My vote for best beach is Topsail Beach, Topsail Island, NC. It is quiet,relaxing, and best of all, inexpensive small town atmosphere. It is approximately 80 miles North of Myrtle Beach and 30 miles from Willmington, NC. (a nise waterfront small city. (a rainy day visit to either)

I live in New Jersey and was raised in Florida and have spent the years in between all over the US and always by a coast. You can not beat the color of the water in the Florida Keys, the color of the sand in the Florida Panhandle, the feeling of vastness on the Outer Banks in North Carolina and the power of the ocean on the New Jersy coast. So it depends what you arelooking for. For a real sense of beauty you ought to try scuba diving to see what goes on under the sea. keep the peace

Everything Debbie just said but add Sunset Beach and Waimea Bay on O'ahu for powerful surf. Also the west coast on Maui and the south shore of Lanai are very nice beaches. I love the sand in Ft Walton Beach.

Mike: which beach in York, Long Sands or Short Sands? <BR>

Hey, how come no one mentioned Coney Island or the Rockaways????

A very cozy, rugged, dramatic, less-travelled beach is Oceanside, just outside of Tillamook, Oregon. The weather may be more rainy than one likes, but the ambience, wind, surf, rocks, is unbeatable. If you're there, go to Roseanne's Restaurant, in Oceanside, right off of the beach on the main street. It's a touch of upscale class to a funky Oregon community.

Linda is right. Oceanside is a great little town with a beautiful beach!

i can't believe no one said Long Island beaches. Jones Beach - although way to crowded in the summer. And any beach on the South Fork - East Hampton, Montauk, Southhampton, etc.

Well, I for one didn't mention the Hamptons beaches because I don't think they are that great. THough there are some places on the north side of the south fork east of three mile harbor that are ok.

Sagamore Beach, Sagamore Massachsuetts! <BR>You can walk for miles, and the getty's <BR>make it all the more beautiful.

I wouldn't go in the water, or even take of my shoes, at Coney Island even if you paid me too! Too dirty. <BR>

Amelia Island, FL has a gorgeous and not very crowded beach. As for the comment above, there is no paper mill on Amelia Island. The closest is on the next island to the north, and most of the fashionable resorts are on the southern half of the island. The old town of Fernandina Beach on the north end of Amelia is beautiful, too. I recommend the Amelia Island Plantation for lodging.

My two choices are Mission Beach in San Diego, and Gulf Shores, Alabama.

<BR>My vote Nokomis Beach and the next beach down the road where a place called Sharkey`s at The Pier is.No developement there just beautiful beach.( just above Venice,Fla.) Also Lido key.

Another vote for Destin in the Florida Panhandle. There are also some great beaches and great beach towns in between Destin and Panama City Beach along Scenic Highway 30A. You'll love it.

My favorite is Tiger Tail Beach in Marco Island, Florida, but all of Marco Island's beaches are great.

I think the paper mill comment may <BR>have been referring to St. Simons, Island. St. Simons is right next to <BR>Brunswick, Ga which does have a paper <BR>mill and does smell bad. Never <BR>really noticed the smell on St. Simons though.

The Homer Spit in Homer, Alaska.

Been to captiva, all the LI beaches & calif. Seaside-ftwalton-st andrews are the best: azure blue water, leaping dolphins, sugar sand so fine it squeaks & nothing tacky in sight.

Fort Walton Beach, Florida is nice but the best overall is Waikiki Beach in Hawaii