Taking a vacation to enjoy activities by the sand and surf doesn’t have to end once Labor Day comes and goes. Sometimes a trip to the beach can be even better during October. Whether you’re hoping for fun in the sun or a cozy weekend, there’s a beach in the USA that’s right for you.
Festivals
Fall festivals aren’t just for rural farm towns looking to brag about their apple and pumpkin harvests, beachside communities have them too! South Padre Island, along the Gulf of Mexico in Texas, is home to Sandcastle Days. Five days jammed with sand sculpting, live music, and water slides. Tybee Island near Savannah, Georgia is the place to be for Pirate Fest. The whole family can enjoy pirate performers, music, and a parade.
Oktoberfest
What’s better than celebrating German culture while eating and drinking mass quantities? Not a whole lot until you find out you can do those things near the ocean! Jacksonville Beach is host to Florida’s largest Oktoberfest. There, you and the 55,000 others in attendance can enjoy a 110-foot ferris wheel ride, booze, music, and a bratwurst eating contest. Old World in Huntington Beach, California boasts a weeks-long celebration with Sunday Kinderfest, dachshund races, and a German Unity Day.
Leaf Peeping
If you love gazing at fall foliage, you may enjoy a beach vacation centered around it. In Kennebunkport, Maine the trees have all sorts of stunning visuals to offer, set against a back drop of rocky shores and lighthouses. Make sure you take your camera. Ocean City, Maryland also has colorful leaf displays, with the added bonuses of a beach corn maze and a hotrod show.
Sunbathing
Just because the Autumnal Equinox has passed, doesn’t mean you can’t enjoy a sunny day at the beach. Key Biscayne, off the coast of Miami, Florida has an average October sea temperature of 82.9 degrees, perfectly warm and ready for swimming. It’s also home to the largest marine park in our national park system and host to a fall seafood festival. In Kailua-Kona, Hawaii, the average sea temperature is a warm 79.5 degrees. The city also holds the Ironman World Championship in October each year.
Birding
Migratory bird watching isn’t just for spring. You can catch all kinds of species of winged creatures as they fly south for the winter if you know where to look. Cape May Point, at the southern tip of the New Jersey coast isn’t just famous for its lighthouse. Every fall, Audubon enthusiasts converge on the state park to watch the migration of hundreds of raptors as they fly southward. Off the coast of Alabama lies Dauphin Island, an area with an impressive 137 acres devoted to the Audubon Bird Sanctuary. Dauphin Island Park & Beach Board explains, “Of the 445 species officially documented in Alabama presently, 420 (95%) have been observed on the island. It is also their final stop before their return flight each fall.”
Beach days don’t have to end just because the days are starting to get shorter and the weather is getting cooler in some parts of the country.