Coastal Gems to Explore

There’s just something about a small coastal town that tugs at the heart.

Whether you like the tide lapping over your toes, the freshest seafood imaginable, or just getting out of your routine to be with your loved ones, the United States has a plethora of lovely coastal hamlets to visit that are far from the madding crowds of the typical tourist spots. These towns are perfect for laid-back vacations, full of nature and lovely downtowns. As this issue is all about finding your happy place, who knows? You might find your happy place on this list.

Tremont, Maine

Located on what locals call the “quiet side” of Mount Desert Island, Tremont lies on the southwestern coast of the island. While Tremont and the villages of Bass Harbor, Seal Cove, and Gotts Island aren’t as well-known or as flashy as Mount Desert’s resort towns like Bar Harbor or Northeast Harbor, they are just as lovely and far less crowded. (Less expensive in the high season, too!) Tremont is also minutes from Acadia National Park, the first national park in the eastern United States, which is home to some of the most beautiful hiking trails along the East Coast. Whether you want to hike in a national park or explore the little shops and local restaurants, this is sure to be a happy place for you.

New Castle, New Hampshire

The town of New Castle is the easternmost town in New Hampshire, situated at the mouth of the Piscataqua River. Stay surrounded by historic luxury in the 152-year-old Wentworth by the Sea hotel. This hotel is where, in 1905, Theodore Roosevelt hosted the Russian and Japanese delegations who negotiated the end of the Russo-Japanese War and the Treaty of Portsmouth. (President Roosevelt won a Nobel Peace Prize for his efforts.) Explore Fort William and Mary and Fort Stark Historic Sites. Hike or bike the Portsmouth and New Castle Scenic Loop. Or simply soak up the peace on Great Island Common.

Chatham, Massachusetts

Sitting on the southeastern tip of Cape Cod, Chatham is a quintessential East Coast beach town. If you have a serious angler in your family, Chatham is the place to visit, as you can charter a boat to go out to the southern end of the famous Georges Bank. There are charming inns and cottages to stay in as you explore the four villages that comprise Chatham. Whether you prefer art galleries or boutiques, you can spend a day shopping. If a day of biking is more your speed, rent a bike at one of the several bike rental shops and hop on the Cape Cod Rail Trail before ending the day at one of Chatham’s dockside restaurants, where the seafood is guaranteed to have been swimming just that morning.

Cape May, New Jersey

One of the most beautiful Victorian towns in America, Cape May, while technically on the Jersey Shore, is about as far away from the traffic, crowds, and mess that the rest of the Jersey Shore is (in)famous for. Cape May’s pristine beaches are the perfect place to look for “Cape May diamonds,” beautifully clear quartz pebbles that have been polished smooth by the tides. Take a trolley tour of the historic town, or if you’re brave enough, take a ghost tour at night. Are you a birder? Cape May is the crossroads of several migratory paths, and the Cape May Bird Observatory is the place to add to your Life List. And if you just want to spend a lazy afternoon, why not head to the Cape May Brewing Co. to enjoy an afternoon/evening of good beer, good food, and good music?

Duck, North Carolina

On the northern end of the Outer Banks, Duck sits between the Atlantic Ocean and Currituck Sound. Explore the mile-long boardwalk or shop the waterfront shops before having a picnic in the 11-acre Town Park. One of the best ways to explore the area is to rent a kayak and spend the day on the Sound. If you’re a history geek, explore Island Farm, a living history site, or head to Fort Raleigh, where Sir Walter Raleigh attempted to found a colony. If you really want to immerse yourself in the history of the area, spend an evening enjoying The Lost Colony!, an outdoor dramatic retelling of the story of the Lost Colony of Roanoke. Maybe you can figure out what happened to those colonists.

Apalachicola, Florida

Let the tourists flock to the towns of 30A. If you want to experience beautiful beaches, art galleries, and possibly the best Gulf oysters you can find, you want to spend a week in Apalachicola and Florida’s Forgotten Coast. This historic fishing town is located on the shore of Apalachicola Bay and is a center for Gulf Coast eco-tourism. Stay in an historic inn or rent a house on the beach. Take a sunset cruise along the Apalachicola River or go snorkeling in the shallows of St. Joseph Bay. You can explore the John Gorrie Museum State Park, which commemorates the inventor of air conditioning. Whatever you do, Apalachicola is the perfect place for a quieter Florida vacation.

