OT: - Beach town vacation ideas | The Boneyard

OT: Beach town vacation ideas

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Conndog

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Looking for vacation suggestions for beach towns on Atlantic or Gulf coast. An interesting town with other things to do, good restaurants, with prices that aren't too exorbinant. I love going up to Maine but am thinking would like to visit more down south. Where have people been that they really love it and return back to it? Or, does anyone go outside US to Mexico or another country like that? My preference is US though.
 
We don't have kids, we are late 50s and early 60s. Wife is fair-skinned and isn't one to just lay on sand. Haven't been to Savannah GA yet and have heard it is nice. Being able to drive and have car would be beneficial too, I guess, but we are really open to anything.
 
By south I don't think you mean New England, but have you ever been to Plum Island? Very swimmable beaches, a federal nature preserve with nice beaches, great restaurants the next town over in Newburyport, and just beautiful all around.
 
Ocean City in MD is good because if you want the commercial aspect of vacation it is there. Also have quiet beaches nearby without all the commercial distractions. Bethany Beach and Rehoboth Beach are just two of the great beaches nearby.

Big fan of Wrigtsville Beach in NC. Quiet area but nearby Wilmington offers other things to do. Myrtle Beach only like 90 minutes away.

Englewood in FL is on Gulf and beautiful. We tend to like the quiet places
 
Kenny11 said:
With kids or without?
I really liked ocean city, md and there are some great Jersey shore towns.
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We went to Ocean City for a week in late June a few years back and one night happened to be senior night. High school senior night. That place def skews younger.
 
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Savannah is beautiful. Farther South I'd suggest Venice Beach, FL. Not far from Bradenton/Santa Maria like @Mr. Wonderful suggested.
 
Living in CT definitely has its advantages in the summer because there are many beach towns you can drive to in a relatively short amount of time. When I was a kid I used to go to Cape Cod every summer and stayed in Yarmouth. You can never go wrong with Rhode Island with the Misquamicut area and its surrounding beaches and restaurants. Contrary to what some people think because of the TV show, the Jersey Shore is beautiful, especially the more south you go. Ive been going to Brigantine, NJ every summer for a while now, and that is a nice and quiet beach town right outside Atlantic City that a lot of people don't even know about because it's so secluded. I recently went up to Maine for the first time and stayed in Old Orchard Beach. That was a nice, as well as nearby Ogunquit. Bottom line, there are plenty of options to choose from where you can't go wrong. Further away like the Carolina's and Florida, the options are also endless.
 
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Conndog said:
We don't have kids, we are late 50s and early 60s. Wife is fair-skinned and isn't one to just lay on sand. Haven't been to Savannah GA yet and have heard it is nice. Being able to drive and have car would be beneficial too, I guess, but we are really open to anything.
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superjohn said:
Go to Savannah and spend a few days at Tybee.
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formerlurker said:
Savannah is beautiful. Farther South I'd suggest Venice Beach, FL. Not far from Bradenton/Santa Maria like @Mr. Wonderful suggested.
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I wouldn't actually vacation in Savannah. Not much of a beach/coastal town. Since sunbathing on the water isn't a priority I'd go further north to the Hilton Head area or further south to St. Simon's or Jekyll and make a day trip up to Savannah. It is a fun city to walk for a day. I was just there in late October.

I haven't ever been to Tybee but it looks nice.

Other things to consider is the mix of touristy vice locals vibe to the area, seasonal prices and availability and finally, activities like biking, walking, sport fishing, etc.

I've always been a fan of the Outer Banks of Carolina.
 
I travel to the space coast in Florida for work and have come to enjoy what the area has to offer. It's a cheap flight to Orlando and a 50 minute ride to the coast. Cocoa Beach probably has what you need from a beach perspective - I normally stay at the Courtyard, and it's a stone's throw from the beach. For good seafood or gator & grits, I like Florida's Fresh Grill. For a beer/pub food, Long Doggers in Melbourne. For Italian, I haven't been to too many places but Brano's was a short walk from the hotel and a decent meal. There is also Viera Town Center, about 20-30 minutes away that one of those constructed communities with lots of restaurants and shopping in a walkable area.

What I personally like about the area are the things to do beyond the beach. Depending on the time of year, you can go see the manatees and sometimes view dolphins swimming inland in Titusville. There are multiple locations for wildlife viewing, including Merritt Island and several lagoons. And then there is the Kennedy Space Center. If you time it right(and get lucky), you can see a rocket launch.
 
