Beach.com

There is no wrong way to celebrate National Ice Cream Day, except maybe forgetting to indulge in your favorite sweet treat; however, on this national day, comparing America’s favorite flavors is becoming the sweetest tradition of all. Beach.com is back at it again with a fresh scoop on the ice cream flavors that Americans are craving most this year, with a look at how those tastes have shifted since last year.

It might seem like finding a tranquil beach where you can listen to the waves without noisy crowds is like searching for the proverbial needle in a haystack, but a new study from JB.com just made that a whole lot easier.

Pacific Northwest beach towns are generally known for their dramatic scenery, often characterized by evergreen forests, dramatic sea stacks, and gnarled driftwood. At the southern edge of the region, you’ll find more of the quintessential surfing spots, but the farther north you are, the wilder it gets. You can hike through moss-draped old-growth rainforests that open to sweeping stands, go tide-pooling to look for colorful marine creatures, and dine on fresh-caught Dungeness crab.

Newport, Rhode Island, is a gorgeous, historic destination on the East Coast and a great choice if you’re looking for a seaside getaway that offers beautiful beaches—along with plenty more to do than simply lounge on the sand. This isn’t the kind of place where you grab a beach chair, toss a towel down, and spend the day with a cooler full of subs and beer while your favorite playlist blares from a speaker. Things here are a bit more upscale.

Cape Verde is a remote destination, home to ten volcanic islands off the coast of West Africa. For years, it was mostly popular with windsurfers, divers, and travelers looking for an off-the-radar beach escape and a place to get away from it all.

The tiny nations of Cape Verde and Curaçao became the Internet’s new favorite underdogs, gaining significant interest this summer as unlikely stars of the 2026 World Cup. Online searches spiked hard, not because of a viral influencer trip or a new resort, but because of soccer, capturing global hearts by going toe-to-toe with some of the biggest names in the game.

A beach vacation is a classic summer escape, but finding the best destinations for a budget-friendly escape can be a bit tricky. As the season is so popular, hotels, resorts, and other accommodations typically charge the highest rates of the year. Choosing the right spot can make all the difference when it comes to affordability, but you need to know where to go. Immediately rule out places like Malibu, Nantucket, and the Hamptons as some of the priciest beach towns in the U.S. and even the world.

Being named among the Best of the Best in Tripadvisor’s Travelers’ Choice Awards is a rare achievement. As the world’s largest travel site notes, out of its 8 million listings, “fewer than 1% manage to achieve this milestone.” Making the cut requires a high volume of “above-and-beyond reviews and opinions from the Tripadvisor community” over a period of 12 months. That means if you book any of the hotels on the list, you’re pretty much guaranteed to have a positive experience.

The Gulf Coast has some of the best beaches—and travelers have taken notice. According to recent research conducted by Beach.com, more than 21% of Americans who are visiting beaches are headed to the Gulf Coast. Fortunately, this is a long stretch of coastline that extends through five states, so there’s plenty of room to spread out and find a spot to throw down a beach towel.

There are countless lists of “best beaches,” but they often consist of the most famous or random opinions. This ranking is a bit different, however. It’s based on travel expert nominations, years of NASA and EU Program data, and in-depth analysis that pored over tens of thousands of reviews to reveal the 25 best beaches in the world.