Finding cheap travel options, such as cheap airplane tickets, discount hotel rooms, discount travel packages, and cheap vacation packages are usually easier than finding relatively uncrowded really nice beaches.
If you want to get away from the hustle and bustle of places like Fort Lauderdale and Key West, the following are off the radar destinations that are well worth checking out, according to Travel & Leisure:
Avila Beach, California is a Central Coast town whose bay location gives it less fog than neighboring towns, making strolling its boardwalk pier and swimming all the better. Nearby is Paso Robles and wine country.
Boca Grande, Florida is on the Gulf of Mexico and is home to a much photographed lighthouse perched over the Gasparilla Island State Park, which has tree lined streets with no traffic lights, and long, quiet beaches.
Chincoteague, Virginia is a small serene island just off the Virginia coast and the gateway to the 37 mile long Assateague Island National Seashore, a nature refuge home to herons, foxes, wild ponies, and woodpeckers.
Gearhart, Oregon is just north of the better known, and much busier, Cannon Beach. It is a popular haven for Portland hipsters with its antiques shops and picturesque hiking trails. At night people drive on its hard packed sand and partake in wine and stargazing parties.
Gulf Shores, Alabama is close to miles of impressive beaches along Bon Secour National Wildlife Refuge and is important to the American seafood industry. The National Shrimp Festival is hosted there every fall. Its beaches experience a phenomena called jubilees where on random nights crabs, fish, and shrimp flop onto the beach with no human prompting.
Lubec, Maine is Down East, close to the border with New Brunswick, Canada. It is home to an elegant Victorian/Greek Revival style downtown, 97 miles of shoreline, two lighthouses, and enjoys easy access to Campobello Island which is an international park.
Rehoboth, Delaware comes with a popular boardwalk where tourists can enjoy saltwater taffy and ice cream, soak up sun on Dewey Beach, visit a lively art gallery scene, and check out the nearby Biggs Museum of American Art.
Rockport, Texas is where enormous flocks of whooping cranes can be found in the Aransas National Wildlife Refuge, along with stunning beaches on nearby Matagorda Island, and a 1,000 year old oak known as the Big Tree.
Santa Cruz, California draws thrill seekers to its Giant Dipper roller coaster at the Beach Boardwalk amusement park. Other attractions include Henry Cowell Redwoods State Park, surfing at Pleasure Point, Santa Cruz Surfing Museum, and checking out playful seals at Natural Bridges State Beach.
Silver Lake Dunes Area, Michigan is a beach staple of the Midwest. It lies along Lake Michigan and includes the towns of Hart, Mears, and Pentwater. It is home to massive sand dunes, beach buggies, farmers markets, and memorable July 4th fireworks.
Sunset Beach, Hawaii is considered the world capital of surfing. However, during the summer its wave riding allure ebbs and this town on the North Shore of Oahu becomes wonderfully idle.
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