The 10 Best Beaches in America, According to Dr. Beach

If you could fly to any beach in the world, you might choose Grace Bay in the Turks and Caicos Islands or Varadero Beach in Cuba – both Best beaches anywhereAccording to Trip Advisor.

But the United States has its fair share of great sand and offshore sites, too. For more than 30 years, Stephen B. LeathermanThe director of Florida International University’s Coastal Research Laboratory releases an annual list of what he considers the best.

Leatherman, also known as “Dr. Beach,” bases his rankings on an impressive one 50 workers. There’s everything you can think of: number of sunny days, water and air temperatures, amenities (such as showers and bars), frequency of currents, water color, views, crowd level, etc.

There are also a number of metrics that you may not have taken into account during your research – or, even if you had taken them into consideration, you simply didn’t have the time or knowledge to investigate them. Is there noise from nearby highways or trains? Do shore Is bad smell often caused by seaweed or rotting fish? Will you be sharing space with a lot of fishermen and boaters?

Dr. Beach has answered these questions and many more so you don’t have to. And according to his research, Ocracoke Lifeguarded Beach in North Carolina’s Outer Banks is your best bet for a beach vacation in 2022. It’s not the only Outer Banks on the list: Old Lighthouse Beach in Buxton ranked sixth.

Two other states boast beaches in the top 10 as well: Floridain which Caladesi Island State Park and St. George Island State Park ranked second and fourth, respectively; And Hawaii, which beach lovers should visit is Duke Kahanamoku Beach on Oahu and Wailea Beach on Maui.

Is your favorite American beach on the list? Explore below, and learn more about each beach here.

1. Ocracoke Beach Lifeguard // Ocracoke Island, Outer Banks, North Carolina
2. Caladesi Island State Park // Caladesi Island, Florida
3. Coopers Beach // Southampton, New York
4. Dr. Julian G. Bruce St. George Island State Park // St. George Island, Florida
5. Dukeberry/Oahu, Hawaii
6. Old Lighthouse Beach // Paxton, Outer Banks, North Carolina
7. Coronado Beach // Coronado, California
8. Wailea Beach // Maui, Hawaii
9. Kiawah Beach Walker Park // Kiawah Island, South Carolina
10. Coast Guard Beach // Eastham, Cape Cod, Massachusetts