Conndog said:
We don't have kids, we are late 50s and early 60s. Wife is fair-skinned and isn't one to just lay on sand. Haven't been to Savannah GA yet and have heard it is nice. Being able to drive and have car would be beneficial too, I guess, but we are really open to anything.
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Savannah is wonderful but the beach is quite a drive from there. Charleston is nice too, beach is a little closer. There is a beach town with some neat stuff south of Charleston called Edisto. Lots of eco tourism stuff. My parents have been but I have not. Really depends on what you want, more beach? Eco stuff? Shops? Restaurants? History?
 
I’d echo chin’s Savannah point of view. Day trip it. I was pleasantly surprised by St Augustine. Good food and drink, interesting for a weekend, easy to reach out of Jacksonville.
 
imno1 said:
Sounds like beach ain't your wife's thing so Charleston is a great place to visit
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We did Charleston and Savannah in October 2018. Loved Charleston, hated Savannah. Just felt Charleston was a much more relaxed and laid back atmosphere. Savannah more commercialized.

If you do choose to visit Savannah, DO NOT go to Paula Deen's restaurant. It's a high end truck stop. There are many better dining options.
 
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I'm always years behind the trendy TV shows. I'm currently watching Ozark. Have you considered a lake vacation? Im not familiar with Southerm Missouri, but I am very familiar with Minnesota lake culture. It's very nice.... in the summer of course.
 
Conndog said:
Looking for vacation suggestions for beach towns on Atlantic or Gulf coast. An interesting town with other things to do, good restaurants, with prices that aren't too exorbinant. I love going up to Maine but am thinking would like to visit more down south. Where have people been that they really love it and return back to it? Or, does anyone go outside US to Mexico or another country like that? My preference is US though.
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Mexico has Tulum and other nice little beach towns on the Yucatan and there are some other beautiful beach towns further south in other countries like San Juan del Sur in Nicaragua. But stateside plenty of wonderful options up and down the eastern seaboard.

Savanah is nice as long as you stay in the city center. I have been twice, easily walkable within the center but too much sprawl outside of that main area.
 
Chin Diesel said:
I wouldn't actually vacation in Savannah. Not much of a beach/coastal town. Since sunbathing on the water isn't a priority I'd go further north to the Hilton Head area or further south to St. Simon's or Jekyll and make a day trip up to Savannah. It is a fun city to walk for a day. I was just there in late October.

I haven't ever been to Tybee but it looks nice.

Other things to consider is the mix of touristy vice locals vibe to the area, seasonal prices and availability and finally, activities like biking, walking, sport fishing, etc.

I've always been a fan of the Outer Banks of Carolina.
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I agree with Chin. I love the outer banks. You can stay in Kitty Hawk or Nags Head which have many lodging and food options. You can drive further south for uncrowded beaches. June is a good time to go.

Charleston with nearby Kiawah Island is another good option. I haven’t been to Jekyll Island in years but that was fun as well.
 
Kiawah Island, SC. Fly into Charleston and its about a 50 minute drive to Kiawah. You can stay in Charleston for a few nights and visit. Almost all properties on Kiawah are walking distance to beach and you can bike. Great golf. Tennis. Island shuttles. High end.
 
I did a tri at Jekyll Island in GA. Driftwood beach is awesome. Across the river is a really cool spot on St Simon's. Jekyll is low key and not many options there but still fun.
 
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huskypantz said:
I travel to the space coast in Florida for work and have come to enjoy what the area has to offer. It's a cheap flight to Orlando and a 50 minute ride to the coast. Cocoa Beach probably has what you need from a beach perspective - I normally stay at the Courtyard, and it's a stone's throw from the beach. For good seafood or gator & grits, I like Florida's Fresh Grill. For a beer/pub food, Long Doggers in Melbourne. For Italian, I haven't been to too many places but Brano's was a short walk from the hotel and a decent meal. There is also Viera Town Center, about 20-30 minutes away that one of those constructed communities with lots of restaurants and shopping in a walkable area.

What I personally like about the area are the things to do beyond the beach. Depending on the time of year, you can go see the manatees and sometimes view dolphins swimming inland in Titusville. There are multiple locations for wildlife viewing, including Merritt Island and several lagoons. And then there is the Kennedy Space Center. If you time it right(and get lucky), you can see a rocket launch.
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I moved to this area and love it. More chill than other places but close to Orlando and other spots. Sand is not as white as Gulf but beaches are wider and more surf. We drive to Fort Lauderdale every other month which is an easy 2.5 hour ride.

