OT: Beach town vacation ideas

[HuskyHawk]

Stay out of Edgartown and you see a lot fewer snobs. We rarely go there.

Being on an island is a pita and a bonus.

I have friends who live in Edgartown, so we stay with them. It‘s different being with year round townies. The locals all seem to know each other. But they both live out near the Jaws pond, not in the heart of Edgartown. Agree the Island has positives and negatives. Especially for the full time residents.

 

[formerlurker]

NO! This is where I live!

My bad!

 

[superjohn]

Completely agree. And Beaufort, which is more or less where my parents are, is also quite nice and certainly not phony in any way. Lots of history down in the low country. Lots of eco tourism now. It’s not hard to avoid the touristy crap. I will admit that Charleston doesn’t have anything as obviously tacky touristy as River Street in Savannah. But it’s certainly more snobby as you describe. Savannah is eclectic as hell. Embraces weirdos.

Been to Beaufort a couple of times and it seems great, I really like that whole low country area and love the vibe of Savannah. Charleston is really pretty and has excellent food but it just has some of that preppy slightly snobby vibe which is one of the things I really don't miss at all about New England.

I love eclectic with every walk of life, I also love weirdos. When I've spent time in Savannah I never hung out too much on River Street but I love that it's there.

 

[auggie22]

My family went to Eastham for 1-2 weeks every summer growing up. Always a house on Bayberry Lane at First Encounter Beach. We would rent a different home on that street every year. We no longer go to the Cape every summer, but when we do it’s Welfleet. In my opinion, there is nothing better than the Upper Cape in July and August. Nothing. It’s where my ashes will be tossed into the wind.

tossed my dad’s ashes in wellfleet harbour six years ago. So many great memories of upper cape.

 

[upstater]

I am not fond of the isolation. One road in and out. Also, you really simply can’t go in the water beyond knee deep on the ocean side anymore. I’d probably hang around waiting for a seal predation. Friends have a place in Truro that faces the Bay, gorgeous sunsets. But I really like North Falmouth which also gives me those sunsets, has better swimming, and is an hour from my house. More restaurants too.

I agree about North Falmouth. We rented a house on the beach in a private enclave. I believe it was Old Silver Beach. Anyway, there was a bike path right by our house that took us all the way ether to to town of Falmouth or else to Woods Hole, which the kids loved.

 

[uconnfan68]

Anyone do Aruba? Thoughts for a family with a youngster (5) who loves the water

Everyone I know that’s been there loved it. One Happy Island.

 

[ClifSpliffy]

Good example of beauty lying in the eyes of the beholders. Without being a massive Savannah fan, its' less touristy area has a gritty appeal lacking in a few too many of Hilton Head's and Charleston's dressed up rednecks and self-impressed charmers. To their shared advantages, none of the 3 locations are Myrtle Beach.

Unrelated observation: Someone above suggested the Midwest-established and currently headquartered Dairy Queen inexplicably symbolizes New England. Inconveniently, one of Vermont's founders, the Litchfield born and raised Ethan Allen may have objected.

the suggestion was aboot soft-serve, as yankee as it gets. thank-you, Tom Carvel. dq is used only cuz, if ur in uncharted places in new england and you develop a hankering for a mr softee, everyone knows without asking that dq has it. garuntee.
they shoulda let mr. allen keep montreal. he took it fair and square! and forced all of them to love soft serve, according to those green mountain boys ben and jerry. or something like that.
Buy Furniture from This Man!

 

[uconnfan68]

I am not fond of the isolation. One road in and out. Also, you really simply can’t go in the water beyond knee deep on the ocean side anymore. I’d probably hang around waiting for a seal predation. Friends have a place in Truro that faces the Bay, gorgeous sunsets. But I really like North Falmouth which also gives me those sunsets, has better swimming, and is an hour from my house. More restaurants too.

I haven’t been in the ocean side for years now. Young grandchildren keep us on the bayside. I’ve been avoiding that lately too. The golf is still ok though.