Dauphin Island, Alabama

Dauphin Island is known as the “sunset capital of Alabama,” and boy, does this family-friendly town deliver. Spend an evening picnicking on West End Beach to catch some of the most beautiful sunsets you’ve ever seen. Rent a bike and spend a morning on the seven-mile-long bike path around the island, or hike the trails of Indian Shell Mound Park. The Alabama Aquarium is open year-round, as is the Audubon Bird Sanctuary. (Dauphin Island has been voted “America’s Birdiest City” for the last three years.) There are charming boutiques and little art galleries, but the best thing to do in Dauphin Island is to grab a book and spend a day relaxing on the beach.

Palacios, Texas

We’re all familiar with Galveston, Corpus Christi, and Port Aransas, but if you want a slower-paced, less crowded vacation, head to historic Palacios. Palacios offers some of the best fishing on the Texas Gulf Coast, and birders flock to the town (see what I did there) for the spring and fall migrations. Spend the morning or evening fishing off the Palacios Seawall, and explore the City by the Sea Museum in the afternoon. Stay at the Peaceful Pelican bed and breakfast or rent a cottage by the shore. And if you’re not into fishing or birding or exploring, head to the Old Main Bookstore to grab a coffee and pastry while you browse the bookshelves.

Solana Beach, California

Just north of San Diego lies the city of Solana Beach. This walkable gem is perfect for a week spent hiking, shopping, and relaxing on the beach. Tide Beach Park is known for “table top” reefs and the eponymous tide pools, which are chock full of sea life when the tide goes out. The 2.3-mile loop of Annie’s Canyon Trail meanders through a sandstone slot canyon that opens out to stunning coastal views. Spend a day wandering through the shops, galleries, and cafes that make up the Cedros Design District, or explore the Cedros Avenue Farmers Market on a Sunday. There’s live music at the Belly Up Tavern, horse racing in the summer at the historic Del Mar Racetrack, and surfing at Fletcher Cove.

Cambria, California

Located almost directly between Los Angeles and San Francisco on the Pacific Coast Highway, the town of Cambria sits amidst one of only three native Monterey Pine forests in California. Blessed with scenic beaches and rocky cliffs, Cambria is a paradise for the whole family. Want to shop? Cambria’s downtown is full of galleries and boutiques, but not full of tourists in the high season. Are you a nature lover? Kayak or snorkel in one of the nearby marine conservation areas, hunt for moonstones on the aptly-named Moonstone Beach, hike the numerous trails around the Fiscalini Ranch Preserve (alone or with a guide), or visit the elephant seal rookery at Piedras Blancas. (Just don’t ask why those rocks are white!) If you’re a history geek or movie fan, spend the morning at Hearst Castle, and then reward yourself with an afternoon tasting the award-winning wines at Cutruzzola Vineyards. The local surfing is great, the beaches aren’t crowded, and the town has charming bed and breakfasts to ensure you’re well-rested for tomorrow’s adventures.

Ferndale, California

Northern California is as different from Southern California as Galveston is different from El Paso. Instead of the palm trees and sandy beaches and lonely deserts of Southern California, Northern California is home to redwood forests and green mountains and foggy mornings. Ferndale is a beautifully preserved Victorian town at the mouth of the Eel River, off the beaten path. Whether you want to commune with the redwoods in or shop in an authentic general store, Ferndale is your place. Take a spin down the Lost Coast Scenic Drive, a wildly remote and spectacularly scenic drive twisting through high alpine forests down to the Pacific coast along a narrow, deserted highway. Or drive north to the Avenue of the Giants, and drive through a redwood in Humboldt Redwoods State Park. Regardless of what you choose, Ferndale is sure to become a happy place.

Neskowin, Oregon

Nestled between Cascade Head and Nestucca Bay on the unspoiled Pacific coast of Oregon, the quaint hamlet of Neskowin is the perfect place to spend a laid-back week of exploring and relaxing. Unlike some of the other places on this list, Neskowin is best visited in winter. (Yes, you read that correctly.) During the winter, the low tides reveal the Neskowin Ghost Forest, a Sitka Spruce forest that, for whatever reason, disappeared beneath the waves over 2,000 years ago, making for an eerie-yet-arrestingly picturesque sight through the winter mists. The famous Proposal Rock lies just to the north of the Ghost Forest along the coast, and is a beautiful place to picnic, explore tide pools, or fly a kite (or, you know, propose). The whole stretch of coast around Neskowin is perfect for winter storm watching or whale watching, and the bird population at the Nestucca Bay Wildlife Refuge during the spring and fall migrations fill the tidal marshes and freshwater wetlands. Neskowin is also home to the historic Neskowin Beach Golf Course. Opened in 1932 and in continuous use since, the Golf Course is a public, nine-hole course set in one of the most beautiful locales you’ve ever golfed.

