502 Best Sights in USA

In the middle of Anna Maria Island, Manatee County Beach is popular with beachgoers of all ages. Paid parking is in the gravel lot next to the beach. Amenities: food and drink; parking (fee); showers; toilets. Best for: solitude; swimming; walking.

A wide, sandy strip with good swimming and rows of volleyball courts, Manhattan Beach is the preferred destination of fit, tanned young professionals. There are also such amenities as a bike path, a playground, a bait shop, fishing equipment for rent, and a sizable fishing pier with a free aquarium at the end. It's the perfect place to unwind during a long layover at LAX. Amenities: food and drink; lifeguards; parking (fee); showers; toilets. Best for: swimming; walking.

The long stretch of white sand that separates the Pacific Ocean from the town of Manzanita is as loved a stretch of coastline as the next, its north side reaching into the shadows of Neahkahnie Mountain, right where the mountain puts its foot in the ocean (the mountain itself, which makes for a great hike, lies within Oswald West State Park). The beach is frequented by vacationers, day-trippers, kite flyers, and dogs on its north end, but it extends a breezy 7 miles to the tip of Nehalem Bay State Park, which is accessible on foot over sand or by car along the road (the auto entrance is off Gary Street at Sandpiper Lane). At the south end of the park's parking lot, a dirt horse trail leads all the way to a peninsula's tip, a flat walk behind grassy dunes—you can book horseback excursions from Oregon Beach Rides, which has a stable inside the park. Cross to the right for a secluded patch of windy sand on the ocean, or to the left for a quiet, sunny place in the sun on Nehalem Bay, out of the wind. Amenities: toilets. Best for: sunset; walking.

This wide expanse of white sand is famous for bodysurfing due to its powerful shorebreak, but it also teems with sunbathers, swimmers, walkers, joggers, and folks just out for the incredible views. The sand is soft and fluffy and feels wonderful as it squishes through your toes. Swimmers need to beware; waves break in extremely shallow water and you need to watch out for riptides. The beach sits just between Children's Pool Beach to the north and Windansea Beach to the south. There are no amenities at the beach, but picnic tables, showers, and toilets are available at the nearby cove. Amenities: lifeguards. Best for: solitude; swimming; walking.

Kids love the gentle waves and warm (albeit often murky) waters of this beach in Coral Gables suburbia, near the Fairchild Tropical Botanic Garden. But the beach is only part of the draw—the park includes a boardwalk trail, a playground, and a golf course. Plus, the park is a prime spot for kiteboarding. The man-made lagoon, or "atoll pool," is perfect for inexperienced swimmers, and it's one of the best places in mainland Miami for a picnic. Most tourists don't make the trek here; this park caters more to locals who don't want to travel all the way to Miami Beach. The park also offers a full-service marina. Amenities: parking (fee); toilets. Best for: swimming.

Just over 30 miles east of Panama City, along scenic U.S. 98, is Mexico Beach, known for seclusion and a slower pace than its neighbors to the west. Although there aren't a lot of attractions, there is at least one of everything—gas station, grocery store, restaurant—so the comforts of home aren't too far away. Plus, it's a rare delight to see the Gulf unobstructed by houses and hotels. Although the town itself was destroyed in 2018 after a direct hit from Hurricane Michael, it has made quite a comeback and welcomes visitors with completely rebuilt or refurbished amenities, including several accommodations whose boat docks provide easy to access Gulf waters. In addition, the 5 miles of Gulf beaches along U.S. 98 have been fortified, and new dune walkovers are in place, greatly expanding beach access. Amenities: parking. Best for: solitude; swimming.

Part of the several-mile-long stretch of sandy beach that makes up Misquamicut, this ½-mile state-run portion is exceedingly popular. Expect the 2,100-space parking lot to fill up on sunny summer weekends. Bring your own chairs or blankets. Amenities: food and drink; lifeguards (seasonal); parking (fee); showers; toilets. Best for: sunset; swimming; family fun.

