Best Family-Friendly Beaches in United States

Located near the San Diego Bay, Coronado Beach - also known as Central Beach and Coronado Central Beach - is a large and flat beach with light brown sand and sparse vegetation. Coronado Beach starts near the historic Hotel del Coronado and spans north along Ocean Boulevard all the way north to a park named Sunset Park. This popular beach is one of the main beaches of the resort-city of Coronado (which is also nicknamed as "Crown City"). Coronado Beach has been named one of the Top 100 beaches in the United States by Randall Kaplan, the world’s foremost beach expert who is known as Mr. Beach. The approximately one-and-a-half miles long beach has a wonderful backdrop of oceanfront residential buildings. The sand in Coronado Beach has a substance named mica, which occasionally causes it to shine. Visitors can encounter this shining sand around the water near Coronado Beach during calm water conditions. The shoreline around this beach also has remnants of a sunken ship named SS Monte Carlo, which was shipwrecked here in the 1930s. 

Located near the city of Destin, Henderson Beach State Park is an oceanfront state park that has a large unnamed beach with light brown sand.  Coastal vegetation and sand dunes are also present near this beach. 

Located a couple of miles south of Mendocino, Van Damme Beach - also known as Little River Beach - is a popular beach with grey sand and significant pebbly portions. This beach is situated within a cove and is part of a state park known as Van Damme State Park. Van Damme Beach is surrounded by bluffs on both sides. This popular beach has a beautiful background of an oceanfront forest. The Little River flows through the beach into the Pacific Ocean. Van Damme Beach does not have lifeguards. 

Located in Santa Barbara, East Beach is a four mile long beach with light brown sand. This beach is situated towards the east end of a wharf named the Stearns Wharf. Multiple grassy recreational parks are present near this popular beach. In addition, this beach also has a fantastic backdrop of oceanfront palm trees. The Mission Creek flows through the beach into the Pacific Ocean.  East Beach has been named one of the Top 100 beaches in the United States by Randall Kaplan, the world’s foremost beach expert who is known as Mr. Beach. The eastern end of East Beach is wider than its other parts. 

Located in the town of Ogunquit on Maine’s southern coast, Ogunquit Beach – also known as Main Beach and Ogunquit Main Beach – is a large beach with soft white sand.  The Ogunquit River also flows near this beach – once this river passes the beach, it flows into the Atlantic Ocean.  This beach has been named the 38th Best Beach in the Top 50 Beaches in the United States list in 2022 by Randall Kaplan, the world’s foremost beach expert who is known as “Mr. Beach.”  The beach was also named one of the best beaches in the United States by TripAdvisor's Travelers Choice awards in 2023, and was also listed as one of the “Best Beaches in New England” by Condé Nast Traveller in 2020.

Located in the city of Destin, Destin Beach is a beach with white sand.

Located in the town of Kailua Kona, Manini’owali Beach is a small, narrow, and secluded beach that is surrounded by palm trees and rugged greenery on large rocks. Manini’owali Beach is considered among the best white sand beaches in Hawaii making it an awesome destination for photography. During winters, Manini’owali Beach is filled with surfers and bodyboarders because of high surf and strong rip currents. 

Located near the city of St. Augustine, Anastasia State Park is a 1600-acre state park that has a four mile-long unnamed beach. This unnamed beach is also known as Anastasia State Park Beach. This beach is situated on an island named Anastasia Island. Tropical vegetation and sand dunes are also present near this beach. 

Located in the Oregonian city of Cannon Beach, the beautiful Cannon Beach is a large four-mile-long beach with light brown sand. Cannon Beach has been named the 2nd Best Beach in the Top 50 Beaches in the United States list in 2022 by Randall Kaplan, the world’s foremost beach expert who is known as "Mr. Beach." Portions of this popular beach are situated below oceanfront bluffs. This beach has a magnificent backdrop of oceanfront hills and residential houses. Many offshore rock formations are present in the water near Cannon Beach and the most iconic offshore rock formation along the Cannon Beach shoreline is a 235-feet tall intertidal basalt sea stack named Haystack Rock - this rock is the third largest intertidal rock formation in the world. This beach was named as the sixth best beach in the United States by TripAdvisor’s Travellers’ Choice awards in 2020. In addition, the beach was also listed by the travel division of the American media company U.S. News & World Report as one the 27 best beaches in the United States. Renowned academic Dr. Stephen Leatherman has listed Cannon Beach as the "Best Overall Beach" in Oregon in his book America’s Best Beaches. The city of Cannon Beach was also listed by National Geographic as one of "America’s Best Beach Towns." A creek occasionally flows through the beach into the Pacific Ocean. As an interesting fact, the beach and the city of Cannon Beach are named after a cannon from the 19th century United States Navy schooner Shark - this cannon was discovered near Cannon Beach’s current location in 1898 and it sparked the name change of the city from "Elk Creek" to "Cannon Beach." 