Long Beach, Washington

On the Long Beach Peninsula, jutting out into the Pacific Ocean, Long Beach is the perfect headquarters for exploring Washington’s Evergreen Coast. The historic town of Oysterville lies to the north of Long Beach and is the gateway to Leadbetter Point State Park and the Willapa National Wildlife Refuge. To the south, Cape Disappointment State Park offers beautiful hikes, World War II bunkers, and the Lewis and Clark Interpretive Center, as well as spectacular storm watching in winter. If you’re a Goonies fan, Astoria, Oregon, is just across the Columbia River. But the best thing to do in Long Beach (in my opinion) is to fly a kite on the beautiful, uncrowded beach that looks out over the Pacific before exploring one of the craft breweries or local wineries.

Port Townsend, Washington

An exquisitely preserved Victorian seaport on the northeastern tip of the Olympic Peninsula, the picturesque town of Port Townsend has a little something for everyone. Walk along the beach to Point Wilson Lighthouse and then explore historic Fort Worden State Park (which served as the main filming location for 1982’s award-winning An Officer and a Gentleman). If you are a festival fanatic, you will be sure to enjoy the annual Rhododendron Festival, Wooden Boat Festival, or Port Townsend Film Festival. Grab some delicious goodies at the Crusty Crumb Bakery (seriously, the cardamom buns are amazing) and have a picnic and toss a Frisbee in the beautiful Chetzemoka Park with its breathtaking views over Admiralty Inlet. Explore the Port Townsend Historic District, home to numerous charming Victorian homes and storefronts, and shop the local boutiques of Water Street. Any budding marine biologists in your family will love the Port Townsend Marine Science Center, and ghost hunters will want to stay in either Room 302 or 306 of the Manresa Castle Hotel. Whatever kind of vacation you desire, Port Townsend has you covered.

Coupeville, Washington

The only town on this list located in a National Historical Reserve, Coupeville is probably best known as the filming location for 1998’s Practical Magic. Filming location aside, Coupeville is a beautiful town on the southern edge of Penn Cove, home of the world-famous Penn Cove mussels, on Whidbey Island in Puget Sound. Surrounded by the Ebey’s Landing National Historical Reserve, Coupeville is the perfect base for exploring Whidbey. Hike the bluff trail of the Historical Reserve for jaw-droppingly beautiful panoramic views of Mount Baker to the east, Mount Rainier to the southeast, and the Olympic Mountains to the west. Visit Price Sculpture Forest or the Lavender Wind Farm. Explore Coupeville Farmers Market, one of the oldest farmers’ markets in Washington State, or take a whale watching tour out into Puget Sound. Whatever you do, Coupeville and Whidbey will definitely make your list of happy places.

Roche Harbor, Washington

Located on scenic San Juan Island, tiny Roche Harbor is just 20 minutes north of the bright lights of Friday Harbor on San Juan Island at the northern end of Puget Sound. This winsome hamlet is the perfect base for exploring all the island has to offer. To get to San Juan Island, you can take a ferry from Anacortes on the mainland, but if you want a real treat, take a Kenmore Air seaplane from Seattle to Friday Harbor. The views as you fly over the sound are astounding. Stay at the historic Hotel de Haro, the oldest operating hotel in Washington State. Grab lunch at the Lime Kiln Café and picnic in Lime Kiln Point State Park to watch the orca pod playing in the Sound. (There’s a reason Lime Kiln Park’s nickname is Whale Watch Park.) Shop the boutiques and art galleries in Friday Harbor or explore the two wineries or the alpaca farm on the island. Hike through the 20 acres of outdoor art in a beautiful natural setting at the San Juan Sculpture Park, maintained by the San Juan Islands Museum of Art. Whether you love history, the outdoors, art, or the sea, Roche Harbor and San Juan Island are sure to become happy places.