The 11 Can't-Miss Towns on the Atlantic Coast
Over 179 million Americans live in an Atlantic Coast state. The East Coast is home to the country’s original 13 colonies, and there are many cities along the coast from Maine to Florida worth visiting, not only for their historical significance but also for their top-tier beaches and tourist attractions. Take a trip down the seaboard and explore the eleven Can’t-Miss Towns on the Atlantic Coast.
Bar Harbor, Maine
Bar Harbor is Mount Desert Island’s largest community, and is a wonderland of rocky beaches, ocean cliffs, and natural views as far as the eye can see. Home to Acadia National Park, which spans 49,000 acres of forest, beaches, and wildlife, the park is one of the most visited in the country, boasting more than 125 miles of hiking trails.
Cadillac Mountain within the park is a must-see as it is the highest point on the North Atlantic coast and the first spot in the US to see the sunrise in both fall and winter. Take a park ranger-led tour to see the Baker Island Lighthouse and observe marine life, including porpoises and seals. Don’t forget to grab a delicious lobster roll or live lobster at Geddy’s.
Camden, Maine
Camden offers four seasons of activities, including skiing, boating, hiking, and shopping. The High Street Historic District evokes the era when factory owners resided here. Downtown Camden is home to the Camden Harbor and the Camden Opera House. From downtown, walk to Laite Memorial Beach to enjoy 600 feet of shoreline and collect sea glass.
Like the cold? The winter months are when the town comes alive from the mountain peaks.
Ski a range of easy to difficult slopes at the Camden Snow Bowl as the temperatures drop. Not a skier? The Snow Bowl also features a toboggan chute. In the warmer months, the slopes turn into mountain bike and hiking trails.
Kennebunkport, Maine
Known for being a presidential getaway, the southern Maine town of Kennebunkport is a coastal retreat with four seasons. Dock Square is the destination for shopping, art viewing, and dining. The freshest seafood, along with boat rides and tours, abounds along the Kennebunk River. This includes a lobster tour where visitors can help haul in crates of the delicious crustaceans. Goose Rocks Beach is a secluded beach location for spending a relaxing day.
For land lovers, trolley and walking tours of the town are also available. The Edwin L. Smith Preserve is a hiking paradise, with 1,100 acres of trails, and the Goat Island Lighthouse is just a boat ride away from the shore of Cape Porpoise.
Rehoboth Beach, Delaware
Known as the “Nation’s Summer Capital,” Rehoboth is a family-friendly coastal town. The iconic Rehoboth Boardwalk features shops, restaurants, the Funland amusement park, and all the trappings common to a seaside shore. With the Atlantic Ocean as its backdrop, the Boardwalk is a fitting complement to sunbathing on the beach.
Away from the hot sun, enjoy the Jungle Jim’s River Safari Water Park, with wave pools, a lazy river, and tall water slides. Cool down at the Midway Speedway Park on go-karts and mini-golf, or head to a day of shopping on Rehoboth Avenue. Cape Henlopen State Park, spanning over 5,450 acres, boasts some of the country's first public beaches and offers a serene retreat with its beaches, maritime forests, and dunes.
Kure Beach, North Carolina
Kure Beach is a tranquil and chill beach a few miles from Wilmington, NC, and there is so much more than just the beach to this town. The Fort Fisher State Historic Site was the site of the largest water and land battle of the Civil War. Now the fort is surrounded by a wooden fence and a trail under the shade of live oak trees that lead to a monument commemorating fallen soldiers from the war.
The Fort Fisher State Recreation Area is six miles of beach and marshland with trails and an observation deck. The Recreation Area is a popular spot to see Loggerhead sea turtles and other protected sea species. A must-visit attraction is the North Carolina Aquarium at Fort Fisher, with exhibits of aquatic wildlife, touch tanks, an outdoor garden, and dive shows.
Cape Charles, Virginia
Cape Charles is a water-lover’s paradise. Cape Charles Town Beach is the only public beach on Virginia’s eastern shore, and offers sandy beaches and clear water off the Chesapeake Bay. Watersports abound here, with stand-up paddleboarding, kayaking, kiteboarding, and boat excursions for every experience level and age. The Kiptopeke Ghost Fleet is a group of nine partially sunken ships that beckon kayakers to navigate around them in Kiptopeke State Park.