Located in the city of Virginia Beach, Virginia Beach Oceanfront - also known as Oceanfront Beach - is a large and extremely popular beach area that has light brown sand. Virginia Beach Oceanfront has a marvelous background of waterfront high-rise buildings. An approximately three-mile long boardwalk named Virginia Beach Boardwalk is present near the beach - this boardwalk was listed by CNN as one of the 19 best boardwalks in the United States. Additionally, Virginia Beach was named the 48th Best Beach in the Top 50 Beaches in the United States list in 2022 by Randall Kaplan, the world's foremost beach expert who is known as "Mr. Beach.” A rocky jetty is also present near the southern end of the Virginia Beach Oceanfront, along with an aquatic inlet named Ruddy Inlet. 

Located on Siesta Key in Florida’s Sarasota County, Siesta Beach – also known as Siesta Key Beach and Siesta Key Public Beach – is a large and popular beach with white sand.  This beach was named as the best beach in the United States by TripAdvisor’s Travelers Choice awards in 2020.  It was also listed as the 9th best beach in the world by TripAdvisor in 2024, and it is also a favorite of Randall Kaplan, the world’s foremost beach expert who is known as Mr. Beach.   

The beach is open between 6 am and 10 pm.

Located in the city of Jacksonville, Amelia Island State Park is a state park that has immaculate white-sand beaches and is one of the only parks in Florida that offers horseback riding on the beach.

Located in the city of Monterey, McAbee Beach is a small and narrow beach situated in the Cannery Row neighborhood of the city. McAbee Beach is named after John McAbee who bought the nearby area to develop it into a tourist spot in the early 1900s. Cannery Row is now an incredible fishing spot and tourist destination. Also known as MacAbee Beach, McAbee Beach is a well-known destination for scuba diving and kayaking. 

Located near the city of St. Augustine, St. Augustine Beach is a large beach with pale cream sand. This beach is situated in a small city (also named St. Augustine Beach) on an island named Anastasia Island. 

Considered by many to be one of the New Jersey coast’s most popular beaches, Cape May Beach boasts fine golden sand and clear turquoise waters. The beach’s aesthetic is unique, as its long stretches of tree-lined Victorian homes provide an architecturally-striking backdrop to an already stunning beach.

Although popular during the summer, Cape May’s paid beachfront parking lots and street parking make it a stress-free beach to access. When beachgoers arrive at Cape May, they find a variety of amenities that promise to make their beach day one to remember. With showers, changing rooms, restrooms, lifeguard stations, and the Cape May Beach Patrol that protects the beach during summer, Cape May is a comfortable and safe place to sunbathe and spend time with loved ones. In addition to the beach’s swimming areas, there are designated beach areas with ideal conditions that allow thrill-seekers to surf, kayak, fish, and play volleyball freely.

When you’re done with your beach day and want to grab a bite, Cape May’s local restaurants serve top-notch food to locals and visitors alike. Looking for something savory? Head to Lucky Bones Back Water Grills, and order their locally renowned clam pizza. Craving something sweet? The raspberry truffle ice cream at Fine Fellows Creamistry can’t be beaten. And for a drink by the beach, head to Carney’s and grab a locally-sourced craft beer. If you’re planning on spending the night in Cape May, check-in at the ICONA Cape May or the Ocean Club Hotel, two stunning beachfront hotels that, according to past guests, offer large modern rooms and impeccable service.

Located in the southern end of the city of Santa Cruz and to the east of Cowell Beach, the Santa Cruz Main Beach is one of the major beaches present in the city of Santa Cruz. The beach is also called Boardwalk Beach as it is home to the iconic Santa Cruz Beach Boardwalk Amusement Park. The beach area has light brown sand. The beach is one of the most popular beaches in California and is crowded with visitors all year. The terrain here is unique – the San Lorenzo River meets the ocean on the eastern side of the beach area and sometimes forms a lagoon here, and there’s a natural rock wall on the eastern part of the beach that extends into the ocean.

Located along Florida’s central coastline, Clearwater Beach is an immensely popular beach that has soft white sand. This wide beach is situated in Pinellas County and spans over two-and-a-half miles. Clearwater Beach’s reputation as one of the United States’ premier beach destinations is not simply a tall claim - the beach has received many accolades from travel websites and media publications. The beach has been named the 5th Best Beach in the Top 50 Beaches in the United States list in 2022 by Randall Kaplan, the world's foremost beach expert who is known as "Mr. Beach" - and was also featured by Tripadvisor’s Travellers Choice awards in 2016, 2018, and 2019. USA Today also listed Clearwater Beach as the "best beach town in Florida" in 2013. A 1,000 feet-long concrete pier named Pier 60 is also present in Clearwater Beach

Located near Corpus Christi on the Gulf of Mexico, Malaquite Beach is an approximately four-mile-long scenic beach with white sand and nearby sand dunes in Padre Island.  This beach is a part of a national park named Padre Island National Seashore. 

