Regional Guide · 170 beaches
Atlantic Ocean Beaches
Atlantic coverage runs the full eastern seaboard, from the cold rocky coves of Maine down to the Florida Keys — 14 states of it. New England's Cape Cod and North Shore, the NYC beaches at Coney Island and Rockaway, the Long Island corridor out to Montauk, the 127-mile New Jersey Shore, the Delaware surf coast, Maryland's Ocean City and Assateague stretch, Virginia Beach and the undeveloped refuges south, the Outer Banks, the Carolina and Georgia sea islands, and Florida's Atlantic side. Real surf, real rip currents, and a water-temperature swing of more than 20°F between the two ends of the coast at the same moment in summer.
Current Conditions
Average water temperature: 66°F
Across 170 monitored stations on the Atlantic Ocean.
When to Go
Late June through September for comfortable water. Water runs 10-15°F colder than the bays most of the year. Peak season is July-August; shoulder months are less crowded but cooler.
Watch Out For
Rip currents are the real Atlantic hazard — always check flag status at lifeguarded beaches. Most municipal and county beaches have strict seasonal dog bans (usually May through September/October). Piping plover nesting closes stretches of the barrier islands roughly April through August.
Florida · 32
All Florida beaches →Bahia Honda State Park
Ideal for a beach walk.
Anne's Beach
Ideal for swimming.
New Smyrna Beach
Ideal for swimming.
Sombrero Beach
Ideal for a beach walk.
Crandon Park Beach
Ideal for a beach walk.
Bill Baggs Cape Florida State Park
Ideal for a beach walk.
Cocoa Beach
Ideal for swimming.
Smathers Beach
Ideal for a beach walk.
Bathtub Reef Beach (Hutchinson Island)
Great day for a beach walk.
St. Augustine Beach
Great day for swimming.
Haulover Beach Park
Ideal for a beach walk.
South Beach (Miami Beach)
Great day for a beach walk.
Hollywood Beach
Great day for a beach walk.
Fort Lauderdale Beach
Great day for a beach walk.
Jupiter Beach
Great day for photography.
Delray Beach
Great day for photography.
Ocean Reef Park (Singer Island)
Great day for photography.
Daytona Beach
Ideal for a beach walk.
Oceanfront Park Beach (Boynton Beach)
Great day for photography.
Jacksonville Beach
Ideal for a beach walk.
Neptune Beach
Ideal for a beach walk.
Atlantic Beach
Ideal for a beach walk.
Vero Beach
Ideal for a beach walk.
Melbourne Beach (Spessard Holland South)
Ideal for a beach walk.
Amelia Island Beach
Great day for a beach walk.
Stuart Beach (Hutchinson Island)
Great day for a beach walk.
Sebastian Inlet State Park
Great day for a beach walk.
Cape Canaveral Beach
Ideal for a beach walk.
Pompano Beach
Great day for a beach walk.
Deerfield Beach
Great day for photography.
Lake Worth Beach
Great day for photography.
Lantana Municipal Beach
Great day for photography.
New Jersey · 23
All New Jersey beaches →Ventnor City
Great day for a beach walk.
Margate City
Great day for a beach walk.
Island Beach State Park
Decent day for photography.
Asbury Park
Skip the beach today.
Belmar
Skip the beach today.
Spring Lake
Skip the beach today.
Manasquan
Skip the beach today.
Point Pleasant Beach
Skip the beach today.
Ocean City NJ
Skip the beach today.
Seaside Heights
Skip the beach today.
Seaside Park
Skip the beach today.
Barnegat Lighthouse State Park
Skip the beach today.
Brigantine
Skip the beach today.
Beach Haven (LBI)
Skip the beach today.
Atlantic City
Skip the beach today.
Sea Isle City
Skip the beach today.
Avalon
Skip the beach today.
Stone Harbor
Skip the beach today.
Wildwood
Skip the beach today.
North Wildwood
Skip the beach today.
Wildwood Crest
Skip the beach today.
Cape May
Skip the beach today.
Sandy Hook (Gateway NRA)
Skip the beach today.
North Carolina · 20
All North Carolina beaches →Holden Beach
Great day for a beach walk.
Indian Beach
Great day for a beach walk.
North Topsail Beach
Great day for a beach walk.
Oak Island Beach
Great day for a beach walk.
Sunset Beach (North Carolina)
Great day for a beach walk.
Carolina Beach
Great day for a beach walk.
Kure Beach
Great day for a beach walk.
Emerald Isle Beach
Great day for a beach walk.
Topsail Beach
Great day for a beach walk.
Cape Lookout National Seashore
Great day for a beach walk.
Atlantic Beach (NC)
Great day for a beach walk.
Ocracoke Beach
Great day for a beach walk.
Wrightsville Beach
Great day for a beach walk.
Surf City Beach
Great day for a beach walk.
Cape Hatteras National Seashore
Great day for a beach walk.
Kill Devil Hills Beach
Great day for a beach walk.
Corolla Beach
Great day for a beach walk.
Nags Head Beach
Great day for a beach walk.
Duck Beach
Great day for a beach walk.
Kitty Hawk Beach
Skip the beach today.
Massachusetts · 19
All Massachusetts beaches →Lighthouse Beach
Ideal for photography.
