The Gulf Coast is a fun place to go, even if not for gambling (the spa at the Beau Rivage is worth it), but it's just not the beach to me. I will admit to many Saturdays on the "sand at the bay" in Bay St. Louis, but if I'm going to the "beach" - it's got to be Pensacola or farther! Hmmm... maybe a shrimp po-boy tonight!

I used to take the bus to the beach. Now I go to "the Lake" and it is in the other direction and doesn't have a wide sandy beach.

Most any large amount of salt water that coasts a land mass is called "ocean" by most people who don't live near one. They don't readily designate Sea, Ocean, Gulf etc.

neworleanslady: Don't discount Gulf Shores or Perdido or Orange beach!

We grew up near Gloversville NY and just called it the tanning mill cesspool!

If this REALLY matters, it would seem that a coast is along the ocean, the shore is along any body of water, but a beach is only a part of shore where you'd actually swim. EG: a cliff along the shore or coast would not be a beach.

oh, I agree about the beach on the Gulf Coast of Mississippi, in all the years we went there to visit my granparents in the 80's, swimming in that gulf was never an activity we did...I loved the fresh seafood and snow cone shacks in the summer....There weren't any casinos...just beautiful old homes to drive by along the water...the good 'ole days

In Southern New Jersey if you live near it you call it the beach.If you visit it you call it the shore.I call it the beach.

Do you watch "keeping up appearances?" Quoting the Bucket woman it's "waterside supper with riperian entertainment".

Ilove keeping up appearances with Hyacinth. That show cracks me up!

I live in Maryland, and when you go over to the east side of the Chesapeake Bay, you're going to the Eastern Shore. However, if you continue on, until you reach the Atlantic Ocean, you're going to the "heach". So you have to go over to the Shore to get to the beach. And if you're going to the western side of the chesapeake bay, you're going to your house on the Bay.
Get it?

Growing up in San Francisco, I would only say "Going to the Beach" and by that I mean going to the place with sand. I guess since I'm already on the coast, I would not say I'm going to the coast.

If we are driving to LA along highway 1, I would certainly say "Driving along the coast" and not "Driving along the beach", but that is the only time I think I would use coast. I don't think I've ever used shore.

Growing up New England, I became aware of some subtle differences. "The beach" was where we went to frolic in sand and surf. But being "at the shore" usually meant (in the sniffy circles) being at one's summer house, as did "going to the Cape" -- as in "they're going to the Cape for the summer."

People sometimes said they had a "cottage" at the beach, which was actually less rustic compared to a "beach house" which was sometimes a bit of a shack.

A lot of people, however, said they had a "camp" and were going up to "the camp" in the summer -- which was an inland house on a lake or in the mountains (or preferably both) -- often but not necessarily rustic. It did NOT imply having an actual tent and camping, could be a nicer house than the one I grew up in -- might even be insulated for use in winter for skiing.

It's called the lakefront (in Chicago). You could also say you're going to the beach, but only if you actually are. There are plenty of non beach areas along the lake. It's never the coast or the shore.

In Oregon we go to the coast. In my mind I the beach is a place where it is warm and sunbathing is at least a possibility. Shore is not used but when I hear it I think of the east coast.

The coast and the shore are synonyms - the line at which the ocean and the land meet.

The beach is a flat part of the coast covered by sand, pebbles and barely dressed tourists.

A guld is a large area of a sea or ocean partially enclosed by land (this one I got from the dictionary). It's not an ocean, but it is a specific part of one. So someone who said they were looking at the ocean from the west coast (shore) of Fla. wouldn't actually be wrong, even if they weren't being specific.

Well, ok, the dictionary said no such thing about "guld", but "gulf" would work.

Had a new thought last night when planning the first tuna fishing trip of the season... I do use "shore" but only when referring to "OFF-shore" - as in fishing and oil production!

Didn't think HotWheels was asking for dictionary clarification of the words so much as regional choices of terminology. But the word "beach" certainly does sound warmer and sunnier than "shore." Had a California Girl cousin who was completely blown away (so to speak) by seeing ice on a beach on the North Shore of Boston -- which, by the way, refers to all the seaside towns north of Boston up to Cape Ann; then there's Boston's South Shore (down to Plymouth). And newsroleanslady, don't forget "off-shore" and "on-shore" breezes.

(BTW: I certainly remember everyone in the Phila/Camden/Wilmington area where I went to college saying 'let's go down'na shore!" -- which didn't mean Florida, it meant NJ or MAYBE Delmarva.)

And the

The (sandy) beach is at the shore on the coast. Rehoboth beach is on the Delaware shore on the US east coast.

There are differences in how you navigate those geographical entities. That is:

You go TO the beach.
You go DOWN (to) the shore.

Beach and shore can on a lake or sea, but coast is always sea coast.

You go up (or down) the coast. You don't actually ever go TO the coast, if the travel is a short distance. To go to a coast (west coast, east coast, Gulf coast) requires longer distance travel.

I grew up on the East End of Long Island, NY. Thus I grew up on the ocean. We had a Sound side beach house so really I guess I grew up on the Sound. I tend to agree if it is sand it is a beach, if rocks the coast, waters edge..the shore (except in Joisey). Gulf is the gulf, and any lake is lakefront, not a beach. But then I drink 'coke' no matter what soda it is, eat subs, and love astea, not sweet. I drink milk too, not buttermilk, sweet milk.