best family beach vacation

[renae3]

Hi everyone. Well it looksl like we will be going to disney the end of the year. In the meantime I am looking to take a beach vacation over the summer. Anyone have any suggestions, where could we go, especially on the east coast. We live in NJ and will most likely drive. We have 3 little kids too! Thanks so much for all your help!

 

[mjkacmom]

There's always Wildwood (I prefer the crest) for the beach and boardwalk, or Ocean City.

 

[ChrisAlli]

Ocean City NJ, very family friendly. We just rented a house for the 4th of July. We go almost every year. LOVE IT!

 

[HeatherC]

Block Island, Rhode Island. Lots of Jerseyites there. Gorgeous beaches!!!!

 

[mjkacmom]

Ocean City NJ, very family friendly. We just rented a house for the 4th of July. We go almost every year. LOVE IT!

What area do you rent in? We've only gone for the day, but I'd love to rent a house for a week, close to the beach. Any suggestions?

 

[JTDisney]

Cape May is hands down the best NJ has to offer. We have rented several homes over the past 20 years and the town is to die for. It blows away Cape Cod and I have brought people from Mass down and they all agreed!!

It was rated a top five best family beach vacation for the entire country last year.

www.capemay.com

 

[jenb1023]

I would personally would avoid Ocean City MD - we did not find it very clean or family friendly.

I have not personally been here but have heard good things about Avalon.

If you are up for a long drive, the Outer Banks is a great place to go but it would probably be a 10 hour drive.

Good luck deciding!

 

[kristinw3girls]

Try Rehoboth Beach DE. It is very family friendly, and has a oardwalk for evening entertainment. We stay in Dewey Beach (half mile away) and take the trolly to the boardwalk. It costs us around 8$ for all 5 of us to take the trolly. We load up strollers and everything, then head for a night of rides and junkfood ! The best part is not to worry about parking meaters and always a nice ride back to the rental. It runs all day and untill about 2am for those of us with a nightlife!!

 

[LittleMissMagic]

We go to Destin, FL every year. White sand beaches, and not very commercial. There is a waterpark, fun park, and upscale outdoor shopping mall, so you can get best of both worlds.

 

[zaztooe]

I was suprised to read the post about OC, Md. We have gone every summer for the last 4 years. We love it. We have a timeshare at 72nd st, the 2nd week of August. The beaches are great, the boardwalk is awesome. Long with several ride areas. We've never encountered a problem with cleanliness. We also find it very family friendly.

As a matter of fact our 4 1/2 yo DD rode her first rides on the OC boardwalk. Trimpers has a lot of rides geared for young children. There are also plenty of big people rides also.

We normally take a day and go to Assatuge (sp?) Island. It has a national park and a state park. The wild ponies are there. We also go crabbing there. The kids always catch something.

We're from North Jersey. The ride is about 4 1/2 to 5 hours. Feel free to PM me if you have questions.

 

[The Disney Bunch]

We love going to Stone Harbor/Avalon - nice family area - you can rent a house or stay at a hotel - the beaches are pretty private which is nice. It is close enough to Wildwood or Cape May or Ocean City so if you want to drive to any of those areas you can. My girls LOVE going each summer!

 

[mcqueen n' sally]

if you don't mind the drive, i agree with the previous poster about the outer banks... we went the last 2 summers and loved it! you can rent a house with a pool and so many are within easy walking distance to the beach...
we really liked the duck/corolla area...

 

[shelly3girls]

We love the Outer Banks, it is one of our favorite vacation spots. Most of the homes are more suited for larger groups or a couple of families. You will find that although the area gets very crowded many of the beaches are not crowded at all. It is very easy to relax.

Closer to home we love Ocean City, NJ. We like the Gold Coast Area around 19th street (Asbury and closer to the beach). It is not as crowded as the lower streets and still within walking distance of the boardwalk. There are condos at Watson's which has an indoor pool and is right off the boardwalk down near 8th St. For a more relaxed area try the higher streets around 30th and higher. There are tons of rentals so do not rush into anything. You should be able to get pretty close to the beach in a nice size home for a relatively affordable price. I have been told that rentals last year were high b/c people were not traveling far from home but I would guess it will be easy to find a place this summer. I have several friends who own houses down there that they rent out. Most say that other than the repeat customers, most weeks are still available.

 

[homedad]

Kiawah Island, great food of charlston, SC nearby and very laid back.....lots of stuff to do IF you want to...

 

[star sweeper]

We spent a few weeks at Amelia Island (near Jacksonville), FL when I was 13 and my brother was 8. We were there during the 4th of July and watching the fireworks from a beach facing Jax was fantastic. It is pricey, not sure what price range you are looking at, but the resort has tons of activities for children and adults.

 

[nemomama]

I too was surprised by the post not recommending Ocean City, MD.

We have been a few times and love it! The boardwalk is awesome, and the beach is very nice too. The kids love the rides at the end of the boardwalk and the frequent ice cream places. I think it's a perfect vacation for families.

 

[jtopp]

Ocean City, NJ....Need I say more?