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Outside Magazine has listed its 2006 Top 10 picks for beach getaways. Here's
a look:
1. California: San
Diego, Pacific Beach/Surfing
2. North
Carolina Cape Hatteras National Seashore/Kiteboarding
3. Hawaii: Poipu, Kauai, Snorkeling
4. New Jersey: Cape May/Birding
5. Minnesota:
Harbor Beach/North House Folk School
6. California:
Francis Beach, Half Moon Bay/Sea Kayaking
7. Oregon: Newport, South Beach State Park/Kite flying and Whale Watching
8. Florida:
Sanibel and Captiva Islands/Finding Seashells
9. Texas: Mustang
Island, Port Aransas/Fishing
10.
Massachusetts: Cape Cod — Wellfleet/Swimming/Biking/Having Fun
1. California: San
Diego, Pacific Beach/Surfing
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The miles of white sand beaches, swelling waves, and an eclectic dining and
shopping district make San Diego's Pacific Beach one of the most popular
stretches of sand in the Golden State — 26 million people visited last year. The
beach itself is wedged between the Pacific Ocean and Mission Bay Park, a
4,235-acre man-made aquatic fun-hub perfect for row-boats and beach volleyball.
In one day, visitors can play with dolphins at nearby Sea World, catch a wave at
Pacific Beach and dine on fresh seafood at one of 150 restaurants. To find out
more, go to www.pacificbeach.org.
2. North
Carolina Cape Hatteras National Seashore/Kiteboarding
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You'll find 70 miles of beautiful white sand beaches, green dune grass, blue
ocean water, and not a lot of humanity — the perfect place for your kids to
practice their new kiteboarding obsession. Take a lesson with REAL Kiteboarding
— ranked by Outside magazine as one of the "Top Ten Adventure Camps in the
World" — which offers both daily lessons and weekly kiteboarding camps. Lessons
start at $100; call 866-REAL-KITE or go to www.realkiteboarding.com.
3. Hawaii: Poipu, Kauai,
Snorkeling
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This is possibly the only resort area on the planet that consistently offers
close-encounters with angels — or at least angelfish — within steps of your
hotel room. The hot spots include Nukumoi Point, a reef thick with angelfish,
striped damsels, moorish idols, black tangs and schools of canary-colored
butterfly fish. Just be sure not to swim too close to Spouting Horn, a lava tube
that spews saltwater 50 feet.
4. New Jersey: Cape May/Birding
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Billed simultaneously as the "Nation's Oldest Seashore Resort," "The
Restaurant Capital of New Jersey," and the nations' third-most popular wedding
destination, Cape May on Delaware Bay offers ample opportunity for overeating.
On the flipside, it's also a beloved birding destination, with a year-round
revolving door of exciting species. The summer favorites are the laughing gull,
herring gull, sanderling, and ruddy turnstone, among others. Bird watching
activities are run by the Cape May Bird Observatory ( www.capemaybeach.com),
which has locations at Cape May Point and in Goshen. Aqua Trails Kayak Nature
Tours and Sales (www.aquatrails.com/wildlife.html) offers salt marsh tours,
where you can check out all sorts of cool marine life.
5. Minnesota:
Harbor Beach/North House Folk School
Sand isn't part of the experience at Harbor Beach, which fronts the quaint
village of Grand Marais. But you won't miss it. Instead, you'll eat up hours
skipping the beach's perfectly rounded stones into Lake Superior. After you've
toured the Coast Guard Museum just a few blocks away, your kids will be inspired
to try the family boatbuilding class at the North House Folk School. There's
also a ready-made option: a five-day Lake Superior schooner adventure to the
Apostle Islands ( 888-387-9762,
www.northhouse.org).
6.
California: Francis Beach, Half Moon Bay/Sea Kayaking
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Drive south from San Francisco on scenic Highway 1 to the once-sleepy beach
town of Half Moon Bay, where you'll find Francis Beach, part of the Half Moon
Bay State Beaches. With summertime water temperatures ranging from 55 to 65
degrees, a wetsuit for swimming and surfing is highly recommended. Although it's
often foggy, on clear days you can see out to Pillar Point Harbor, a commercial
and sport fishing site.
7.
Oregon: Newport, South Beach State Park/Kite flying and Whale Watching
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From historic Nye Beach to Yaquina Head Outstanding Natural Area and
Interpretive Center — home to Oregon's tallest lighthouse — your car will be a
sandbox by the time you're ready to head home. Our favorite beach for kids is
South Beach State Park (www.oregonstateparks.org/), two miles south of Newport.
This long, wide stretch of sand is perfect for kite flying and sand-castle
building. Stop in at the Kite Company in Newport, a behemoth 6,500-square-foot
retail space, pick your poison from a selection of delta, dragon, box, diamond,
stunt, or parafoil kites, then take it for a spin at South Beach. Or head to
Depoe Bay, the official Whale Watching Capital of the Oregon Coast.
8.
Florida: Sanibel and Captiva Islands/Finding Seashells
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Not every family fun-time activity has to be adrenaline packed. Slow it down
on Gulf Coast neighbors Sanibel or Captiva with seashells. The two islands are
like one giant shovel that scoop up the millions of seashells that migrate to
the Gulf Coast from the Caribbean.
Search long enough and you'll find perfectly intact conchs, welchs, scallops,
clams, and starfish. Sanibel's well-maintained bike paths cover 25 miles of
shopping districts and back roads, and meander through friendly neighborhoods,
beneath shady tree canopies, across wooden bridges, and along quiet waterways.
On Rabbit Road Trail, which runs along a canal, you might see small gray marsh
rabbits and the alligators who want to eat them.
9. Texas: Mustang
Island, Port Aransas/Fishing
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Everything is big in Texas, including the fish. Which is why you may want to
check the hurricane patterns and — if the coast is clear — head to Mustang
Island, just northeast of South Padre Island National Seashore.
10.
Massachusetts: Cape Cod — Wellfleet/Swimming/Biking/Having Fun
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Here's a statistic that says it all: 61 percent of Wellfleet is Cape Cod
National Seashore Park. About 33 miles north of Hyannis, Wellfleet is also home
to the Cape Cod National Seashore Headquarters and the 1,000-acre Massachusetts
Audubon Society Wildlife Sanctuary. In addition to swimming, surf fishing, and
eating oysters, there's an innovative summer-long children's program that
includes dance lessons and yoga on the beach.
For more information, go to:
www.wellfleetma.org.
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