Small American Beach Towns

Some of our clients at Travel 100 Group enjoy just a plain old fashioned American beach for their summer getaways. Envision something like this: park the car, drag a beach chair and a book to the sand, and then shuffle down the boardwalk in your flip-flops for fried clams and an icy-cold can of beer: a place with fireworks, friendly locals, and sticky scoop shops. We’ve listed some great American no frills seaside escapes, from classic fun-in-the-sun to New England colonial charm. When it comes to precious summer weekends in the sun, it pays to keep things simple.

SAUGATUCK, MICHIGAN

The sand: Dunes that will remind you of Cape Cod, and khaki beaches that mimic Malibu.

A Day in the Life: We love Saugatuck for its inspiring landscape and laid back attitude. This charming and historic, beach town is within a three-hour drive from Detroit, Chicago, Indianapolis, and Milwaukee and has long drawn those seeking a watery muse, rugged adventures, or simple beach pleasures. Beach goers can cross the bridge or, more fun, board a 1913 hand-cranked ferry that chugs from Saugatuck across the Kalamazoo. The quick and quaint ride costs just $1 and the rewards, unspoiled stretch of Oval Beach, which frequently finds itself listed as one of the world’s best. For an even less populated place to stake your umbrella, there’s the nearby Saugatuck Dunes State Park, with two miles of Lake Michigan shoreline, 200-foot-tall dunes, and 1,000 acres of hiking terrain.

Home away from Home: Silver Palate cookbook co-author Julee Rosso runs the affordable and homey, Wickwood Inns. Each of its 11 guest rooms, are based on a different theme, such as an English garden or mountain cabin.

OGUNQUIT, MAINE

The sand: Three and a half miles of white-sand beaches on a long hook of land, separated from the mainland by the mouth of the Ogunquit River.

A day in the Life: Lobster? Ach, you can find that anywhere in Maine, however there are only in a few select spots along the state’s 5,500 miles of rocky coastline will you find actual soft, bottom-inviting sand, and that’s outside the hamlet of Ogunquit. We love the great restaurants in town: blueberry pancakes at Bessie’s or for dinner Ogunquit’s acclaimed Arrows Restaurant. It goes beyond typical beach fare, serving foie gras-and-oxtail dumplings, sea salt–roasted rabbit loin, and mango bubble pudding. And, oh yeah, Maine lobster, too.

Home away from Home: We love the 19 one and two bedroom cottages at Dunes on the Waterfront: They have screened porches and Adirondack chairs just 200 yards from the main beach.

CANNON BEACH, OREGON

The sand: Four miles of Pacific Northwest beauty: towering rocks, tidal pools, forests, and waterfalls, all connected by soft stretches of sand.

A day in the Life: Picket fences, surf shops, and glassworks boutiques have helped tame Cannon Beach, a town of 1,700 artsy and outdoorsy souls 80 miles west of Portland, into a perfectly stroll-worthy seaside escape. But its wild side still rules: Born of volcanoes and still constantly smashed by the sea, the Oregon outpost overspills with fascinating formations, from the 235-foot basalt Haystack Rock and the forest-shrouded waves of Indian Beach to calmer spots at Arcadia Beach and the Tolovana Wayside. All but the most adventuresome (and wet suit–clad) will want to look, but not touch, as the tides can be deadly and the water rarely rises above 60 degrees. But you’ll find plenty of gentle warmth in the surrounding community, which celebrates Sandcastle Days in June. At the Wayfarer Restaurant & Lounge, you can feast on Dungeness crab and sip an Oregon pinot noir while gazing at Haystack and all those crashing waves.

Home away from Home: Views from the 45 rooms at the stone-and-timber Ocean Lodge are unforgettable; oh and it is pet friendly too!

MEXICO BEACH, FLORIDA

The sand: Around these three miles of confectioners’-sugar sands, you’ll see bald eagles, sea turtles, dolphins—and only a few footprints.

A day in the Life: We love this quiet secluded little beach town, just south of Destin, on the Florida Panhandle. The 1,200 residents have purposely avoided high-rises, strip malls, and theme parks like the plague, keeping their low-slung town to themselves. The focus is on small-town fun, with gumbo cook-offs, kingfish tournaments, and fireworks fundraisers. You can kill two beach birds with one stone at the souvenirs-and-seafood shop Shell Shack. If you want to get off the beach, pop into the pool bar at the El Governor motel or take a scuba dive through a sunken oil tanker just offshore.

Home away from Home: The Driftwood Inn is no frills, it has four-poster beds in its rooms and DIY barbecue grills on its back deck. If you want to play at being a local, there are separate two-bedroom Victorian houses.