Looking for a really quaint/quiet beach for beach vacaction...

[octmom]

We got to Hilton Head every year because my parents retired there. There are always tons of people from Ohio there, so I guess the drive can't be too bad. I'm not sure if I would call it quiet and quaint, but it is nothing like Myrtle Beach. It really is lovely, but there is also a lot to do, especially for families.

DH and I went to Block Island, RI for a few days before we had kids and loved it. We both thought it would be a great place for a family vacation. You could go there and stop off wherever you used to live in RI to visit old friends.

[Corie]

Thank you for the great suggestions!!

[ewpmsw]

Lakeside (On Lake Erie in OH) meets a lot of your criteria, OP. It's definitely quaint. Good fireworks, almost everything within walking distance.

http://lakesideohio.com/

The Outer Banks have some great spots. We're partial to Duck and Corolla.

Sandbridge is just outside of Virginia Beach and is pretty quiet. It's got some decent restaurants, ice cream places, market, etc. It's close enough to VA Beach and Norfolk to visit fun places, too.

ETA: http://windsorpeak.com/vbulletin/sho...d.php?t=360211

[caleymama]

We took a summer vacation to Prince Edward Island when I was in HS and it remains one of my favorites. It was really incredible - gorgeous beaches & coastline, quiet, quaint, Anne of Green Gables, etc. I remember going to Cavendish and Charlottetown, but I don't remember where the cottages were that we stayed in. We drove from metro NY and took the ferry from Nova Scotia. There is also a bridge from New Brunswick.

http://www.tourismpei.com/index.php3

The Outer Banks are great too - I've been up north to the Corolla area and down to Cape Hatteras and also done Nags Head/Kill Devil Hills and all are nice, but I would definitely go north or south and skip the middle for something quieter.

[ilfaith]

Amelia Island, Florida
www.AmeliaIsland.com

It meets all of your criteria, IMO. The only one that is iffy, is being "touristy". It's not busy or crowded, but it is a vacation destination. But really, that's part of why there are good restaurants and shops...
There is also a nice state park that is interesting and pretty quiet. Not a ton in the way of hotels...lot of beach house rentals (very very few condos).

I also thought of Amelia Island. It's certainly no more touristy than Martha's Vineyard or Kiawah, and it does have the advantage of warm water (I love New England beaches, but the water is COLD until nearly Labor Day).

Amelia has two big resorts, a Ritz Carlton and the Plantation. Both are very family-friendly.
http://www.ritzcarlton.com/en/Proper...nd/Default.htm
http://www.aipfl.com/

There are also a lot of bed & breakfasts, mostly in historic Fernandina Beach, as well as beachfront vacation rental homes available. There is a nicer-than-average looking Hampton Inn there as well.

[R2sweetboys]

Corie, did you ever make it up to Maine when you lived in RI? I'll admit, I take it for granted having been born and raised here, but it is a beautiful place to visit! The coast of Maine really can't be beat. The first place that came to mind based on your description is Bar Harbor, Maine which is located on Mount Desert Island. There is a short bridge that connects it to the mainland so you wouldn't need to take a ferry. There are lots of cute shops, restaurants, etc to walk to.(and yes, they do have a couple of great candy stores and ice-cream shops!) There are many different types of accommodations in the area from hotels to motels to bed and breakfast/inns to campgrounds. A huge bonus is that Acadia National Park is also located on the island. Acadia is so beautiful, well worth a visit.

[mom_hanna]

Holland, Michigan? It's on Lake Michigan and Lake Macatawa. Cute dutch influenced town, ice cream shops, restaurants, beaches, etc. It's been a few years since I was there, but I remember it being low key and a fun place to explore.

[MontrealMum]

I've got a few recs for beautiful yet quiet. Which Mackinac is definitely not

Lake Michigan is gorgeous (I'm biased, I'm from MI and I've spent every summer on the lake), but you want to be north of the South Haven/Holland/Grand Haven triad if you don't want busy. Or dirty. Of course, that's where the bulk of the cute shops and good restaurants are. And then you want to go even further north of Muskegon because of the stinky paper mill in North Muskegon. I'm fairly sure that Montague/Whitehall that a pp mentions accomplishes this. I know they do have restaurants there. But do avoid Silver Lake if you don't want busy

Slightly further north of Montague with cute shops and Ok-ish restaurants (who are we kidding, this is small town Michigan?) are places like Pentwater and Ludington. They've both become much more "hip" in the past decade and do not resemble the places that I frequented as a kid at all. Which featured a restaurant called "Orgies"...that was about frying up your freshly caught fish...get your mind out of the gutter!

