The best beaches on the East Coast of the US

Growing up within day-tripping distance of the Jersey Shore, I will always feel like the Atlantic coast is home. While the West Coast of the USA has all the drama (and California sunshine), the East Coast has thousands of miles of sandy shoreline, with wide and long beaches that seem to stretch forever. Throw in loads of maritime history, rock-perched Revolutionary-era lighthouses and kitschy boardwalks, and you’ve got plenty of intriguing detours to fuel your itinerary.

While some areas are overdeveloped and not all beaches are free to access, you’ll find many remote spots and tranquil islands as you work your way down the eastern seaboard of the US. Plan out your stops at these top beaches on the East Coast, from Maine to Florida.

1. Old Orchard Beach, Maine

Best for a boardwalk pier

Just south of Portland, ME, 7-mile Old Orchard Beach on Saco Bay is a classic crowd-pleaser. On a wide plain of golden sand, the showstopper is the Old Orchard Beach Pier, a busy boardwalk that looks like a New England street levitating over the ocean. With easy access to fried dough and a beachside amusement park, it's Maine’s closest thing to the Jersey Shore.

2. Race Point Beach, Massachusetts

Best for dunes

At the tip of Cape Cod, 115 miles from Boston, Provincetown, MA, is known for its lively summer weekends. Race Point Beach, on the ocean side of town, is a wild landscape of dunes and Atlantic Ocean shoreline. Part of the protected Cape Cod National Seashore, this beach is worth visiting to immerse yourself in nature and enjoy a joy ride through dunes on your way to watch a magnificent sunset.

Planning tip: Where there are dunes, there’s usually wind. You’ll need a light jacket even on the hottest days, especially if you’re staying for golden hour.

3. Cooper’s Beach, New York

Best for soft sand

The Atlantic Ocean beaches of the Hamptons have long lured vacationers 90 miles east of New York City to break up the summer heat with ocean vistas, fresh seafood and a shimmering social scene. Long Island has more than a thousand miles of coastline, but Cooper’s Beach on the South Fork is known to have the softest sands to soothe achy urban feet.

Planning tip: You don’t need a car to make the trip from New York City to Southampton. Join the locals and catch the Hampton Jitney bus.

4. Sandy Hook, New Jersey

Best for skyline views

It’s not often that you can enjoy a view of the Manhattan skyline with your toes in the sand. But Sandy Hook, NJ, on the other side of the Lower New York Bay from the city, is a nature lover’s delight on the Atlantic Ocean. Part of the Gateway National Recreation Area, this beach is clean and free of development. It is also home to the oldest operating lighthouse in the US, dating back to the 18th century, and is an important nesting site for horseshoe crabs, one of the most ancient species on the planet (circa the Cambrian explosion).

Detour: Travel all the way down the shore, and you will eventually reach Cape May, NJ, another historic beach town. From its lighthouse, you can catch a beachfront sunset, a rarity on the East Coast.

5. Assateague Island, Maryland

Best for wild horses

Around 120 miles from Annapolis, MD, Assateague Island lies between the Atlantic Ocean and Chincoteague Bay. On this part of the National Seashore, visitors are allowed to swim anywhere there is a Day Use Beach Area, which have bathrooms and lifeguards. And just when you think it can’t get more dreamy than the pristine natural beaches of Assateague Island, cue the wild horses.

Planning tip: These horses are truly wild, which means they are not used to interacting with humans. Treat them like you would any other animal, and appreciate them from a safe distance.

6. Kill Devil Hills, North Carolina

Best for peace and quiet

The Outer Banks are a swath of barrier islands that stretch into the Atlantic Ocean from the Virginia border all the way to Ocracoke Island, NC. There are many wide, empty beaches, sometimes with tiny towns attached, including Kill Devil Hills, about 200 miles from Raleigh. This wonderfully mellow hamlet is a great home base for exploring the area’s more remote and secluded beaches.

Detour: Every traveler passing through North Carolina should plan a layover in Kitty Hawk, where the dream of air travel was first achieved.

7. Driftwood Beach, Georgia

Best for photographers

Georgia's Jekyll Island, about 90 miles from Savannah, was a retreat for the most successful tycoons of the Gilded Age, and you can see many of these historic homes while you roam sandy beaches facing the Atlantic Ocean. However, nature puts on its own display of wealth at Driftwood Beach. Filled with skeletal tree trunks, which are the result of erosion, the driftwood trees have been twisted and smoothed down over the ages, creating a dramatic and poetic scene.

Planning tip: Driftwood Beach is beautiful to see but is not the best for swimming. For more space to spread out, head to South Dunes Beach.

8. Crandon Beach, Florida

Best for kids

No state on the East Coast can beat Florida when it comes to beaches. Sticking to the state's Atlantic Ocean side, you’ll need to continue about 15 miles south of South Beach, Miami, to find the palm-tree-laden retreat at Crandon Beach. This large public beach is the perfect place to take a break from the city. There are plenty of palm trees where beachgoers can string up hammocks; plus, the clear and shallow waters are great for kids, kayakers and paddleboarders.

Detour: Keep on driving and spend half a day exploring Bill Baggs Cape Florida State Park. Use the walking trails or go up the stairs of the historic lighthouse.