Miami Beach, Florida

Miami Beach has perhaps the some of the best city beaches in the country. The water is relatively clear and the warm, white-sand beaches are wide, firm, and long enough to accommodate the throngs of visitors.


The most crowded beaches are from about 5th to 21st Street, which is essentially South Beach and all its circus-like glory. As well as sunbathing with the beautiful people, you can also get in some surfing.

If you don’t get enough people watching on South Beach, head to the mid-Beach boardwalk, which runs from 21st to 46th streets. Families should head north of 21st Street, especially to the beach at 53rd Street and 73rd Street. Another family-friendly spot is Matheson Hammock Park and South Pointe Park.

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Santa Monica Beach & Pier - Los Angeles, California

You'll instantly recognize it from film and TV: the neon-lit arch of the Santa Monica Pier. Feel the ocean breeze as you stroll past snack shacks, a game arcade, lively entertainers, and anglers to the far tip where the entire arc of the Santa Monica Bay, from Malibu to Palos Verdes unfolds before you.


Kids get their kicks at Pacific Park, with its solar-powered Ferris wheel, kiddy rides, and midway games. Near the pier entrance, nostalgic souls and their offspring can ride the colorfully hand-painted horses on the vintage merry-go-round.

Just below the carousel is Santa Monica Pier Aquarium, where sea stars and sea urchins can be scooped up and petted. And then there's the wide and long sandy expanse that is Santa Monica Beach. Here you’ll find sunbathers, families, volleyball players, and roller skaters.

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South Beach - Miami, Florida

South Beach is everything the hype has lead you to believe. Its 10 miles/16 kilometers of beaches filled with a buzzing, carnival-like atmosphere, and the stunning pastel-hued structures in the Art Deco District, where stands the largest concentration of Art Deco architecture in the world.


With a trendy Caribbean-chic café culture and an impossibly hip and sexy nightlife scene, South Beach is a nonstop people-watching mecca, especially on Ocean Drive. Head to lovely Lincoln Road to shop, stroll the Art Deco canyons on Collins Avenue, or wander the beach Promenade between 5th and 15th streets.

If you want to get out of the sun and away from the crowds, step inside the provocative World Erotic Art Museum or visit the polar opposite Bass Museum of Art for a peek at 16th-century religious art. By then, mojitos and people-watching will carry you into the evening.

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Venice Beach - Los Angeles, California

Southern California’s quintessential bohemian playground, Venice Beach is a haven for artists, New Agers, homeless people, and free spirits of all stripes. This is where Jim Morrison and the Doors lit their fire, where Arnold Schwarzenegger pumped himself to stardom, and where Julia Roberts and Dennis Hopper make their homes today.


Life on Venice Beach moves to a different rhythm and nowhere more so than on the famous Venice Boardwalk, officially known as Ocean Front Walk. It’s a nonstop Mardi Gras of fortune tellers, street musicians, and characters of all colors, shapes, and sizes. This is where to get your hair braided, your karma corrected, and your back massaged qigong–style. 

Encounters with hoop dreamers, a Speedo-clad snake charmer and a roller-skating Sikh minstrel are pretty much guaranteed, especially on hot summer days. The Sunday-afternoon drum circle draws hundreds of revelers for tribal playing and spontaneous dancing.

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Myrtle Beach, South Carolina

The beach resort town of Myrtle Beach is the focal point of a 60-mile (96.5 kilometer) stretch of seafront dubbed ‘The Grand Strand.’ High-rise condos line the long stretch of beach, with its amusement parks, water parks and souvenir shops. Golfing is a big hit round here, with more than 100 courses to choose from.