On sunny January days, Brits, Canadians, and other tourists from cooler climes revel in the warmth of Barbados. It’s a welcoming country for visitors.
While Barbados is known as the easternmost Caribbean island, it’s technically in the Atlantic Ocean. The island country is only 21 miles long by 14 miles wide, but there’s plenty to do there on and off the beach. Plus, there’s a surprising amount of geographical diversity for such a small island. The southern and western shores are best for swimmers and beachgoers, while the wilder, hillier eastern coast attracts surfers and cliff walkers. Plan your adventure with this list of the best outdoorsy things to do in Barbados.
When cold winter weather has you trapped inside, you might start dreaming of a sunny beach vacation. In Florida, you can experience that magic year-round at Bahia Honda State Park. While most people only think about visiting the beach come summertime, it can be worthwhile to make the trip in cooler months. You can look forward to less crowded shores, gorgeous views, and early sunsets.
Tourists will find this park all the way down south, where pleasant temperatures stick around through winter. When you visit, take advantage of the great weather and scenic landscapes by getting active. Here are seven fun sightseeing spots and activities to consider when planning your trip.
A charming seaside escape rests just off the eastern coast of Florida. Amelia Island, part of the Sea Islands, has been a beloved destination for hundreds of years. Throughout history, the region’s beauty has even driven several different countries to battle over it. Today, let’s discover what makes this spot so beloved.
Like most islands, Amelia Island offers beaches galore. While these sandy shores are noticeably pristine, they alone aren’t what makes the island so special. Instead, the beauty comes from the beaches, marshes, animals, plants, and landmarks working together to build a landscape like none other. Explore each of these elements in this list of seven things that keep people coming back to Amelia Island.
A beach vacation is the perfect way to end a summer of fun. If you want to relax on a sunny shore or take a dip in cool waters, find the time to visit one of your state’s beaches.
Before the discussion starts, let’s define what a beach is. Some people think that oceanic, coastal beaches are the only real beaches. But, lucky for landlocked states, lake beaches also qualify as beaches. In fact, according to Merriam-Webster, a beach is any “shore of a body of water covered by sand, gravel, or larger rock fragments.”
With that explained, here are the best beaches in all 50 states. Pack your bag, it’s time for a summery adventure!
Are you looking to shake up your summer vacation plans? This year, find a new place to kick back and relax in the sun. In the United States, beaches throughout California and Florida experience huge crowds looking to make the most of the sun and surf. While many of these destinations offer gorgeous views, packed beaches and busy streets aren’t ideal vacationing conditions. Avoid these annoyances and experience a one-of-a-kind trip by spending your summer holiday at Old Orchard Beach, Maine.
Why Old Orchard Beach? If the serene, sandy beaches and charming local shops aren’t enough to entice you, the beachfront amusement park and scenic hiking trails will. Here are some of the sights and attractions awaiting you in this coastal Maine town.
In the words of Nicki Minaj, let’s go to the beach. Specifically, Pismo Beach. Located in sunny Southern California, Pismo Beach offers some of the most gorgeous coastal views you’ll ever see. Here’s a sneak peek of the incredible sights that make Pismo Beach deserving of all this praise.
Outdoors Wire has covered severallovelybeachdestinations, but Pismo Beach stands out for its uniquely entrancing scenery. Dramatic cliffs frame the sandy shores and heighten the coast’s natural beauty. The cool blue of the ocean bounces off the stark gray rocks and mixes with the bright sand and surrounding greenery to create views you’ll never want to look away from. Find out where to catch the best of these charming vistas with this list of exciting things to do in Pismo Beach.
Not many people get to visit Mitlenatch Island, and the seabirds like it that way. This important nesting site rests in the middle of the Strait of Georgia between mainland British Columbia and Vancouver Island. Mitlenatch means “calm waters all around” in the Coast Salish language. But visitors might wonder if they were joking. The wind often kicks up too much for folks to land on this island, which is only accessible by boat.
When I visited, my group got lucky and arrived on an idyllic spring day. Mitlenatch is in a rain shadow, so it only gets about 30 inches of rain annually — which is nothing in coastal British Columbia. We stopped off at Mitlenatch as part of a five-day cruise via posh catamaran with the Victoria-based company Maple Leaf Adventures. If you’re interested in birds or plants, it’s a fascinating trip to take.