It’s not all water, though. Golfers will delight at Bay Creek’s 27 holes, and tennis and pickleball are big hits at Central Park. Walk among the pines on the boardwalk at the Cape Charles Natural Area Preserve, or explore some of the oldest gardens in the US at Eyre Hall.
Jekyll Island, Georgia
One of the biggest attractions on Jekyll Island is Driftwood Beach, with its otherworldly driftwood branches strewn across the sand. The Georgia Sea Turtle Center is the state’s only sea turtle rehabilitation facility and offers visitors access to the protected species, as well as education about how to coexist with them.
For recreation off the beach, the Jekyll Island Golf Club offers three 18-hole courses, and the Jekyll Island Tennis Center has 13 clay courts. For a historical excursion, the Wanderer Memory Trail pays homage to the Wanderer slave ship, which was the last such ship to arrive on the Jekyll River. The boat carried about 500 enslaved people from Africa, around 400 of whom survived, and the Memory Trail tells their stories through exhibits along the trail.
St. Augustine, Florida
St. Augustine is known as the "Nation’s Oldest City," since it was founded by a Spanish explorer in 1565. The city’s Colonial Quarter transports visitors back to that era with interactive exhibits showcasing life from the 16th century and beyond. In the Quarter, visitors can see the Castillo de San Marcos, a 17th-century watchtower used to warn of pirate invasions, and the Oldest Wooden School House, built in the 18th century.
Ponce de Leon's "Fountain of Youth" Archaeological Park offers interactive re-enactments of the explorer’s adventures at the site of the first settlement in the country. For more modern adventures, a trip to St. Augustine Beach is the spot for sunbathing, beachside restaurants, parks, fishing piers, and a splash park.
Beaufort, North Carolina
A mellow and historic town, Beaufort is chock-full of interesting things to see and do. The legendary pirate Blackbeard ran his Queen Anne’s Revenge ship aground in Beaufort Inlet in 1718, and was discovered here in 1996. It was added to the National Register of Historic Places and is now a protected underwater archaeological site. The ship is not alone; several homes from that period of time are also on the register and are viewable in The Beaufort Historic District.
Beaufort is also home to the North Carolina Maritime Museum, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration Center for Coastal Fisheries and Habitat Research, and the Duke University Marine Laboratory. Its position on the water makes for a prime location for seafood, including the award-winning 34* North restaurant on the waterfront. After a meal, don’t miss the wild horses at Rachel Carson Reserve, and be sure to keep an eye out for dolphins swimming in the water.
Tybee Island, Georgia
Tybee is a barrier island off the coast and easily accessible from Savannah. The Tybee Island Light Station is the oldest and tallest lighthouse in Georgia. Originally built in 1736, it was destroyed five times before the lighthouse that now stands was erected in 1867.
The Tybee Island Museum is now where Fort Screven, a coastal defense battery, once stood. Surrounding the fort is North Beach, where visitors enjoy views of swimming dolphins, seabirds, and container ships passing through the Savannah River.
Murrells Inlet, South Carolina
When visiting Murrells Inlet, be sure to bring an appetite for seafood, because this town is known as the “Seafood Capital of South Carolina”. The majority of the seafood restaurants are found along the MarshWalk, a half-mile wooden boardwalk along a saltwater estuary. Boat tours through the inlet’s estuaries offer close views of marsh wildlife and coastal scenery.
Take the whole family to Brookgreen Gardens, the location of the Lowcountry Zoo and the Brookgreen American Sculpture collection of over 2,000 works by 430 artists, as well as botanical gardens.
Setting Sail from the Seaboard
Whether it’s the northern charm of a Maine harbor or the sandy beach of a Georgia barrier island, the Atlantic Coast is well worth exploring. Life on the waterfront is measured by tides, sunsets, and the sound of seabirds overhead. Every town along the coast tells a story of history, adventure, and ocean waves that led to the discovery of the US. After visiting one of the cities on the list, it’s no mystery why so many people still put down roots on the shore.