 

[August_West]

if the vineyard is too snobby for you dont bother

Lol I was gonna say the same thing.

 

[Umami Zen]

Nice 8 hour drive.

Waves on north gulf coast can be anything from flat to 6'-7' feet.

Winds out of north tend to suppress the waves whereas as southerly winds tend to make 'em a bit higher.

Most days are 2'-4' which is perfect if you want to hang out in water waste deep with a cold beer. Also good for boogie boards.
Which brings us to another point. Almost all the gulf coast beaches on the Panhandle are alcohol allowed- just no glass.
I know a few surfers and you can ride the waves but this isn't Hawaii.

Married on Kauai.. Thatched Hut.. Movie set for Elvis's Blue Hawaii.. Coco Palms Hotel.. Hawaiian Minister..

Hang loose..

 

[arch]

Carolina Beach NC, just south of Wilmington, is nice and more reasonably priced than most options. Nearby Myrtle Beach is a plus.
If you love to spend money, hop over to Bald Head Island. No cars, just beach, golf and golf carts.

 

[August_West]

Block Island really isn't a beach place, imo.

Block island is the most boring place on earth. Sometimes boring is good for unwinding .

 

[Waquoit]

Block island is the most boring place on earth. Sometimes boring is good for unwinding .

Exactly. Our moped rides were the most excitement we had on our stay. And that was our plan for the weekend.

 

[Improviser]

Has anyone ever been to McCook Point Beach in East Lyme? I googled CT beaches and it came up.

If so, what is your opinion for someone who lives in CT, has no interest in traveling to another state for a beach in the summer, and would like to maybe stay in a decent hotel nearby for a few days of a mini- vacation or staycation if that is the right term?

I guess there must be decent hotels, local attractions ,and good restaurants nearby. Hopefully Covid will be winding down by the summer.

 

[GG]

Love Ocean City, MD and I found a great place to stay close to everything yet far enough a way from the main drag. Assateague Island, home of the wild horses, is an amazing beach and a place you must visit if you head down that way. Nearby Bethany Beach and Rehoboth make great day trips. Berlin, MD is another nearby town you may want to visit. I was going to go back to OC this summer, but now plan to rent a beach house in Old Lyme. I do not want to worry about travel bans, etc. I still think COVID will still be an issue this summer.

 

[UconnFanNVa]

Outer banks is where we normally go, although I may be looking to switch it up a bit this year. Hard to go wrong though. Beaches aren't over crowded. Plenty of nice restaurants. Has that small town vide to it. We most recently stayed in kitty hawk, but I think I liked carola a bit more. Either hard to not like it there. Our favorite part is the 4x4 beaches. You obviously need a 4x4 vehicle, and for some spots a permit, but it's really worth it. We'd go in the morning and have the beach to ourselves about as far as we could see. Plenty of shells to pick because people aren't out there taking them all. Felt very remote and relaxing without being far from civilization. Not to mention when you have your vehicle right there in the beach it makes brining food and drinks and beach gear with you infinitely easier than carrying everything back and forth from the house to the beach.

 

[Deepster]

My wife’s family has been going to Eastham since the mid 1950s. Never bought. Too bad. I think they only missed 1 year. I’ve been going since 1980, when I joined. Our family now continues the tradition, joined with one or more of my wife’s siblings and their families. We used to have 2 cottages next to each other, but have split up more lately needing more room. Hard to find 6+ bedrooms.

The Superette rules.

 

[Deepster]

Been to Aruba 6-7 times. It’s a guarantee can’t miss trip. They’re outside the hurricane belt and it’s 77-82 every day and they get two inches of rain a year. The island is something like 3 miles wide and 20 miles long (?) so there’s a constant breeze.

You can go to high rise row and stay at a nice resort....or get an Airbnb condo five minutes up the road and have quieter, better beaches. Coral reefs offshore also keep sharks out and there are no waves. Like a bathtub.