With an amusement park and rows of eclectic local shops, this 2-mile-long beach has a carnival vibe and is the closest thing you'll find to Coney Island on the West Coast. It's lively year-round but draws a huge crowd on hot summer days. A wide boardwalk paralleling the beach is popular with walkers, joggers, skateboarders, and bicyclists. To escape the crowds, head to South Mission Beach. It attracts surfers, swimmers, and volleyball players, who often play competitive pickup games on the courts near the north jetty. The water near the Belmont Park roller coaster can be a bit rough but makes for good bodyboarding and bodysurfing. For free parking, you can try for a spot on the street, but your best bets are the two big lots at Belmont Park. Amenities: lifeguards; parking (no fee); showers; toilets. Best for: surfing; swimming; walking.

Look for a little road and public parking lot near the Wailea Beach Resort if you are heading to Mokapu and Ulua beaches. Although there are no lifeguards, families love this place. Reef formations create tons of tide pools for kids to explore, and the beaches are protected from major swells. Snorkeling is excellent at Ulua, the beach to the left of the entrance. Mokapu, to the right, tends to be less crowded. Amenities: parking (free); showers; toilets. Best for: snorkeling; swimming.

The island's northernmost beach is part of the Honolua-Mokuleia Marine Life Conservation District. "Slaughterhouse" is the surfers' nickname for what is officially Mokuleia. Weather permitting, this is a great place for bodysurfing and sunbathing. Concrete steps and a railing help you get down the cliff to the sand, but it's generally a difficult area to access for younger children. The next bay over, Honolua, has no beach but offers one of the best surf breaks in Hawaii. Competitions are sometimes held there; telltale signs are cars pulled off the road and parked in the old pineapple field. Amenities: none. Best for: sunset; surfing; snorkeling.

There is a reason why the producers of the TV show Lost chose this beach for their set: it's on the island's remote, northwest point and about 10 miles from the closest store or public restroom. Its beauty is in its lack of facilities and isolation—all the joy of being stranded on a deserted island without the trauma of the plane crash. The beach is wide and white, the waters bright blue (but a little choppy) and full of sea turtles and other marine life. Mokuleia is a great secret find; just remember to pack supplies and use caution, as there are no lifeguards. Amenities: parking (no fee). Best for: sunset, walking.

Named for the 126-foot dune that's one of the tallest lakefront dunes on Earth, Mount Baldy Beach is at the far eastern end of the park's lakefront. Rangers guide hikes up Mount Baldy on summer weekends; access is otherwise restricted due to a restoration project. Amenities: parking (entrance fee required); toilets. Best for: swimming; walking.

This 1.2-mile beach on the southern side of Lubec Neck has dramatic tides that produce excellent clamming conditions, and you'll often see clammers out on the expansive tidal flats at low tide. The shoreline is a hot spot for birds (migratory, nesting, and wintering)—and birders. A boardwalk leads through a heady mess of fragrant rugosa rose bushes to the shore. From the beach, you can see Lubec Channel Light, one of only three “spark plug” lighthouses in Maine, in these relatively shallow waters. Part of a 48-acre Downeast Coastal Conservancy preserve, the beach is at the edge of Lubec town center. There is parking.

A great family spot, this beach adjoining a 4,085-acre mountain park has picnic areas, fishing, and a bathhouse, plus access to great hiking trails. You can also rent canoes and kayaks, and there's a campground. Amenities: lifeguards; parking (fee); showers; toilets. Best for: swimming; walking.

Small but scenic, this beach—a rocky patch of shoreline off Highway 1—is a good place to stretch your legs and gaze out at the Pacific Ocean. Locals often walk their dogs here; families and cuddling couples come for picnicking and sunbathing. At the northern end of the beach are waterfront homes (and occasional nude sunbathers), and at the other are the bluffs of the Golden Gate National Recreation Area. A pedestrian bridge connects directly from the parking lot to the beach, as well as to other coastal paths. There are no lifeguards on duty and the currents can be challenging, so swimming is not advised. Before or after a beach visit, enjoy a view from a scenic overlook above the beach's northern end, accessible via a different parking lot off the Shoreline Highway.  Amenities: parking (no fee); toilets. Best for: solitude; sunset; walking.

