with.  Last summer a boat kept going by my dad's dock with a Fuck Biden flag on it, and I was like, really?  How is that helpful to anyone?  My kids are here, in addition to my approximately 200% disagreement with the sentiment.  It puts a damper on my mood.

Cape May is where we took a honeymoon (after we got married in Ocean City, ha).  It's my favorite from a restaurants, B&Bs standpoint.

If you have kids, the Cape May Zoo is readily reachable from all of them.  It's not a huge zoo, but it's nice and it's free! so you can just go for a little while.  Nice activity on days that aren't perfect sunny beach days.

[stinkyfeet]

Drivable beaches from DC that I think would fit your bill would be Bethany Delaware, Cape May NJ and the Outer Banks. OBX is a much longer drive but totally worth it.

[wildrice]

So, the Outer Banks are nice but I wouldn't say they are quiet. I think you can find spots there that are little pockets of calm, but when we were there last summer it was crawling with people, there were long waits for every place we went for food, and traffic driving up and down the coast. I think the further south you get the quieter it gets (we did spend 1 day at a little stretch of beach that was mostly empty and it seemed like there were just houses in that section), but that's adding even more time driving down from DC. I don't NOT recommend it, but if you're looking for a really chill spot you will want to be really careful about what part of the OBX you focus on. It was also extremely hot when we were there in mid-July, but that's probably true with any of the mid-Atlantic or further south beaches.

[af1212]

Jun 20, 2022 8:59:18 GMT -5 meli554 said:

Our family loves Bethany Beach, DE! Cute and family-friendly, and a short drive to Dewey/Rehoboth Beach or Ocean Coty, MD if you want something more to do.

Where do you stay when here? We like Bethany also but have only stayed at sea colony which my H does not want to do anymore.

[erbear]

I’m partial to Delaware since I grew up there. We go to Bethany. I love rehoboth for an out of towner. It’s not easy to get to Jersey from DC.

As a rule, I avoid OCMD and the Jersey shore.

[tacokick]

Chincoteague and Assateague would be my suggestion. Quiet, wild ponies, cute little museum, candy shops, lots of seafood, small town vibe.

You can drive to OCMD and the MD side of Assateague easily. DC is about 3 hrs away.

[georgeglass]

I would do something like Cape Charles or other Eastern Shore places. Not far from DC if you wanted to stay in that area. I'm a total beach asshole where I don't want anyone close to me on the beach. If I can hear someone playing music or honestly even talking, I'm miserable.

We go to Sunset Beach, NC mostly. On OBX (which is so much traffic), we'll stay in Duck because the narrow part of the area means there aren't a ton of people on the beach itself (but the beach itself is also narrow - unlike Sunset which is so wide with soft sand).

[gummybear]

Susie my BIL/SIL are on the bay in SIC and that boat owner knows BIL. He stopped by their dock last summer on the way to Tuckahoe Inn (I think? The place in Strathmere you can boat to). H wouldn’t get into the boat bc of the flag and stayed home.

[bdubs419]

We love Holden Beach in NC (which is right near Ocean Isle). Super quiet, just a few restaurants in the area. I find it very relaxing and beautiful. To copy another poster, we do also like Topsail Island but that’s definitely a bit busier (unless you stay in the quieter North Topsail area).