What's your favorite east coast, family friendly beach?

[KCmike]

Cape Cod or even better Martha's Vineyard.

 

[shortbun]

Hatteras Island, Cape Hatteras National Seashore, NC. Gorgeous(top 10 beaches by Dr. Beach for the last several years), unspoiled, miles and miles of beach with very few people on it. Family friendly to the max. Lots of beautiful homes for rent, many of them are dog accepting. You're late for reservations this summer. Villages are Rodanthe, Salvo, Waves, Avon, Buxton, Frisco and Hatteras Village. For a real treat, head on down to Ocracoke. Nothing for rent on that beach but it's phenomenal.

 

[Ceila]

Stone Harbor/ Avalon, NJ.

I will add a bit of a warning though... its all about the beach - no boardwalk, no ferris wheels, no waterparks. Prices are more expensive, but you get what you pay for - no duplexes, lots of space between houses... all mean less crowded beaches (unless you end up near the hotels).

Having grown up going to OC MD and currently spending a lot of time in Avalon/Stone Harbor, I agree that a warning is needed. A/SH is vastly different from OC. I love both, but for very different reasons. A/SH is very quiet compared to OC and there are almost no activities to walk to other than a couple of miniature golf courses (and depending on what part of the island you stay on, you may have to drive to those as well). You can, though, drive down to Wildwood or up to OC NJ for rides, waterparks, and such.

 

[HM]

Our two favorites: Hilton Head Island (for a more busy vacation) or Topsail Island NC
(for a laid back vacation).

 

[LBIJim]

Ocean City NJ

Ocean City, NJ. Best family beach town in the country. Not a bar or liquor store on the island. Family friendly boardwalk. Much nicer for families than the Maryland version.

Ocean City, NJ advertises itself as "America's Greatest Family Resort" and it's one of the rare instances where it's actually not hyperbole.

Great beach for kids, gently sloping shoreline. You can wade out a good distance before the water becomes deep, especially at low tide. Nice Boardwalk, not tacky. (Although I like tacky, too . ). If you like a more quiet atmosphere, you can stay farther south away from the Boardwalk area, then drive, bike, or walk to the entertainment areas.

Don't worry if you want some adult beverages. There are liquor stores and bars right before the two main bridges onto the island. Plenty of people drink there, it's just more discrete and in private.

If circumstances would permit, I'd move from LBI to Ocean City. Maybe after retirement.

As a teen and young adult, I admit I thought OC was boring. But after having kids and getting a teensy bit mature, I have to say OC, NJ is most likely the best place for a family beach vacation, and I've been to plenty of beaches around the country.

 

[Jeafl]

We went to Sunset beach, NC for probably 8 years. It just recently created a two lane bridge to cross. Prior to that it was a one way. It is one of those places that has very little commercialism outside of an icecream and few beach shops. My kids love to ride bikes and walk to Bird Island where many leave a note in the journal placed in the only mailbox on the whole island. If you are looking for fun, you can go ten miles from Sunset to Calabash for great seafood or 20 minutes to Myrtle Beach SC for shopping, shows, movies, etc... The island right beside Sunset Beach is Ocean Isle...this is another great beach!!! They have a concert each Friday night outside with beach music and a Sunday service on the beach on Sunday morning. We love to go paddle boarding, and ride wave runners in the intercostal water way. Great family beach! We usually spend two weeks there every summer. Check out Sloane properties or Sunset properties for rentals. We recently bought property there are are hoping to build and retire there one day.

I was reluctant to even post because I consider this area a best kept secret! We've rented houses on Ocean Isle Beach many times, and you can't get much more family friendly. It's just a small island with wonderful beaches, some beach-type shops and a couple of family owned restaurants. It's a short drive to Myrtle Beach or Wilmington if you want to do something besides laying on the beach. The house rental prices are very reasonable too.

 

[mikehn]

What does 'family friendly' mean to you? Come on, tell us.

 

[Neesy228]

What does 'family friendly' mean to you? Come on, tell us.

I'm assuming you're speaking to me, I'm the OP. I'm looking for somewhere that's less high school seniors celebrating their graduation and more families enjoying their summer. Does that help?

To everyone else, thank you for the many, many suggestions on new places! I'm going to start researching some of these areas for next summer. Thanks again!

 

[Ceila]

What does 'family friendly' mean to you? Come on, tell us.

I'm not the OP, but "family friendly" to me means a place where there tend to be more families with kids as opposed to the singles / college / bar scene.

I see you're from Maryland, as am I originally. Have you been to OC and the Delaware beaches? If so, I'm sure you can agree that there is more of a go-out-and-party vibe in OC compared to some of the DE beach towns. Now, personally, I have never had a problem taking my kids to OC, since just because there are bars doesn't mean we have to go to them.

If a family is looking for something quieter for their family, though, then what's the harm in asking?

 

[FlightlessDuck]

I've personally never witnessed anything not perceived as family friendly at any beach I've been to.

How about the Outer Banks? We went once, almost ten years ago, and stayed more to the northern end (Corolla). There was a nice Hampton Inn that just opened at the time, and plenty of renter properties. You've got the beach, light houses, a nature center, and there's an aquarium maybe an hour or two to the south.

 

[Aliceacc]

I'm kind of partial to Long Island's local beaches myself.

But my brother in law, from upstate NY, travels to Bethany Beach, Delaware when they do a beach vacation. I trust his judgement enough to recommend it.

 

[annej]

Topsail Island, NC - very laid back but with a few things to do - rental houses on the beach. We have been going there since 1992 when my DD was born. Wouldn't go any where else!