The beachfront of the city of Myrtle Beach stretches from the Springmaid Pier at the south end up to 82nd Avenue North. Expect the entire length of this popular family beach to be busy from May to October with people fishing, boogie boarding, parasailing, surfing (only allowed before 10 am and after 5 pm), and sunbathing. In the off-season (November–February) you can take horseback rides on the beach. Restaurants and shops line the boardwalk section of 2nd to 14th Avenues. A beachfront trail of workout stations lines the north end. Note that an ordinance bans tents over 7½ feet in diameter from Memorial Day to Labor Day. Amenities: lifeguards (May–September; no lifeguards in residential section of 38th–48th Avenues North); parking (free at north-end beach access areas; metered on street along Ocean Boulevard; pay by day or hour at Pavilion Parking Garage at 8th Avenue North); showers; toilets; water sports. Best for: partiers; sunrise; swimming; walking. 

Forty-three public Atlantic beach access points and five sound-side access points make Nags Head the perfect place to hit the shore, no matter what your needs may be. Access points are marked with white signs clearly stating "Public beach access," and 15 of them are suitable for wheelchairs; beach wheelchairs are available at the Bonnett and Hargrove accesses, and the 8th Street access has a stability mat that makes getting a stroller or wheelchair onto the beach easy. Many other areas have lifeguards and bathhouses. The town website lists all the accesses and provides a map. No matter where you land, expect clean sand and water. Vehicles are allowed on Nags Head beaches October through April with a town-issued permit. Leashed pets (maximum 10-foot leash) are allowed on Nags Head beaches year-round. Amenities: food and drink; lifeguards (late May–early September); parking (fee and no fee); showers; toilets. Best for: sunrise; sunset; swimming.

On the southeastern edge of the island, this beach sits at the heart of the rich ecological zones for which the island is known and protected. Naturalists with the Sapelo Island National Estuarine Research Reserve use this beach as an outdoor classroom, sometimes bringing groups here for beach walks. Visitors can hunt for sand dollars and whelk shells along nearly 2 miles of sandy shore; bird sightings include blue herons, egrets, ospreys, bald eagles, and the occasional plain chachalaca. A 1-mile trail connects this beach with the historic R. J. Reynolds House, crossing five ecological zones along the way. Amenities: toilets. Best for: solitude; walking.

With nostalgic views, this beloved and lively beach is perfect for surfing, sunbathing, people-watching, sandcastle making, crab hunting, and strolling its half-mile length; it also has seven ADA surf chairs, offered on a first-come, first-served basis. A sea wall (with free on-street parking) stretches along Ocean Road and attracts an eclectic crowd, including guitarists and motorcyclists. Covering approximately 19 acres, Narragansett Town Beach has a beautiful sandy beachfront, but it is the only beach in the state that you can't walk onto for free: the town charges (rather hefty) fees for admission (ages 12 and up) and parking. Amenities: food and drink; lifeguards; parking (fee); showers; toilets. Best for: surfing; swimming.

At the end of West Cliff Drive lies this stretch of soft sand edged with tide pools and sea-sculpted rock bridges. From September to early January a colony of monarch butterflies roosts in the eucalyptus grove. Amenities: lifeguards; parking (fee); toilets. Best for: sunrise; sunset; surfing; swimming.

This town-managed beach—not to be confused with Nauset Light Beach on the National Seashore—is a 10-mile sweep of sandy ocean beach with low dunes and large waves good for bodysurfing or board surfing. Despite its size, the massive parking lot often fills up on sunny days; arrive quite early or in the late afternoon if you want to claim a spot. The beach gets extremely crowded in summer; unless you walk a bit, expect to feel very close to your neighbors on the sand. Amenities: food and drink; lifeguards; parking (fee); showers; toilets. Best for: sunrise; surfing; swimming; walking.

