Who doesn’t love summer? Endless sun, refreshing swims, shorts and summer dresses, golden tans icy drinks, vacations and travel are just a few of the many pleasures of the summer season.
America is home to several coastal cities and beach towns. These destinations are popular haunts during the summer months as they offer a plethora of warm weather delights.
Carmel By the Sea, California
The quaint and picturesque seaside town of Carmel by the Sea in Monterey County on the California Coast was established as a Spanish settlement in the late 18th Century. Today, this delightful town is renowned for its beautiful beaches such as Carmel Beach, Carmel River State Beach and Monastery Beach. This exceptionally dog-friendly town is also home to a thriving arts community and features various points of interest in the form of charming cottages, plentiful browse-worthy art galleries, boutiques, and vineyards.
Edgartown, Massachusetts
Located on the eastern end of Martha’s Vineyard, Edgartown is an immensely popular vacation destination. The many attractions on offer in this former whaling town include pristine beaches and water-based recreations, museums, historic homes, wine tours and exquisite restaurants.
Bar Harbor, Maine
Bar Harbor, a town on Desert Island, in Hancock County, Maine is renowned for its stunning coastal beauty and beautiful sandy beaches. This historic town, which once welcomed tall ships and schooners sailing in from England and Europe is also within easy access of Acadia National Park. Outdoorsy pursuits, cultural jaunts, great lobster based meals; Bar Harbor offers them all and more.
Watch Hill, Rhode Island
Situated on a peninsula in Westerly, Rhode Island, the tiny community of Watch Hill is famed for stunning beaches, East Beach and Napatree Point. A favored holiday spot of America’s rich and famous Watch Hill offers several landmark attractions. The Watch Hill Lighthouse, the Flying Horse Carousel (one of America’s oldest), the Olympia Tea Room that dates back to 1916 and the Luxe Ocean House hotel, a restored Victorian-era hotel are its most famous sights.
St Augustine, Florida
The historic city of St Augustine, located on the northeastern coast of Florida dates back more than 450 years. Don Pedro Menendez de Aviles of Spain founded St Augustine in September 1565, and it continues to be the longest continually inhabited European-founded city in the US. The city offers several points of interest including old churches, forts, museums and attractions such as Ponce de Leon’s Fountain of Youth, Castillo de San Marcos, St Augustine Lighthouse and Museum and the oldest wooden school house. The city also boasts of a lively dining scene and offers easy access to several area beaches such as St Augustine Beach, Ponte Verde Beach, Crescent Beach, Anastasia State Park and others.
Pawleys Island, South Carolina
Pawleys Island is a small barrier island located at a distance of seventy miles from Charleston. A salt marsh separates the island from the mainland as two short causeways serve as the main conduit for the island. The Island, which once served as the summer getaway of the area’s rice farmers, is secluded and unspoiled. Lined with historic antebellum homes the island offers abundant opportunities for summertime outdoor pursuits such as swimming, beach combing, fishing, kayaking, biking and sunbathing.