How to reach Mitlenatch Island
Visiting Mitlenatch on a calm spring day was delightful. After walking on the island, we circumnavigated it by boat to watch sea lions and harbor seals lounging on rocks. Several tour groups and water taxis offer service from nearby Cortes Island or Vancouver Island. Depending on the weather and the condition of your muscles, it’s also possible to kayak to Mitlenatch.
You could kayak to Mitlenatch. / Photo by Teresa Bergen
Cactus and wildflowers
Greg Shea, our boat’s naturalist, told us we were looking for cactus on Mitlenatch. What?! I’d never heard of cactus growing in British Columbia. But sure enough, we found prickly pears, thanks to the rain shadow.
Wild cacti growing in British Columbia! / Photo by Teresa Bergen
Spring is also the time to see wildflowers blooming. Local species include purple camas, pink pea flowers, yellow monkey flowers, and chocolate lilies. While most of the surrounding islands have tall trees, Mitlenatch is mostly treeless due to the rain shadow and “shallow dry soils.” This lower flora profile makes for gorgeous wildflowers.
Chocolate lilies. / Photo by Teresa Bergen
Mitlenatch’s seabirds
Mitlenatch is a protected area for nesting birds. Over a thousand pairs of glaucous-winged gulls nest here, arriving in April to pick out their breeding territory. Pelagic cormorants nest on the island’s steep cliff faces and narrow ledges. Double-crested cormorants, northwestern crows, pigeon guillemots, and black oystercatchers also rely on the island for safe nesting. My group took turns in a blind, where we watched a colony of gulls on a rock outcropping.
Birds at Mitlenatch Island Nature Reserve. / Photo by Andrea_44
Volunteer projects
The only people allowed to stay on Mitlenatch are volunteers with the Mitlenatch Island Stewardship Team (MIST). I met Heidi Tonn and Rodney Mitchell, who have volunteered for a week every summer for 30 years. The couple had five students with them during my visit.
“We do a whole bunch of different citizen science during our weeks here,” Tonn said. Volunteer stays coincide with the four-month-long seabird breeding season. “During that period of time, we’re here just to keep a presence, to keep it protected,” Tonn added. Volunteer activities include bird counts, beached bird studies, intertidal surveys, plant phenology, and removing invasive species.
The humble but much beloved volunteer cabin. / Photo by Teresa Bergen
Put on some sunscreen and pack your cooler, it’s time to hit the beach. Whether you like to swim, hike, or build sandcastles, seaside vacations are a summer staple. Elevate your next beach trip by exploring destinations with more to offer than typical sandy shores.
This summer, expand your understanding of what a beach can be. Discover glittering wonders at California’s Glass Beach, and check out Alaska’s mysterious Black Sand Beach. If you’re a curious traveler seeking new beach experiences, these incredible spots need to be on your bucket list. Start planning your next journey with this list of the eight most unique beaches in the United States.
Summer means sun, beaches, and hours of outdoor fun. For sun-loving hikers, there’s no better season to get out and explore the wilderness. This year, discover some of the best summer trails in the United States by tackling these dazzling beach hikes.
If you live in a coastal state, stunning beachy walking paths are probably easy to find. However, even hikers in landlocked states can find gorgeous beach hikes to visit this summer.
Ready to plan your next summer hike? Then slather on the sunscreen and check out this list of the country’s 10 best beach hikes. Peruse even more hiking adventures with this guide to the best trail in every state.
As summer arrives, many people yearn for a beach trip. But what if you use a wheelchair? Sand hardly seems your friend. However, accessible adventures are out there.
Outdoors Wire teamed up with Friendly Like Me for this list of the most accessible beaches in the United States. The Friendly Like Me app helps people assess whether a place will be welcoming and accessible before they go.
“People within the community have been asking for an app like this for many years, enabled with the ability to look up specific accessibility needs – to discover at their fingertips whether a place can accommodate them or not,” Dave Jensen, Friendly Like Me co-founder and chief technology officer, said in a statement. “For people with disabilities and access needs this platform can mean the difference between staying at home or being able to get out and enjoy life.”
So grab your beach towel and get ready to roll. Here are the country’s top 10 most accessible beaches.