Between Atlantic and Jacksonville beaches, this is a great family spot—perfect for combining a day at the beach with other activities. Because Neptune and Atlantic beaches share Atlantic Avenue's Town Center, with its assortment of restaurants, galleries, stores, and boutiques, you can easily escape the sun when you're ready for great food, shopping, and live entertainment. Amenities: food and drink; lifeguards (seasonal); showers. Best for: sunrise; swimming; walking.

Although less than a mile long, this is the widest beach on the lake and especially good for swimming (many Tahoe beaches are rocky). You can boat and fish here, and there are picnic tables, barbecue grills, and a campground beneath the pines. The beach is the best place to watch the July 4th or Labor Day fireworks, but most of the summer the subdued atmosphere attracts families and those seeking a less-touristy spot. Amenities: parking (fee); toilets; water sports. Best for: sunrise; swimming; walking.

This public beach extends 7 miles from the northernmost part of New Smyrna's barrier island south to the Canaveral National Seashore. It's mostly hard-packed white sand lined with heaps of sandy dunes; because they're endangered, it's against the law to walk on or play in them or to pick the sea grass, which helps to stabilize the dunes. From sunrise to sunset cars are allowed on certain sections of the beach (speed limit: 10 mph). In season there's a $20 beach-access fee for cars. Amenities: food and drink; lifeguards; parking (some with fee); showers; toilets; water sports. Best for: sunrise; surfing; swimming; walking.

The biggest and most popular beach park in the Bellevue park system, this large park has a big swimming beach, seasonal lifeguards, a fishing dock, nature trails, restrooms, and a large grassy area with picnic tables. The playground is a favorite, thanks to a train that tots can sit in and older kids can climb on and hop from car to car.

Sandier and less private than most of the rocky beaches surrounding it, this little beach is great for picnics. You can sit at a picnic table high up on a bluff overlooking the ocean or cast out a fishing line. Surfers call it Zero Beach because the waves take the shape of a hollow tube when winter swells peel off the reef. Peak weather attracts local food trucks. This site also hosts a 4-acre traditional Chumash village, which replicates a day in the life of the indigenous Chumash people, including their homes, canoes, handicrafts, and ceremonies. Request a guided tour in advance. Amenities: parking (fee); lifeguards; toilets; showers. Best for: solitude; surfing; walking; windsurfing.

This 227-acre park off Old Post Road, formerly a World War II–era naval air training base, now features picnic grounds, ball fields, a playground, a bike path, tennis and basketball courts, a criterium bicycle course, nature trails, a disc-golf course, and a 3-acre spring-fed swimming pond (with lifeguards on duty in the summer). The Charlestown Seafood Festival is held here in August, and the excellent Rhythm & Roots concert festival rolls into the park every Labor Day weekend.

This beach is on the island just north of Venice Beach, across the pass near North Jetty Park. It's frequented more by sunbathing retirees than young partiers. Amenities: food and drink; parking; showers; toilets. Best for: sunset; swimming.

The beautiful people strut their stuff at this lakefront strand. The ocean steamer-shaped beachhouse, which received an overdue glow up in 2024, has concession stands, a restaurant, cabana rentals, and upper decks for surveying the skyline. There are over 50 volleyball courts (rented by the hour), kayak and Jet Ski rentals, and lots of sand. Amenities: food and drink; lifeguards (late May--early Sept.); parking (fee); toilets; water sports. Best for: partiers; sunrise; swimming; walking.

Just five minutes from St. Augustine, this site (aka Usina Beach) includes boat ramps, two campsites, and a picnic area with grills. If you'd rather eat in a restaurant, you're in the right spot—a variety of eateries overlook the ocean or the Intracoastal Waterway. Amenities: lifeguards (seasonal); parking (no fee); showers; toilets. Best for: solitude; walking.