Sunset Beach is on the North Shore of Oahu and is considered the surfing capital of the world.
Sunset Beach, Hawaii —
Sunset Beach is on the North Shore of Oahu and is considered the surfing capital of the world.
David Ball/Alamy
Chincoteague, Virginia, is the gateway to the Assateague Island National Seashore, a nature refuge that's home to wild ponies, herons, woodpeckers and foxes.
Chincoteague, Virginia —
Chincoteague, Virginia, is the gateway to the Assateague Island National Seashore, a nature refuge that's home to wild ponies, herons, woodpeckers and foxes.
Pat & Chuck Blackley/Alamy
Boca Grande on the Gulf of Mexico is a real slice of Old Florida
Boca Grande, Florida —
Boca Grande on the Gulf of Mexico is a real slice of Old Florida
Paul Costello
Lubec, Maine, features a Victorian-style downtown, 97 miles of shoreline, two lighthouses and access to the former Roosevelt summer home on Campobello Island.
Lubec, Maine —
Lubec, Maine, features a Victorian-style downtown, 97 miles of shoreline, two lighthouses and access to the former Roosevelt summer home on Campobello Island.
iStock - Travel + Leisure
With its antiques shops and hiking trails, Gearhart, Oregon, is an in-the-know haven for Portland hipsters like Paige Powell and Gus Van Sant.
Gearhart, Oregon —
With its antiques shops and hiking trails, Gearhart, Oregon, is an in-the-know haven for Portland hipsters like Paige Powell and Gus Van Sant.
Keith Daly
Santa Cruz, California, is home to the Beach Boardwalk amusement park and Henry Cowell Redwoods State Park.
Santa Cruz, California —
Santa Cruz, California, is home to the Beach Boardwalk amusement park and Henry Cowell Redwoods State Park.
iStock
Rehoboth Beach, Delaware, is home to art galleries and dance venues like the Rusty Rudder and Shag.
Rehoboth Beach, Delaware —
Rehoboth Beach, Delaware, is home to art galleries and dance venues like the Rusty Rudder and Shag.
Michael Anderson - Travel + Leisure
Visitors to Silver Lake Sand Dunes, Michigan, can ride beach buggies, tour farmers' markets and take in a massive July 4th fireworks show.
Silver Lake Sand Dunes, Michigan —
Visitors to Silver Lake Sand Dunes, Michigan, can ride beach buggies, tour farmers' markets and take in a massive July 4th fireworks show.
Jason Lindsey / Alamy
Rockport, Texas, features the Aransas National Wildlife Refuge, beaches along nearby Matagorda Island and a 1,000-year-old oak known as "the Big Tree."
Rockport, Texas —
Rockport, Texas, features the Aransas National Wildlife Refuge, beaches along nearby Matagorda Island and a 1,000-year-old oak known as "the Big Tree."
Diane Lloyd
Gulf Shores, Alabama, is close to the Bon Secour National Wildlife refuge and is a mainstay of the American seafood industry.
Gulf Shores, Alabama —
Gulf Shores, Alabama, is close to the Bon Secour National Wildlife refuge and is a mainstay of the American seafood industry.
Jeff Greenberg / Alamy
Avila, California's bay location gives it less fog than its neighboring towns.
Avila, California —
Avila, California's bay location gives it less fog than its neighboring towns.
Len Wilcox/Alamy