Sun and Sand: On the Beach
Thousands of people head for the beach seeking relaxed and affordable family vacations that are equally fun for parents, children and grandparents. In fact, going to the seashore is one activity that spans the generations. Just about everyone from 9 to 90 enjoys the beach.
Explore these family-friendly beaches.
Bethany Beach, Delaware
For an ideal vacation with all the comforts of home, try Sea Colony Resort, a half mile south of Bethany Beach, Delaware.
Visitors can rent reasonably priced condominiums or small homes that are fully stocked with complete kitchens, washers and dryers, television and maybe even board games and books left by previous guests. The many inexpensive restaurants along the ocean highway tempt families to eat out.
Located on private property and a short walk to the Atlantic Ocean, Sea Colony charges a $25 dollar fee per person to gain access to recreational facilities. These include 10 outdoor and 2 indoor pools, 33 tennis courts, a fitness center, and half a mile of private beach. Bikes, tennis rackets, and other equipment are available for rent.
http://www.resortquest.com/bethany/index.cfm
http://www.bethany-fenwick.org/
Indiana Dunes National Lakeshore, Indiana
Indiana Dunes National Lakeshore offers miles of beaches and sand dunes to suit all ages. Managed by the National Park Service, the Lakeshore runs for 25 miles along southern Lake Michigan into Indiana and Michigan.
Day-trippers in Chicago can hop the South Bend-South Shore Railroad for West Beach or Ogden Dunes near Porter, Indiana. Closer to the eastern end of the Dunes National Lakeshore is Central Beach and Kemil Beach, both approachable by car and within miles of each other off U.S. 12.
Accommodations are available outside the park at numerous motels and hotels. The National Park Service offers free admittance to people over 62 and anyone riding in their car.
Williams Lake Resort, New York
A cozy retreat for those who prefer quiet vacations, Williams Lake Resort maintains a homey atmosphere by continuing a three-generation tradition of warm hospitality and delicious food served family-style. All meals are included in the overall price.
Located among 600 acres of woodland in Rosendale, New York, about 75 miles north of New York City, the resort offers free golf, swimming, and fishing from the pier. Shuffleboard, horseshoes and ping-pong connect players to the same games their ancestors played.
Maui, Hawaii Islands
The island of Maui, a 30-minute plane ride from Honolulu, is a paradise for beach lovers. With temperatures ranging from 62 to 70 in the winter and 80 to 88 in the summer, Maui offers miles of broad beaches, snorkeling, swimming and whale watching (in season).
Ka’anapali Beach has become a trendy, if expensive, resort area that lures honeymooners and families alike to its oceanfront Hyatt Regency and Ritz Carlton Kapalua hotels. Many hotels sponsor festive luaus, which include a whole pig cooked in a pit. Performances by Polynesian hula dancers and singers round out the evening.
If swimming pales, there’s always the predawn bicycle ride down from the 10,000 foot summit of the dormant volcano Halekal.
Dauphin Island, Alabama
Often called the Crown Jewel of the Gulf Coast, Dauphin Island today is a sleepy backwater, and the right place for peace and quiet at discount rates. The 17-mile barrier island of sugary white sand in the Gulf of Mexico is easily reached by bridge from Mobile, Alabama. Its simple accommodations include a campground.
Dauphin Island is the ideal escape for those who don’t need amusement parks or blocks of bars. Island officials note that recreation and entertainment focus on sunrise and sunset walks, tanning on the beach and pier and deep-sea fishing.
The island also is a top birding spot in the Southeast with a 164-acre Audubon wildlife refuge, a stopping point for thousands of birds on their annual 500-mile flight to Mexico.
Chincoteague, Virginia
Most famous for its wild ponies, Chincoteague, Virginia, a three-hour drive from Washington, DC, is the gateway to an unspoiled Eden where ocean swimming, sunning and observing wildlife tempt visitors.
One of a series of islands southeast of the Chesapeake Bay, Chincoteague is a small town providing lodging, dining and access to Assateague Island National Seashore, a 37-mile-long barrier island managed by the National Park Service. Accommodations on Chincoteague include camping, rental cottages, bed and breakfast inns and motels. There is no camping on Assateague Island Virginia, lodging facilities are not available and all living flora and fauna are federally protected.
The wild ponies run free until it’s time for the annual Pony Penning festival and auction run by and benefiting the volunteer fire department. Planned each year for the end of July, the festival stars ponies that swim the half-mile from Assateague to Chincoteague for auction to the public and manages the pony population and ecosystem on which they depend. But the ponies don’t come cheap: prices can reach $1,700 per pony. The annual pony swim is immortalized in Marguerite Henry’s book for children, "Misty of Chincoteague."
http://www.assateagueisland.com
http://www.beach-net.com/chincoteague/
Cape May, New Jersey
Capture the feel of the Victorian era at Cape May, the oldest U.S. seashore resort, dating back to 1761. Located at the southern tip of New Jersey, the small quiet town boasts four miles of wide sand beaches and a long promenade for biking and strolling.
Visitors attracted by the easy pace of Cape May have included Abraham Lincoln, before he was president, and Civil War Generals Robert E. Lee and William Sherman.
Cape May’s beautifully preserved Victorian homes are called "painted ladies" because of their pastel colors. They have long verandahs with wicker chairs that lure guests to read and rock awhile. Many have been restored as bed and breakfasts. Modern motels are plentiful.
http://www.covesoft.com/capemay/index.html
St. Petersburg Beach Florida
On Florida’s Gulf of Mexico, St. Petersburg is called the "City by the Sea" because of its 35 miles of beaches.
The city connects by bridges and causeways to St. Petersburg Beach and other gulf beaches (some charge a modest amount) where water sports beckon all comers. There’s swimming and building sand castles, snorkeling or deep-sea fishing, wind surfing and parasailing.
The city’s moderate climate ranges between the 60s and 90s, allowing year-round vacationing pleasure. For a special treat, watch the pelicans fish for food along the waterfront.
http://www.stpete.com/water.htm
Cape Cod, Massachusetts
Cape Cod is a natural wonderland for families with its numerous ponds, salt marshes and many miles of beaches. Created from the shifting sands left by the last Ice Age, it was named for the cod that generations of fishermen have hauled out of the Atlantic.
Herring Cove beach, off Provincetown at the farthest tip of Cape Cod, is on the Atlantic Ocean and finds favor especially with teenagers and adults because of its large surfs. The south side beaches on the Nantucket Sound are most appealing to toddlers and their parents with their gentler waters.
http://www.capecodchamber.org/
Manhattan Beach, California
Vacationers drive a few miles south of Los Angeles along the Pacific Coast Highway to reach Manhattan Beach. It’s known for excellent surfing, while its beach scene is reminiscent of the popular TV program "Baywatch."
Generation Xers make up the majority of visitors and Manhattan Beach sports trendy bars and nightclubs. For golden bodies in great shape, wonderful surfing and boogie boarding, head for El Porto Street.
Manhattan Beach also has the distinction of being home to basketball star Shaquille O’Neal, baseball’s Mike Piazza and volleyball athlete Mike Dodd.
http://www.ci.manhattan-beach.ca.us/
Books
Find these books online at Barnes and Noble.com.
Kauai Trailblazer: Where to Hike, Snorkel, Bike, Paddle,
Surf
Jerry Sprout and Janine Sprout, Diamond Valley Company, January
2002
Beaches
Gideon Bosker and Lena Lencek, Chronicle Books LLC, April 2000
California Coastal Adventures: A Guide to Beaches, Boat Trips,
Islands and Maritime Museums
Elsa Ditmars and AnneTatgenhorst, Pacific Heritage Books, July
2001