 

[Waquoit]

I like a beach vacation with some honky tonk. In New England, the best is Hampton Beach, NH. Especially when there are some good shows at the Casino. And once we can get past COVID, we're going back to Hollywood Beach, FL. We always have a blast when we go. Getting my Gulfstream fix in is a plus.

 

[I Bleed Blue]

Gulf > Atlantic Side

Currently in FL visiting my sister in Clearwater. Highly recommend Clearwater, Madeira Beach, Treasure Island, or St. Pete Beach. Further south Sarasota and Siesta Key are great options depending on the vibe you’re looking for.

 

[Chin Diesel]

Block island is the most boring place on earth. Sometimes boring is good for unwinding .

I'm mean at a certain point the island name should set some level of expectations.

Out of all the words in the dictionary of multiple languages they named it "block".

 

[Deepster]

I'm mean at a certain point the island name should set some level of expectations.

Out of all the words in the dictionary of multiple languages they named it "block".

I never got the Block Island appeal. Tough to get to. No real good beaches. Not a ton of eating and drinking options. I guess if you brought everything over with you and got a house with a group it’s fine? What’s the allure of it that I’m missing?

 

[Chin Diesel]

I never got the Block Island appeal. Tough to get to. No real good beaches. Not a ton of eating and drinking options. I guess if you brought everything over with you and got a house with a group it’s fine? What’s the allure of it that I’m missing?

I'm somewhere between 99% to 100% certain I never visited there so I'm not sure either.

 

[HuskyHawk]

I agree about North Falmouth. We rented a house on the beach in a private enclave. I believe it was Old Silver Beach. Anyway, there was a bike path right by our house that took us all the way ether to to town of Falmouth or else to Woods Hole, which the kids loved.

Old Silver is our go to spot. Great beach. Nice sand, sometimes a bit of surf, beautiful sunsets. And Falmouth has lots of food and other diversions. Helps I can be at that beach in one hour and change if no bridge traffic.

 

[StllH8L8ner]

Brigantine, NJ is an underrated spot. Good beaches, some good restaurants/bars and a short drive to Atlantic City if you're looking to gamble. I went for a run on the beach one morning and saw Bradley Cooper down there years ago. Only difference was I had just woken up whereas it looked like he was just getting home...

 

[Waquoit]

I'm somewhere between 99% to 100% certain I never visited there so I'm not sure either.

I've been there and I don't know either. Besides the mopeds. I liked the folks I met. I will say this, the first time we went, a tropical storm took a turn and we decided to bail. It was a good call as the ferry we took ended up being the last one for 3 days. And the place we were staying gave us a full credit that I didn't expect.

 

[HCCForever]

I never got the Block Island appeal. Tough to get to. No real good beaches. Not a ton of eating and drinking options. I guess if you brought everything over with you and got a house with a group it’s fine? What’s the allure of it that I’m missing?

I have never stayed overnight there as I have on the Vineyard or Nantucket. I go to Block Island to ride my bicycle, get away for a day at the beach and have some food and drinks. I usually go during the week and only on beautiful sunny days. It is easy trip using high speed ferry from New London. I remember when you had to go to Point Judith to avoid 3 hour ferry.

 

[I Bleed Blue]

No one has mentioned the Redneck Rivera. The beaches of the Florida panhandle and L.A. (lower Alabama) are off the hook. It's baby powder sand. As nice as anywhere. Panama City is a big touristy town with miniature golf, go carts and bungee rides aplenty. But there are plenty of great places like Destin and Ft Walton beach are a bit less crowded and all the beach community you could want.

San Destin and Seaside are probably the best beaches I’ve seen in the lower 48

 

[OkaForPrez]

Sullivan’s island outside of Charleston

 

[uconnfan68]

The Superette rules.

Don’t think I have ever been inside... we usually are further up the road. Do most shopping in Orleans.