Slightly further north, Manistee is gorgeous and also quiet, but the restaurants leave something to be desired. Though they do still have a Friday fish fry at most restaurants. Onekema is about 25min. north from there and there's a "resort" there, an artist community, and some surprisingly nice restaurants. Arcadia bluffs has an amazing restaurant at the gulf course, but I don't know that there's much lake access in the area as they're up so high. When you get as far north as Traverse you're in tourist central again - almost as bad as Mackinac, if not worse, because they actually have cars there The UP is stunning and if you're considering that you should talk to KrisM, but (in the eastern part) they do not have good restaurants, much less grocery stores. We had to drive an hour to the Soo last time to adequately stock up. Here's the pure Michigan link for Michigan beachtowns.

My other favorite place is PEI, where we spent our honeymoon. It's super cheap, and for the most part fairly slow, but you want to avoid the area around Cavendish. Total cheesy tourist trap. It's awful. Luckily, PEI is so darned small that you can drive to the Anne sights from whereever you do decide to stay. We really liked the North Cape area. But again, very rural, and the restos are OK, but not fancy. But the beaches are amazing From where you are PEI is approximately a 3 day drive, maybe 2 if you push it, so this probably doesn't fit your parameters. Here's the PEI tourism website: http://www.tourismpei.com/index.php3

Another Canadian suggestion is Grand Manan New Brunswick which is where my SIL always goes. We've never been there so I can't say much more than it's gorgeous. Cape Breton, Nova Scotia is also amazing, but the people aren't all that warm and welcoming. Although DH vacationed there as a kid we haven't been back...especially once he saw how much better MI was Again, both NB and NS are up to 2 days' drive time for you guys.

We also love Tadoussac, Quebec, which is slightly closer to you guys, but I'm not sure if people actually swim in the St. Lawrence in the summer. Normal people that is. I do know people that have cottages down there that swim in the river in the summer though it's still pretty cold. It's one of the premier whalewatching sites in the East. Here's the tourism site: http://www.tadoussac.com/2010/home.php The Hotel Tadoussac has a pool and lots of other activities, and you'll recognize it as the hotel from the movie Hotel New Hampshire. This is a super tiny tourist town a few hours east of Quebec City and the restaurants are amazing and the people are super friendly! And that's by Montreal standards

[veronica]

Looking for a really quaint beach for a beach vacation. An
island would be even cooler! A bigger plus if we can drive
there from Cincinnati.

Not very busy, not crowded
Not touristy (NO Myrtle Beach)
Great local restaurants to walk to
Fun little shops to discover
Homemade candy stores to walk to
Homemade ice cream shop to walk to

In my head, this is how I picture Mackinac Island except maybe
Mackinac Island might get pretty busy.

Are there any other places to discover??

You seriously just described my hometown. Cape May , NJ

Please come. it is a fantastic family town. It was just voted the #2 beach in the US. We can't possibly get crowded, well because, it's tiny here! One gas station and no fast food on the island (because it's not historic). It is the oldest resort town in the nation, frequented by presidents of the past. I could go on an on.

The food is TDF. EVERYTHING IS WALKABLE. Dolphin tour boats. Beaches are clean and soft and you can see dolphins almost daily along the ocean. DH and I met at the old time arcade, there are two amazing fresh home made fudge shops. Several old school mini golf courses. Gorgeous sunsets.

There is a 4 block section for walking patrons, called the Washington Street Mall that has all cute shops (toy shops, antique shops, doll shops, candy shops, art shops and restaurants) that you walk through. Horse and Buggy Rides, Trolley tours. Lots of history here. It is beyond quaint!

You would never, ever regret a vacation here, I promise!

[Corie]

Corie, did you ever make it up to Maine when you lived in RI? I'll admit, I take it for granted having been born and raised here, but it is a beautiful place to visit!

No, we didn't and we are so bummed about it!!