Most Crowded Beaches in the United States

We’ve all heard of Miami’s South Beach. Featured heavily in iconic films such as Scarface, Miami Vice, Baywatch, Goldfinger, and Ride Along, it’s one of the world’s most famed and instantly recognizable beaches. With its iconic Ocean Drive, renowned restaurants, luxury shopping, opulent hotels and resorts, and bustling nightclubs, South Beach is possibly the world’s most popular beach destination. Additionally, Miami Beach – South was named theBest 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.”

When you arrive at South Beach, you’ll immediately notice the beach’s incredible views. From the sand, beachgoers marvel at Miami Beach’s skyline. With its art-deco architecture, dramatic modern high-rises, and sky-scraping palm trees, the skyline is arguably South Florida’s most iconic sight.

Once you walk onto South Beach’s glistening golden sand, you’ll see that South Beach is more than just a tourist destination. It’s a naturally stunning beach in its own right. With vibrant turquoise water and glistening golden, it’s the perfect place to lounge and enjoy nature while just steps from the big city. While you’re there, be sure to catch South Beach’s vibrant sunsets, which peak at around 7 pm.

Home to the famous Daytona International Speedway and Motorsports Hall of Fame, Daytona Beach isn't limited by its racing tracks. Above all else, it's a tropical playground and a stunning beach.

Located less than an hour from Orlando, Daytona Beach is easily accessible. Although it can get crowded during the summer and NASCAR races, park on the beach’s side streets to dodge the traffic and congestion. Once you’re at Daytona however, you’ll find that it is truly worth it. With 23 miles of pristine beachfront, it’s the epitome of tropical paradise. With vibrant turquoise waters, glistening golden sand, vibrant sunsets, and sky-scraping palm trees, Daytona Beach looks like it belongs on a postcard. It’s the perfect place to lounge on the sand, tan, and bask in incredible views of the Atlantic.

While Daytona’s a great beach for lounging, it’s also an ideal place for adventurers. Temperate waters during low tide make the beach ideal for snorkeling, swimming, paddle boarding, fishing, and kayaking. And with large waves during high tide, it’s perfect for surfers and boogie boarders looking to catch only the Atlantic’s most exhilarating waves.

For beachgoers seeking a change of pace after a day of fun in the sun, Daytona Beach has plenty to do. Looking for a day of shopping? Visit the Tanger Outlets Daytona, a local outlet mall offering incredible deals on coveted brands such as Hugo Boss, Armani, Coach, Joie, Rag & Bone, Lululemon, Michael Kors, Theory, Tory Burch, True Religion, Vince, Polo Ralph Lauren, Adidas, and Nike. Prefer a nourishing spa day? Visit Ocean Waters Spa, a well-reviewed local spa known for its excellent facials, manicures, pedicures, and massages.

At Daytona Beach, hungry beachgoers are in luck. With a number of top-notch local restaurants offering unique dining experiences, Daytona is the perfect place to grab a bite. For authentic old-school Italian comfort food, visit Don Vito’s Italian Restaurant, a family-run local spot loved by locals for its eggplant parmigiana, lasagna, and stromboli. Prefer a romantic and adventurous night of fine dining? Dine at The Cellar, an upscale chef-driven hotspot known for its homemade pastas and excellent osso buco. For beachgoers spending the night in Daytona, the Plaza Resort and Spa and the Holiday Inn Daytona Beach on the Ocean offer guests spacious oceanfront rooms and excellent service.

Located in the city of Venice in Southern California, Venice Beach – also known as Venice City Beach - is an extremely popular three-mile long beach that has light brown sand and rocky breakwaters. This beach is very large – approximately 238 acres in size. The southern portion of Venice Beach is known as Venice Pier Beach- this portion received this name because it has a 1,300-feet long pier named the Venice Pier that is also known as Venice Fishing Pier. Venice Beach has been named the 3rd 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.” (Please note that Venice Beach in California should not be confused with another popular beach in the United States named Venice Public Beach, which is also known as Venice Beach) that is located in Sarasota County in Florida.) 

Venice Beach hosts many sporting events, and two of them – skateboarding and 3x3 basketball – will be held there during the 2028 Summer Olympics. Venice Beach has lifeguards from 8 am to sunset (that usually occurs around 6 pm) - during summers, lifeguards here are posted from 7 am till sunset (that occurs around 8:30 pm). In addition to lifeguards, Venice Beach and the area around it offer many other amenities including picnic areas, restrooms, showers, bike rental facilities, a bike path, grassy recreational areas, paddle tennis courts, basketball courts, skateboarding, volleyball courts, handball courts, walking paths, nearby watersports equipment rental facilities, and a kids’ play area. Dogs are not allowed on Venice Beach.  

Located in Honolulu, Waikiki Beach is a beautiful and extremely popular beach  with light brown sand and nearby palm trees. This beach is located in the popular touristy neighborhood of Waikiki. The beach’s name in Hawaiian means "spouting water" - the beach received this name because in the past multiple springs and rivers used to flow around this beach – as another fun fact Waikiki Beach was used by Hawaiian nobility for surfing. Waikiki Beach is one of the most famous beaches in the United State and was named the 4th 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.” It is important to note that Waikiki Beach is a part of a larger beach area that stetches for almost two miles that is also called Waikiki Beach – in addition to Waikiki Beach, this larger beach area is composed of seven other beaches including Duke Kahanamoku Beach (also called Kahanamoku Beach and Duke Paoa Kahanamoku Beach Park), Fort DeRussy Beach (also known asFort DeRussy Beach Park, Gray’s Beach (also known as Grays Beach, Halekulani Beach, Kawehewehe, and Grey’s Beach), Royal Hawaiian Beach (also known as Waikiki Beach Center and Royal Moana Beach), Kuhio Beach (also known as "The Ponds", Kuhio Ponds, and Kūhiō Beach), Queen’s Beach (also known as Queen Kapiolani Beach , Queen’s Surf Beach, and Kapiolani Beach Park), and Kaimana Beach (also known as also known as Kaimana Beach Park, Kaimana’s Beach, Waikiki at San Souci Beach, Sans Souci Beach, and San Souci Beach).

Waikiki Beach is constantly threatened by erosion – some of Waikiki Beach’s parts have been significantly reduced in size due to erosion. There are multiple rocky jetties and seawalls near Waikiki Beach – the beach’s southwestern portion particularly has many rocky seawalls near it. Although most of the portions of Waikiki Beach have lifeguards, there are some portions that do not have lifeguard deployment – these portions are located near 2055 Kalia Road, in front a hotel named the Halekulani Hotel, and adjacent to another hotel named Hilton Hawaiian Village Waikiki Beach Resort.  In addition to lifeguards,

Located in the borough of Brooklyn, Coney Island Beach is a large and immensely popular light-brown sand beach that has rocky groynes along its shoreline.  This beach is situated in the popular neighborhood of Coney Island and has been named the 19th 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". An 80-feet long boardwalk is also present near the beach - this boardwalk is also known as the Coney Island Boardwalk or the Riegelmann Boardwalk and it was listed as one of the "Top 10 U.S. Boardwalks" by the National Geographic magazine. 

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.