By Sarah Tuff

updated 3:09 p.m. ET Aug. 13, 2008

Enough with your fancy remote beaches. The Maldives? St. Tropez? With the economy what it is, we'll be lucky to get to the next state on a $73 tank of gas. We want close. We want old-fashioned. We want a town where we can park the car, drag a beach chair and a book to the sand, and then shuffle down the boardwalk in our flip-flops for fried clams and an icy-cold can of beer: a place with fireworks, friendly locals, and sticky scoop shops. So we dug up 11 great American seaside escapes, from classic fun-in-the-sun California to New England colonial charm. Because when it comes to precious summer weekends in the sun, there's no place like home.

For a full slideshow of Great American Beach Towns, click here.

1. Ogunquit, Maine

The sand: Three and a half miles of white-sand beaches on a long hook of land, separated from the mainland by the mouth of the Ogunquit River.

Marine life: Lobster? Ach, you can find that anywhere in Maine. But only in a few select spots along the state's 5,500 miles of rocky coastline will you find actual soft, bottom-inviting sand, and that's outside the hamlet of Ogunquit. To avoid the traffic of crustacean-seeking crowds, you'll also want to ditch the car. Snag a parking spot at Footbridge Bridge early in the morning ($15 for the day) and take the trolley back into town for blueberry pancakes at Bessie's. Then stroll with a cup of coffee through the galleries and too-cute shops. Cross back over at Ogunquit Beach to find the spot you've staked in the sand. Then you're free of obligations until your dinner reservation at Ogunquit's acclaimed Arrows Restaurant. It goes beyond typical beach fare, serving foie gras-and-oxtail dumplings, sea salt–roasted rabbit loin, and mango bubble pudding. And, yeah, Maine lobster, too.

The sanctuary: Book one of the 19 cottages at Dunes on the Waterfront: They have screened porches and Adirondack chairs just 200 yards from the main beach.

Dunes on the Waterfront
Tel: 888 295 3863
Cottages from $200 a night, with a minimum week stay

Bessie's
Tel: 207 646 0888

Arrows Restaurant
Tel: 207 361 1100

2. Mexico Beach, Florida

The sand: Around these three miles of confectioners'-sugar sands, you'll see bald eagles, sea turtles, dolphins—and only a few footprints.

Marine life: Never heard of Mexico Beach? Exactly. South of Destin, on the Florida Panhandle, the 1,200 residents have avoided high-rises, strip malls, and theme parks like the plague, keeping their low-slung town to themselves. The "government" is a five-person council that's put the kibosh on anything taller than 48 feet, and the focus is on small-town fun, with gumbo cook-offs, kingfish tournaments, and fireworks fundraisers. You can kill two beach birds with one stone at the souvenirs-and-seafood shop Shell Shack. If you want to get off the beach, pop into the pool bar at the El Governor motel or take a scuba dive through a sunken oil tanker just offshore.

The sanctuary: The Driftwood Inn has four-poster beds in its rooms and DIY barbecue grills on its back deck. If you want to play at being a local, opt for one of the separate, two-bedroom Victorian houses.

The Driftwood Inn
Tel: 850 648 5126
Doubles from $140, Victorian houses from $175

The Shell Shack
Tel: 850 648 8256

El Governor
Tel: 850 648 5757

3. Newport, Rhode Island

The sand: Beaches for every budget, from exclusive clubs to free, secluded spots on Aquidneck Island.

Marine life: Hey, if we were a Vanderbilt, we would have built a summer cottage here, too. Only an hour and a half from Beantown, Newport has a dramatic, ocean-crashing-on-rocks side facing the Atlantic; a cutesy, colonial side facing Narragansett Bay; and a third, Rhode Island Sound–oriented side that's swept with beaches. Easton's Beach—better known as First Beach—is the classic Americana spot, with a carousel, snack bar, and cabanas; Sachuset (Second) Beach is a 1.25-mile stretch below St. George's prep school that catches the crowd runoff. Few make it as far as Third Beach, a quiet spot for kiteboarding, kayaking, and bird-watching. Fewer still know about Bailey's Beach, reached at the end of the mansion-lined Bellevue Avenue. Most of the sand belongs to the blue-blooded members of the Spouting Rock Beach Association, but the west end is open to the public, with no fee for parking. Spend your cash instead on a platter of fried clams from Flo's Clam Shack.

The sanctuary: The Victorian furniture at the Chanler at Cliff Walk invokes the Gilded Age of the nearby mansions, and most of the 20 rooms have views of First Beach, plus Vanderbilt-quality niceties like Fili D'Oro linens and working fireplaces.