West Dennis Beach
Ideal for photography.
Craigville Beach
Ideal for photography.
Old Silver Beach
Ideal for photography.
Coast Guard Beach
Ideal for photography.
Mayflower Beach
Ideal for photography.
Surfside Beach (Nantucket)
Ideal for photography.
Nauset Beach
Ideal for photography.
Revere Beach
Decent day for photography.
Salisbury Beach State Reservation
Great day for photography.
Race Point Beach
Ideal for photography.
Sandy Neck Beach Park
Ideal for photography.
Madaket Beach
Ideal for photography.
Marconi Beach
Skip the beach today.
Good Harbor Beach
Skip the beach today.
Wingaersheek Beach
Skip the beach today.
Sandy Point State Reservation (Plum Island)
Skip the beach today.
Singing Beach
Skip the beach today.
Crane Beach
Skip the beach today.
New York · 18
All New York beaches →Smith Point County Park
Great day for a beach walk.
Ditch Plains Beach
Great day for a beach walk.
Kirk Park Beach
Great day for a beach walk.
Orient Beach State Park
Great day for photography.
Main Beach
Great day for a beach walk.
Sunken Meadow State Park
Great day for a beach walk.
Orchard Beach and Promenade
Great day for a beach walk.
Jones Beach State Park
Great day for a beach walk.
Fire Island National Seashore — Watch Hill
Great day for a beach walk.
Long Beach (NY)
Decent day for a beach walk.
Brighton Beach
Decent day for a beach walk.
Manhattan Beach Park
Decent day for a beach walk.
Ponquogue Beach
Great day for a beach walk.
Playland Beach
Skip the beach today.
Robert Moses State Park
Skip the beach today.
Coopers Beach
Skip the beach today.
Coney Island Beach & Boardwalk
Skip the beach today.
Rockaway Beach and Boardwalk
Skip the beach today.
South Carolina · 11
All South Carolina beaches →Sullivan's Island Beach
Great day for a beach walk.
Hilton Head Island
Ideal for a beach walk.
Isle of Palms
Great day for a beach walk.
Edisto Beach State Park
Ideal for a beach walk.
North Myrtle Beach
Great day for a beach walk.
Pawleys Island
Great day for a beach walk.
Garden City Beach
Great day for a beach walk.
Folly Beach
Great day for a beach walk.
Litchfield Beach
Great day for a beach walk.
Myrtle Beach
Great day for a beach walk.
Surfside Beach (SC)
Great day for a beach walk.
Maine · 11
All Maine beaches →Goose Rocks Beach
Skip the beach today.
Wells Beach
Skip the beach today.
Ferry Beach State Park
Skip the beach today.
Long Sands Beach
Skip the beach today.
Ogunquit Beach
Skip the beach today.
Old Orchard Beach
Skip the beach today.
Reid State Park
Skip the beach today.
Crescent Beach State Park
Skip the beach today.
Popham Beach State Park
Skip the beach today.
Pemaquid Beach Park
Skip the beach today.
Sand Beach (Acadia National Park)
Skip the beach today.
Delaware · 8
All Delaware beaches →Fenwick Island State Park
Decent day for photography.
Rehoboth Beach
Decent day for photography.
Bethany Beach
Skip the beach today.
Indian River Inlet
Skip the beach today.
South Bethany Beach
Skip the beach today.
Dewey Beach
Skip the beach today.
Cape Henlopen State Park
Skip the beach today.
Delaware Seashore State Park
Skip the beach today.
Rhode Island · 6
All Rhode Island beaches →Narragansett Town Beach
Decent day for photography.
Scarborough State Beach
Decent day for photography.
Misquamicut State Beach
Skip the beach today.
East Matunuck State Beach
Skip the beach today.
Salty Brine State Beach
Skip the beach today.
Roger W. Wheeler State Beach
Skip the beach today.
Connecticut · 5
All Connecticut beaches →Compo Beach
Great day for photography.
Sherwood Island State Park
Great day for photography.
Calf Pasture Beach
Great day for photography.
Rocky Neck State Park
Decent day for photography.
Hammonasset Beach State Park
Skip the beach today.
Virginia · 5
All Virginia beaches →Sandbridge Beach
Great day for a beach walk.
False Cape State Park
Great day for a beach walk.
Back Bay National Wildlife Refuge
Great day for a beach walk.
Chincoteague National Wildlife Refuge Beach
Decent day for a beach walk.
Virginia Beach Oceanfront
Great day for a beach walk.
Georgia · 4
All Georgia beaches →Cumberland Island National Seashore
Ideal for a beach walk.
St. Simons Island Beach
Ideal for a beach walk.
Jekyll Island Beach
Great day for a beach walk.
Tybee Island Beach
Great day for a beach walk.
New Hampshire · 4
All New Hampshire beaches →Hampton Beach
Great day for a beach walk.
Jenness State Beach
Skip the beach today.
North Hampton State Beach
Skip the beach today.
Wallis Sands State Beach
Skip the beach today.
Maryland · 4
All Maryland beaches →Ocean City Beach
Decent day for a beach walk.
Assawoman State Wildlife Area
Decent day for photography.
Assateague Island National Seashore
Decent day for a beach walk.
Assateague State Park
Skip the beach today.