Best Beaches & Coastal in the USA

14 beaches & coastal • Updated July 2026

The best beaches & coastal in the USA for a family day out. We have rounded up 14 beaches & coastal, from Amelia Island to family favorites across Florida, ranked by what actually matters with kids: age suitability, ticket value and how easy they are to get to. Compare the top five below, then browse every beaches & coastal by state. Need a different angle? Try our other things to do in the USA.

Reviewed by James Morgan. AI-assisted, human-edited. Our editorial standards

All beaches & coastal

14 beaches & coastal across the USA

Micanopy

Beaches

Micanopy

Micanopy, Florida

Browse antique shops and lakeside charm in Florida's oldest inland town.

Rockaway Beach & Boardwalk

Beaches

Rockaway Beach & Boardwalk

Queens, New York

Miles of Atlantic shoreline that hold New York City's only legal surfing beaches.

Bahia Honda State Park

Beaches

Bahia Honda State Park

Big Pine Key, Florida

Snorkel straight off the sand at one of the Florida Keys' most celebrated beaches, framed by an old railroad bridge.

Clearwater Beach

Beaches

Clearwater Beach

Clearwater, Florida

Sink your toes into sugar-white sand beside the calm emerald Gulf at one of America's favorite beaches.

Ponte Vedra Beach

Beaches

Ponte Vedra Beach

Ponte Vedra, Florida

White-sand beaches and championship golf define this refined St. Johns County resort town.

Pelham Bay Park, Orchard Beach

Beaches

Pelham Bay Park, Orchard Beach

The Bronx, New York

The Bronx's only public beach, a 1930s "Riviera of New York" with a sweeping promenade.

Jensen Beach

Beaches

Jensen Beach

Jensen Beach, Florida

A warm-water Treasure Coast beach with free rolling beach wheelchairs and sensory-friendly family events, set on one of the Northern Hemisphere's most biodiverse lagoons.

Mount Dora

Beaches

Mount Dora

Mount Dora, Florida

A New England-style "Festival City" of antique shops and seaplane tours on Lake Dora.

Cedar Key

Beaches

Cedar Key

Cedar Key, Florida

Slow down in an Old Florida island town of seafood, art galleries, and quiet nature trails.

Cocoa Beach

Beaches

Cocoa Beach

Cocoa Beach, Florida

Wide Atlantic sands and easygoing surf make this classic Space Coast beach a relaxed day out for families of every age.

New Smyrna Beach

Beaches

New Smyrna Beach

New Smyrna Beach, Florida

Seventeen miles of award-winning Florida coastline backed by a walkable arts district.

Siesta Key Beach

Beaches

Siesta Key Beach

Sarasota, Florida

Powdery quartz-crystal sand and calm turquoise water on a beach repeatedly ranked the best in the country.

Amelia Island

Beaches

Amelia Island

Amelia Island, Florida

Thirteen miles of quartz-sand beach and a历 historic downtown make this Northeast Florida barrier island an easy family escape.

Padre Island National Seashore

Beaches

Padre Island National Seashore

Corpus Christi, Texas

Sixty-six miles of wild Gulf coastline and one of the country's last intact coastal prairies.

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