The Chanler at Cliff Walk
Tel: 401 847 1300
Doubles from $595

Flo's Clam Shack
Tel: 401 847 8141

4. Folly Beach, South Carolina

The sand: A six-mile barrier island with room for surfers, beachcombers, and shellfish aficionados, 15 minutes south of Charleston.

Marine life: Officially, Folly Beach is part of the Charleston metro area, but there's not a smidgen of anything metropolitan here. Communing with nature is more common than commuting to the office, honking is what the birds do, and a board meeting is a bunch of surfers hanging out at the Washout. Newcomers' first stop should be McKevlin's Surf Shop, here since 1965. They'll set you up with a rental and one-hour lesson for $40. Or head straight for Folly Beach County Park, which is quieter than busy Center Street beach, but still has boogie boards, umbrellas, and bikes for rent. Take those wheels to Folly Beach Crab Shack, grab a hammock chair, and munch on buckets of seafood as "traffic" goes by.

The sanctuary: The new Water's Edge Inn, just three blocks from the Atlantic, is shaded by palms trees and has eight rooms with crisp white sheets and flat-screen TVs.

Water's Edge Inn
Tel: 800 738 0884
Doubles from $229

McKevlin's Surf Shop
Tel: 843 588 2247

Folly Beach Crab Shack
Tel: 843 588 3080

5. Saugatuck, Michigan

The sand: Dunes that will remind you of Cape Cod, and khaki beaches that mimic Malibu—right in the heart of the Midwest.

Marine life: Combine an awe-inspiring landscape with the aw-shucks attitude of a small town, and you get Saugatuck, just across the Kalamazoo River from a surprisingly sandy stretch of Lake Michigan's eastern shore. The historic, gallery-lined town (within a three-hour drive from Detroit, Chicago, Indianapolis, and Milwaukee) has long drawn those seeking a watery muse, rugged adventures, or simple beach pleasures. Beachgoers can cross the bridge or, more fun, board a 1913 hand-cranked ferry that chugs from Saugatuck across the Kalamazoo. The quick and quaint ride costs just $1 and rewards passengers with the unspoiled stretch of Oval Beach, which frequently finds itself listed as one of the world's best—despite being miles from any ocean. For an even less populated place to stake your umbrella, there's the nearby Saugatuck Dunes State Park, with two miles of Lake Michigan shoreline, 200-foot-tall dunes, and 1,000 acres of hiking terrain. "Dune schooners" (think stretch ATVs) rumble through here from 10 am to 7:30 pm most summer days; some folks might want to retreat to the Saugatuck Drug Store, a soda fountain as sweet and as storied as the ferry.

The sanctuary: "Silver Palate" cookbook co-author Julee Rosso runs the Wickwood Inn, so expect complimentary hors d'oeuvres like crab crostini as lovely as the 11 guest rooms, each based on a different theme, like an English garden or mountain cabin.

Wickwood Inn
Tel: 269 857 1465
Doubles from $295

Saugatuck Drug Store
Tel: 269 857 2300

Saugatuck Visitor’s Bureau
www.saugatuck.com

6. Coral Bay, St. John, U.S. Virgin Islands

The sand: There are more than 40 beaches on the island—many protected by a national park—with hiking trails to nearly all of 'em.

Marine life: As one of the three U.S. Virgin Islands, St. John may fly the red, white,and blue, but an expat vibe runs through the well-sheltered harbor of Coral Bay. Long a hippie-ish hideout for old salts and new beach bums alike, the funky little town—on the far side of the island from the main settlement of Cruz Bay—has none of the bling and bustle of sister islands St. Thomas and St. Croix, with their cruise ports and duty-free shop-o-ramas. Here, the entire economy depends on the sale of tropical trinkets from rickety shacks and bikinis from a VW bus. The unofficial town hall is Skinny Legs, a beachfront bar where the burger selections are scrawled on an old windsurfing board and an old sail serves as the awning. For those who insist on earning their Heinekens with a bit of exercise, Crabby's rents sea kayaks and snorkeling gear.

The sanctuary: Forget staying at a hotel—truth is, there aren't any this side of the island. Instead, lord over the coast in a villa like the Starlit Escape, a 2,500-square-foot house with five bedrooms and a freshwater swimming pool.

Starlit Escape
Tel: 800 965 1650
From $1,400 per week

Skinny Legs
Tel: 340 779 4982

Crabby's
Tel: 340 714 2415

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