Summer in New York City means free movies in Central Park, outdoor concerts and hansom cab rides. It also means suffocatingly hot days and subways that feel like saunas. Spring and fall bring more comfortable weather conditions, but as exciting as the Big Apple can be, sometimes you just have to get out of town and head for the beach. It is unnecessary to battle airport lines to fly 1200 miles to Miami, when you can find a beach getaway so close to home that you can be wriggling your toes in the sand in just an hour or two.
Chill Out on Fire Island
- Just 61 miles from NYC, Fire Island is host to a collection of resort communities variously catering to singles, couples or families. Take a taxi or limo from Manhattan to catch the ferry for a quick ride to the island. No cars are allowed in any of the communities, but The Palms in Ocean Beach offers its guests free use of bicycles and little red wagons. Take time to go clamming on the beach, bicycle down the boardwalk or bring your surfboard and catch a wave at a sandbar break.
Beach, Boardwalk and Doo Wop
- Put on your saddle shoes and prepare to travel back to the 1950s in the retro town of Wildwood, New Jersey. 155 miles from Manhattan, the Doo Wop Motel District -- officially called Wildwoods Shore Resort Historic District -- is home to a collection of gaudy, kitschy motels with fantasy themes, colorful paint jobs and flashy neon signs. Whether you prefer the Jetsons-style decor of the Satellite Motel or the unabashed cuteness of the Lollipop Motel, you will be just steps from the beach and the boardwalk. Affectionately called "two miles of smiles" by locals, the boardwalk offers five amusement piers where you can ride roller coasters, play carnival games and gorge yourself on cotton candy and hot dogs.
Casinos and Crashing Waves
- 126 miles from New York City, New Jersey's Atlantic City is generally thought of as only a gambling destination, but it doubles as a seaside getaway with clean, uncrowded beaches and decent surf. Even if you don't gamble, you'll get a good room rate at one of the casino hotels, often including coupons for a free buffet. All Atlantic City beaches are free, and you can stroll the 3.4 miles of sand, stopping at beach bars and restaurants along the way. Mississippi Avenue Beach is right in front of Trump Plaza and offers public restrooms and showers, as well as rental cabanas.
Connecticut Is for Crabs
- When thinking of beach getaways, Connecticut doesn't leap to mind, but drive 112 miles up the coast to the historic town of Old Lyme and you'll find Hawk's Nest Beach Resort. This collection of beach cottages has played host to generations of vacationing families in both summer and winter. In addition to swimming, bike riding and kayaking, the resort organizes scavenger hunts, weekly movies on the beach and a kid's talent show. Crabbing is a favorite pastime from May through November, but if you don't catch any blue crabs, the Blue Crab Steakhouse is just 5 miles down the road.
