Summer is coming and it’s time to think about all those beautiful North Carolina beach days in your future.
But where should you venture to if you’re looking for the best beach to head to? Well, according to Travel + Leisure magazine, there’s one North Carolina beach that stands out as one of the 25 best in the country.
The publication did its best to rank the best beaches in the country as follows: “Many different criteria define the perfect beach: the sand, the waves (or lack thereof), the level of seclusion, the public transportation and accessible parking, the boardwalk, the activities, and even the amount of shaded trees.”
Our good friends at our sister station, B1039.com in Florida, helped us find this great ranking, and pointed out the one Florida beach that made the list.
So while the publication didn’t rank those 25, here are the ones they feel are those Top 25, including one right down the road, that you’re quite familiar with already. And one not much further down the road, in South Carolina.
Coligny Beach Park, Hilton Head, South Carolina
Coligny Beach Park, Hilton Head Island, South Carolina. (MargaretW / Getty Images)
“The beautifully landscaped entrance to Coligny Beach welcomes you to an incredibly well-maintained beach. Easily accessed by car, bike, or foot, the beach offers plenty of amenities, including showers, gazebos, benches, swings, free Wi-Fi, and a splash fountain to rinse off your sandy children. Wheelchair- and stroller-friendly matting leads to the water. To top it off, dolphin sightings are common and the sunrises are incredible.”
Poipu Beach, Kauai, Hawaii
Coconut Palm tree on the sandy Poipu beach in Hawaii, Kauai. (EllenSmile / Getty Images)
Coronado Beach, San Diego, California
Coronado Beach in California. (LifeImagesbyGloria / Getty Images)
Pope Beach, Lake Tahoe, Nevada
Pope Beach at South Lake Tahoe (Kusska / Getty Images)
Cheer Up: What's the Happiest City in North Carolina?
No. 27 - Raleigh
Raleigh comes out as the happiest city in North Carolina, largely thanks to a rank of No. 23 in Emotional & Physical Well Being.
- Emotional & Physical Well Being: 23
- Income & Employment: 71
- Community & Environment: 63
- Total Score: 62.35
No. 168 - Fayetteville
It’s not that things are all unhappy around Fayetteville, it’s just that we didn’t exactly score well in a lot of the key factors for this study. Fayetteville does rank as the least happy of the major North Carolina cities in the study. Just behind Fayetteville overall is Jackson, Mississippi and Birmingham, Alabama.
Fayetteville also took a hit, coming in at No. 181 on Lowest Income Growth and No. 180 on Most Work Hours.
- Emotional & Physical Well Being: 161
- Income & Employment: 155
- Community & Environment: 171
- Total Score: 40.83
No. 3 - San Francisco, California
- Emotional & Physical Well Being: 4
- Income & Employment: 1
- Community & Environment: 44
- Total Score: 71.15
No. 7 - Seattle, Washington
- Emotional & Physical Well Being: 6
- Income & Employment: 2
- Community & Environment: 99
- Total Score: 67.67
No. 180 - Memphis, Tennessee
- Emotional & Physical Well Being: 176
- Income & Employment: 181
- Community & Environment: 172
- Total Score: 34.86
No. 182 - Detroit, Michigan
- Emotional & Physical Well Being: 179
- Income & Employment: 179
- Community & Environment: 177
- Total Score: 32.31