Before you pack your cooler, here are Uncle Chester’s hard-earned rules for any beach trip:

Nestled at the base of the snow-capped Sangre de Cristo Mountains, features the tallest sand dunes in North America. In late spring and early summer, snowmelt creates the wide, shallow Medano Creek right at the base of the dunes. This creates a seasonal beach experience where visitors can splash in the water and sandboard down massive hills simultaneously. 19. Cape Charles Beach, Virginia

An iconic Southern California spot featuring the famous Santa Monica Pier. La Jolla Shores Park 4.7 (8.3K) Park Open La Jolla, CA

Uncle Chester says: “Spring break chaos, but also sea turtle heaven.”

Located along Florida's scenic Highway 30A, features a uniquely wild, untouched landscape. Beyond its powdery white shore, the park boasts rare coastal dune lakes —slashes of fresh water sitting directly alongside the salt water. This creates a diverse ecosystem where visitors can fly-fish for freshwater bass and saltwater redfish in the exact same afternoon.