Jessica Thuston

FIND IT FAST Order any of these fabrics and explore more at JAMES Showroom in New York, Dallas, and Houston; jamesshowroom.com

It’s summer, the time for our beaches and coastlines to shine! It’s also the season for celebrating America—this year marks our country’s 250th birthday. We’ve compiled this issue with that in mind, featuring the ultimate Fourth of July cookout (page 50) and rounding up the Best Beaches in America (page 36) for every state with a coastline. My pick is Rosemary Beach—a small community on the Florida Panhandle that has sand so white and soft and water so clear you’ll agree it rivals the Caribbean.

Some vacations feel like the adventure is built right in. That’s certainly the case with Rancho Santana, a sprawling, 2,700-acre resort with five separate beaches on Nicaragua’s Emerald Coast, the country’s southwestern shore on the Pacific Ocean. First up is the ride to the property: about a two-hour drive from the capital city Managua’s airport.