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Take a walk on a beach boardwalk. Photo by Mary Lebeau

Best Family Beach Vacations

Ah. The smell of the sea. The feel of the sand. The warmth of the sun. There’s nothing quite like a family beach vacation to restore equilibrium to a busy family.

From Florida to California, Maine to Mexico, South Carolina to San Diego, North America is ringed by beautiful beach destinations just right for a family vacation. A week-long stay in a seaside beach house vacation rental certainly fills the bill. But a quick weekend getaway  to the best beach nearby can do the trick, too.

It’s all about time spent gathering seashells on the white sand beaches, snorkeling in the aqua blue waters, boogie boarding over the waves. It’s the stuff of which family vacation memories are made.

The whole family can work together to build a giant sandcastle. Or go kayaking along the seashore. Or strolling along the boardwalk in search of ice cream cones at the end of the day.

Some of the best family beach vacation destinations involve a week at an all-inclusive resort in the Caribbean. There, kids of all ages can all spend the week playing water sports like paddleboarding, kayaking and boogie boarding, shelling on the beach, dancing around a bonfire at night, .

But you don’t need a week at a high-end beach resort to get all of the benefits of a family beach vacation.

A nearby beachfront state park works. So does a regional trip to an oceanfront US National Park like Acadia National Park in Maine. Or a week at one of the charming beach towns that line the Gulf of Mexico, the Panhandle of Florida or the Outer Banks of North Carolina. Beyond the contiguous United States, you’ll find gorgeous Hawaiian soft sand beaches like Waikiki Beach in Honolulu and the wonders of Mexico’s Riviera Maya on the Gulf of Mexico.

Family travel to a beach near or far is a classic family vacation, no lifeguard needed.