Best Beaches for Family Vacations
For family vacations, the best beaches are those that offer lots of things for everyone to do. Even better is when they’re close together so parents can keep an eye on the kids. And if you want to be near the water but away from large waves, look for a beach with gentle swells. For vacationers who like tourist attractions, there are beaches close to major cities. Here is a list of the best beaches for family vacations:
1. Treasure Island Beach in Saint Petersburg, Florida
This beach features 56 public parking spaces, restrooms, and showers. The gentle surf makes it good for children while the multiple picnic shelters make it great for families on vacation with small children.
2. Gold Coast Beach in Palm Beach, Florida
This is a great family-friendly beach that offers free parking. It has restrooms, lifeguards, and picnic areas that are popular during the winter months. The gentle waves make it good for young children. If you bring your dog to this beach, remember they must be on a leash.
3. Hampton Beach State Park in New Hampshire
This protected beach is near the Portsmouth area and has a playground, picnic areas, and a concession stand. Even though it has a flat shoreline, there are no lifeguards on duty because of its remote location. The gentle swells make it good for young children.
4. Nags Head Beach in North Carolina
This beach is on the Outer Banks and has parking, restrooms, showers, lifeguards, and lifeguard towers. There are also picnic shelters for families on vacation with small children or groups of people who would like to share shelter space. The gentle waves make it good for young children. This is a popular surfing area so plan to stay close.
5. Hammerman Beach in Port Aransas, Texas
This beach features restrooms, showers, lifeguards, and rental equipment for fishing, swimming, or surfing. It’s also popular with families on vacation with small children because it has lots of pools for wading that are separated from the main surf by jetties.
6. Stump Pass Beach State Park in Florida
This beach provides an unguarded swimming area with a concrete ramp for launching small boats and kayaks. It also has a swimming platform, showers, restrooms, fishing piers, a campground, and a concession stand. The gentle swells make it good for young children.
7. Siesta Beach in Siesta Key, Florida
This beach has a popular surf school for learning how to surf and kayak rentals for exploring the Gulf of Mexico. The gentle swells make it good for young children while the lifeguards provide added security during swimming hours. This is a very popular beach so plan accordingly.
8. Harrison Beach State Park in Missouri
This beach has campsites, restrooms, showers, picnic shelters, and lifeguards. It is popular with swimmers for its gentle surf and wading pools that lead into the main surf. Camping areas are close to the water which makes it good for families on vacation with small children.
9. Galveston Beach in Galveston Island, Texas
This beach has restrooms and showers as well as a wading pool for younger children. The gentle swells make it good for young children while the lifeguards provide added security during swimming hours. This is a popular surfing area so plan to stay close. It’s also within walking distance of many tourist attractions.
10. Davis Bayou Beach in Panama City, Florida
On the eastern shore of Panama City is a beach with a fishing pier and a jetty. The gentle swells make it good for young children while the lifeguards provide added security during swimming hours. This is a popular surfing area so plan to stay close.
Good luck with your search for the best beaches for family vacations. Traveling with young children can be especially challenging but a little planning goes a long way in helping make it easier!
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