In the past year, there were over 30 launches. I saw at least ten from Cocoa Pier, the beach or Merritt Island. The only crowded ones are the manned launches.
 
imno1 said:
Sounds like beach ain't your wife's thing so Charleston is a great place to visit
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Edit: Myrtle Beach isn’t that far a drive either
 
wheelerdog said:
We did Charleston and Savannah in October 2018. Loved Charleston, hated Savannah. Just felt Charleston was a much more relaxed and laid back atmosphere. Savannah more commercialized.

If you do choose to visit Savannah, DO NOT go to Paula Deen's restaurant. It's a high end truck stop. There are many better dining options.
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Interesting. We had the opposite experience with Charleston and Savannah. We liked the vibe of Savannah a bit better. This was October 2020.

Charleston was really nice. Clean. Big streets and sidewalks. More great food places to eat than you could do in a weekend. Spent a full day on a Saturday in October. Weather was perfect. Low 70's, sunny and breezy. The sun dress and yoga pant game was strong. We walked about 7 miles that day. The City Market lost some of its vibe because only vendors were allowed inside. Everyone else had to shop via the streets. It was more of the Louis Vitton, Starbuck's and some of the more established names that killed some of the vibe. People were just moving around the streets as much as they were experiencing the area. The mansion along the battery and park area were impressive. Not Newport, RI level, but you could see why they get the prices they do.

We went to Savannah the next day. Not as clean as Charleston but seemed to have more of a locals vibe to it. It was raining off an on but still plenty of people just meandering. Probably helps that Savannah let's you take a drink to go and walk the streets and shops. Concur on avoiding Paula Deen (or any other "name" restaurant). The confectioners on River St were really cool to watch as they made pralines and taffy in front of your face with the copper kettles and mechanical pullers.
 
huskypantz said:
I travel to the space coast in Florida for work and have come to enjoy what the area has to offer. It's a cheap flight to Orlando and a 50 minute ride to the coast. Cocoa Beach probably has what you need from a beach perspective - I normally stay at the Courtyard, and it's a stone's throw from the beach. For good seafood or gator & grits, I like Florida's Fresh Grill. For a beer/pub food, Long Doggers in Melbourne. For Italian, I haven't been to too many places but Brano's was a short walk from the hotel and a decent meal. There is also Viera Town Center, about 20-30 minutes away that one of those constructed communities with lots of restaurants and shopping in a walkable area.

What I personally like about the area are the things to do beyond the beach. Depending on the time of year, you can go see the manatees and sometimes view dolphins swimming inland in Titusville. There are multiple locations for wildlife viewing, including Merritt Island and several lagoons. And then there is the Kennedy Space Center. If you time it right(and get lucky), you can see a rocket launch.
Expand ...
HCCForever said:
I moved to this area and love it. More chill than other places but close to Orlando and other spots. Sand is not as white as Gulf but beaches are wider and more surf. We drive to Fort Lauderdale every other month which is an easy 2.5 hour ride.

In the past year, there were over 30 launches. I saw at least ten from Cocoa Pier, the beach or Merritt Island. The only crowded ones are the manned launches.
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Space coast is definitely picking up again with NASA and the private companies using Kennedy Space Center. Melbourne is becoming a desirable place to live.

I've looked at that area as a possible place to move to or retire for all the reasons mentioned. Plenty to do locally and plenty more within 1-3 hours (easy day drive).
 
Waquoit said:
We went to Ocean City for a week in late June a few years back and one night happened to be senior night. High school senior night. That place def skews younger.
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Absolutely. I live just over the border near Bethany Beach. Ocean City definately skews younger now.
 
Chin Diesel said:
Space coast is definitely picking up again with NASA and the private companies using Kennedy Space Center. Melbourne is becoming a desirable place to live.

I've looked at that area as a possible place to move to or retire for all the reasons mentioned. Plenty to do locally and plenty more within 1-3 hours (easy day drive).
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I’ve started looking at investment properties and I’d really like to swing a condo or townhouse in the area that I could put on air bnb and then use a few weeks per year. Down the road 15-20 years it could be our snowbird home.
 
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