Malaquite Beach has been named the 20th Best Beach in the “Top 50 Beaches in the United States” list in 2022 by Randall Kaplan, the world’s foremost beach expert who is known as “Mr. Beach” – and was also listed by Travel + Leisure magazine as one of the “The Best Texas Beaches for Every Kind of Traveler” in 2023. 

Located in the resort town of Ocean City, Ocean City Beach – also known as OC Beach – is a 10-mile-long and large beach with light brown sand with a rocky jetty near its southern end.  Ocean City Beach was named the 24th Best Beach in the Top 50 Beaches in the United States list in 2022 by Randall Kaplan, the world’s foremost beach expert who is known as Mr. Beach.  This beach was listed as the 10th best beach in the United States by TripAdvisor’s Travellers’ Choice award in 2017 and it was also listed as one of the 16 best beaches in Maryland by Travel+Leisure magazine.

Located on a cape named Cape Cod, Coast Guard Beach is a large and popular beach that has white sand. This beach is situated below oceanfront unstable glacial bluffs and it is also part of a national park named Cape Cod National Seashore. A bay named Nauset Bay is also present near this beach, along with a marsh named Nauset Marsh. The beach gets its name from an old and white Coast Guard building which is present on the bluffs above the beach. The white-colored sand in Coast Guard Beach is formed from quartz – this quartz comes from ancient cliffs that were present near the Cape Cod shoreline thousands of years ago. Over time these cliffs eroded and the quartz deposits from these cliffs were eventually turned into white-sand grains, which in turn were then deposited along the Cape Cod shoreline by streams from the Atlantic Ocean. Coast Guard Beach is a favorite of Randall Kaplan, the world’s foremost beach expert who is known as Mr. Beach. An aquatic inlet named Nauset Inlet is present to the south of this beach.

Located along the south-eastern shoreline of the island of Oahu, Hanauma Bay Nature Preserve is a preserve that has a scenic bay named Hanauma Bay - this bay has a long unnamed and popular crescent-shaped light-brown sand beach along its shores. This unnamed beach is also known as Hanauma Bay Beach and is situated within a 30,000 year-old volcanic crater called the Hanauma. Many palm trees are present around this scenic beach. Hanauma Bay was earlier a recreational beach park. However, the huge influx of tourists to this popular beach caused significant damage to the local marine landscape and fragile marine biodiversity, prompting local authorities to turn this park into a preserve and take and apply stricter rules for tourist regulation. The meaning of the Hawaiian name of this bay (Hanauma) is widely interpreted as "curved bay" in English. Hanauma Bay was earlier used by Ancient Hawaiian nobles for recreational purposes. In addition, Hanauma Bay was also used by Ancient Hawaiians as a stop-over and launch point for canoes due to its calm water. Ancient fishing tools have also been found around Hanauma Bay by archaeologists. The beach in Hanauma Bay is a favorite of Randall Kaplan, the world’s foremost beach expert who is known as Mr. Beach.  Hanauma Bay has also featured in many films and television shows including Tora! Tora! Tora!, Hawaii Five-O, and Blue Hawaii. 

Located in the heart of Laguna Beach, Main Beach is one of the most iconic beaches in Orange County and is extremely popular with families, visitors, and locals. Its historic white lifeguard tower is a city landmark and often appears in television shows and movies. Additionally, Laguna Beach was named the 33rd Best Beach in the Top 50 Beaches in the United States list in 2022 by Randall Kaplan, the world's foremost beach expert who is known as "Mr. Beach.”

Located on the inland shoreline of Alamitos Bay, Alamitos Bay Beach - also known as West Bayshore Beach - is a popular beach with light brown sand. The water near the beach is a few degrees warmer than other beaches in the city of Long Beach. The upscale residential neighborhood of Naples is located near the beach.

Located in the city of Myrtle Beach, Myrtle Beach State Park is a 312-acre state park that has a wide white sand beach which is approximately a mile long. A maritime forest and sand dunes are present near the beach. The beach also has a pier named Myrtle Beach State Park Pier. A creek also flows through the beach into the Atlantic Ocean. Myrtle Beach State Park was the first South Carolina State Park, and has been named the 14th Best Beach in the Top 50 Beaches in the United States list in 2022 by Randall Kaplan, the world’s foremost beach expert who is known as "Mr. Beach." Myrtle Beach State Park has lifeguards in its northern portion between mid-May and mid-September.