When search for the perfect reach of beach to laze away your vacation daylight , there are quite a few factors to turn over . Some , like water clarity or Baroness Dudevant texture , are more obvious than others ; for example , you might not realize how much randomness pollution a nearby main road generates until you ’re already on thebeach .
To help you prefer your next seaboard getaway , Florida International University coastal research professor Stephen P. Leatherman , also sleep with as “ Dr. Beach , ” has released his annual list of thetop 10 beachesin the U.S. base on50 criteria , ranging from the beach ’s width at low tide to the presence ofjellyfish , the datum reveals the Florida Panhandle is home to the best beach in the country . Grayton Beach State Park boasts exceptionally fine , clean sand cognize as “ sugar sand ” ; shallow , warm water system with calm waves ; and a 2000 - acre natureparkwith rare coastal dune lake and a hike trail . It was n’t the only Florida beach to make the list — Caladesi Island State Park , off the coast of Dunedin and Clearwater , issue forth in at figure six .
North Carolina’sOuter Banksislands were well - represented , too , with Ocracoke Lifeguarded Beach and Buxton ’s Lighthouse Beach take the second and fifth spots , severally . Dr. Beach also confer top honors on two of Hawaii ’s beaches : Oahu ’s Duke Kahanamoku Beach and the Big Island ’s Hapuna Beach State Park .

Even if you ca n’t make it as far as Florida or Hawaii , Dr. Beach ’s metrics can help you decide what ’s important to you when it come to choosing the best beach nearer to domicile . peradventure you ’re not put out by online reviews that monish about giant waves at a certain beach , but you ’re unwilling to shift about overcrowding .
The lean of standard is n’t the only manner that Dr. Beach is helping beachgoers plan the best , safe summer vacation potential — he ’s also compiled a fewhandy tipsfor heading to the beach during thecoronaviruspandemic . First and foremost , you should check the beach ’s rules before you go ; some places are only open for recitation , while others have mademasksmandatory ( even if yours does n’t require a mask , however , you should still wear one ) . Dr. Beach also recommends having a backup plan , just in case your ideal beach hits capacitance before you get there .
See the full tilt of top 10 beach below , and determine out more about themhere .