{"id":1864,"date":"2016-07-01T05:12:40","date_gmt":"2016-07-01T05:12:40","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/zestmag.com\/online\/?p=1864"},"modified":"2016-07-01T05:12:40","modified_gmt":"2016-07-01T05:12:40","slug":"best-us-beaches-for-families-in-2016","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"http:\/\/zestmag.com\/online\/best-us-beaches-for-families-in-2016\/","title":{"rendered":"Best US beaches for families in 2016"},"content":{"rendered":"

Planning to\u00a0head to the US? Bringing your family with you? For that matter, planning to head to the beach with your family while in the US? Family Vacation Critic<\/em>, TripAdvisor’s family travel site, has released its annual list of the Best Beaches for Families,<\/em>\u00a0naming the best beaches in the nation, specifically for families traveling with kids of all ages.<\/strong><\/p>\n

\"South<\/a>

South Padre Island – Photo Credit: South Padre Island Convention and Visitors Bureau<\/em><\/span><\/p><\/div>\n

“Choosing an ideal beach for families can be quite difficult,” explained Lissa Poirot<\/span>, editor-in-chief of Family Vacation Critic<\/em>. “Families are looking for beaches that are not only safe and clean, but also those that offer a level of convenience that meet the needs of those traveling with various age groups. Nearby accommodations, restaurants and attractions \u2013 as well as cost \u2013 all add to a beach’s appeal for families. This list of winners was hand-picked by our team of editors to highlight not only large, well-known beaches, but also some of the smaller hidden gems worth a visit.”<\/p>\n

This year’s list of winning beaches includes:<\/p>\n

    \n
  • Cape Hatteras National Seashore<\/span> \u2013 Outer Banks, NC
    \n<\/b>Insider Tip:<\/i><\/b> The Cape Hatteras Lighthouse is open all summer for both daytime and a few nighttime climbs to the public \u2013 in the evening, families can climb with flashlights to get a prime view of the Milky Way.<\/i><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n
      \n
    • Sleeping Bear Dunes National Seashore \u2013 Empire, MI<\/span>
      \n<\/b>Insider Tip:<\/i><\/b> Pick up a free Junior Ranger Book<\/span>, including fun activities for children to complete \u2013 once finished, kids will receive a Junior Ranger<\/span> badge and certificate.<\/i><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n
        \n
      • South Padre Island \u2013 South Padre, TX
        \n<\/b>Insider Tip:<\/i><\/b> Families can work with local sea turtle rescue, Sea Turtle, Inc., on dozens of scheduled releases during the summer months, to watch as tiny sea turtles enter the ocean for the first time.<\/i><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n
          \n
        • The Wildwoods \u2013 Wildwood, NJ<\/span>
          \n<\/b>Insider Tip:<\/i><\/b> Access to the beaches in The Wildwoods is completely free \u2013 no beach tags are required \u2013 and there is a special Wildwoods Dog Beach, for any families planning to bring Fido along on vacation.<\/i><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n
            \n
          • Captiva Beach \u2013 Captiva Island, FL<\/span>
            \n<\/b>Insider Tip: <\/i><\/b>The Captiva Kayak Company offers boat rentals and kayak expeditions into local waterways to explore Captiva’s beaches and bayous.<\/i><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n
              \n
            • La Jolla Cove<\/span> \u2013 San Diego, CA<\/span>
              \n<\/b>Insider Tip:<\/i><\/b> La Jolla Concerts by the Sea are offered every Sunday afternoon during the summer, and provide fun for all ages with a wide range of music to enjoy.<\/i><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n
                \n
              • Misquamicut State Beach \u2013 Westerly, RI<\/span>
                \n<\/b>Insider Tip:<\/i><\/b> Water Wiz of Westerly<\/span> is a water park with three slides, located right on the beach \u2013 get there early for discounts.<\/i><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n
                  \n
                • Million Dollar Beach \u2013 Lake George, NY<\/span>
                  \n<\/b>Insider Tip:<\/i><\/b> Nearby Lake George Village<\/span> offers fireworks over the lake every Thursday from July 4<\/span> through August.<\/i><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n
                    \n
                  • Clinch Beach \u2013 Traverse City, MI<\/span>
                    \n<\/b>Insider Tip:<\/i><\/b> Nearby Clinch Park Marina offers kayak, paddleboard and bicycle rentals to ride on the paved TART Trail, which runs above the beach.<\/i><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n
                      \n
                    • Golden Gardens Park \u2013 Seattle, WA<\/span>
                      \n<\/b>Insider Tip:<\/i><\/b> The nearby \u2013 and free \u2013 Hiram\u00a0M. Chittenden Locks (Ballard Locks<\/span>), offer views of boats and kayaks crossing the channel, as well as a botanical garden and fish ladder.<\/i><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

                      Family Vacation Critic, TripAdvisor’s family travel site, has released its annual list of the Best Beaches for Families, naming the best beaches in the nation, specifically for families traveling with kids of all ages.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":3,"featured_media":1865,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[5,7],"tags":[1075,1078,1082,1076,1083,1084,1079,1080,1081,110,1077],"class_list":["post-1864","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-destinations","category-travel","tag-beach","tag-cape-hatteras-national-seashore","tag-captiva-beach","tag-family-trip","tag-la-jolla-cove","tag-misquamicut-state-beach","tag-sleeping-bear-dunes-national-seashore","tag-south-padre-island","tag-the-wildwoods","tag-travel-2","tag-travel-destination"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"http:\/\/zestmag.com\/online\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1864","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"http:\/\/zestmag.com\/online\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"http:\/\/zestmag.com\/online\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/zestmag.com\/online\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/3"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/zestmag.com\/online\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=1864"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"http:\/\/zestmag.com\/online\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1864\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":1866,"href":"http:\/\/zestmag.com\/online\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1864\/revisions\/1866"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/zestmag.com\/online\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/1865"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"http:\/\/zestmag.com\/online\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=1864"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/zestmag.com\/online\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=1864"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/zestmag.com\/online\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=1864"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}