If you’re searching for the best beaches on the East Coast to spend Memorial Day weekend, the Atlantic shoreline gives you more genuine options than any single list can do justice to — but twelve is a solid place to start. Memorial Day weekend is the unofficial starting gun of summer, and the East Coast fires it louder than anywhere else in the country, from the Victorian storefronts of Cape May to the wide, wild barrier islands of the Outer Banks. This list covers twelve of the most popular and worthwhile best beaches on the East Coast — organized north to south — with exactly what to pack for each one so you show up ready instead of scrambling at the nearest CVS.
1. Virginia Beach, Virginia
Virginia Beach stretches for 28 miles along the Atlantic — the Guinness World Records has it on file as the world’s largest pleasure beach — which means there is always room to spread out even when the Memorial Day crowds roll in from every direction. The boardwalk runs three miles and is stacked with seafood restaurants, live music venues, and rental shops for bikes, kayaks, and paddleboards, so you never run out of ways to fill a day. First Landing State Park sits at the northern end of the city and offers a genuinely quieter stretch of beach alongside 19 miles of hiking trails through a rare Atlantic maritime forest.
What to Pack for Virginia Beach
☀️ Sun Protection — Virginia Beach faces due east, which means full morning sun with nowhere to hide. A broad-spectrum SPF 50+ reef-safe sunscreen is the one thing you cannot leave in the car.
🪑 Beach Chair — With 28 miles of sand, you’ll want your own setup rather than renting. The Tommy Bahama backpack beach chair lays flat and carries your towel and water bottle on its back.
🎒 Beach Bag / Tote — A large mesh beach tote drains sand fast and holds everything from sunscreen to a speaker without turning into a 10-pound sandbag by noon.
🏄 Waterproof Phone Case — Whether you’re paddleboarding or getting hit by a surprise wave, a waterproof phone pouch keeps your camera ready without the panic.
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2. Myrtle Beach, South Carolina
Myrtle Beach runs 60 miles of coastline and packs it with activity — the Grand Strand has more mini-golf courses than any place in the country, which tells you something useful about the energy level here. The water temperature in late May climbs into the upper 60s to low 70s, which is noticeably warmer than anything north of the Carolinas, making it one of the first spots on the East Coast where you can actually swim comfortably over Memorial Day weekend. Beyond the boardwalk attractions, the Murrells Inlet area just south offers a quieter seafood scene along a genuine fishing village waterfront that the resort crowd mostly skips.
What to Pack for Myrtle Beach
☂️ Beach Umbrella — Myrtle’s beaches are wide and exposed, and afternoon sun is relentless in late May. A 7ft UPF 50+ beach umbrella with sand anchor is essential if you plan to stay past 11 a.m.
🧊 Soft Cooler Bag — A insulated soft cooler bag keeps drinks cold without the weight of a hard-sided cooler when you’re hauling across the sand.
👡 Water Sandals — Myrtle’s beachfront gets busy, and you’ll be walking boardwalk-to-sand-to-restaurant all day. A pair of quick-dry water sandals handles all of it without a wardrobe change.
📷 Portable Bluetooth Speaker — Long beach days call for a soundtrack. A waterproof portable Bluetooth speaker that can take a splash is worth every dollar here.
3. Cape May, New Jersey
Cape May sits at the southernmost tip of New Jersey and holds the title of oldest seaside resort in America, which means the town infrastructure for a beach weekend is about as dialed-in as it gets. The Victorian architecture is no marketing gimmick — over 600 preserved buildings line the streets, and the whole historic district is a National Historic Landmark, so the stroll between the beach and dinner genuinely looks different from every other shore town on the Jersey Shore. Birdwatchers know Cape May as one of the best migration corridors on the entire eastern seaboard, with over 400 species documented here; if that’s not your thing, spend the morning hunting for Cape May Diamonds — clear quartz pebbles that wash in from the Delaware River and are worth the hunt.
What to Pack for Cape May
🧴 Mineral Sunscreen — Cape May beaches have stricter water quality standards and a lot of families with kids. A mineral sunscreen SPF 50 is the reef-friendly choice and doubles as a skin-safe option for little ones.
🎒 Lightweight Day Backpack — You’ll be walking the historic district and the beach in the same afternoon. A packable lightweight day backpack carries everything without looking out of place either place.
🔭 Compact Binoculars — For the birdwatchers in the group — and there will be birdwatchers — a pair of compact waterproof binoculars is the single best purchase you can make for Cape May.
🏖️ Quick-Dry Beach Towel — A lightweight quick-dry microfiber beach towel packs down to the size of a rolled-up magazine and dries three times faster than the cotton version you’ll regret bringing.
4. Outer Banks, North Carolina
The Outer Banks is a chain of barrier islands stretching more than 100 miles off the North Carolina coast, and the ocean-facing side is some of the least commercially developed shoreline on the entire Eastern Seaboard. Wild horses roam the beaches near Corolla in the northern section — descended from Spanish mustangs, protected by a foundation, and genuinely breathtaking to spot from the sand — while the Cape Hatteras Lighthouse, the tallest brick lighthouse in the country, marks the southern end of the most visited section. Kill Devil Hills sits right in the middle and marks the exact spot where the Wright Brothers made history in 1903, so the Outer Banks somehow manages to deliver wildlife, history, and serious waves all on the same trip.
What to Pack for the Outer Banks
🪑 Low-Profile Sand Chair — The OBX has stretches of beach where you’re half a mile from a parking lot. A low-profile lightweight sand chair with carry strap is easier to haul than full-size options and sits comfortably at wave level.
🧊 Hard-Sided Cooler — A full day on a remote Outer Banks beach means bringing everything with you. A hard-sided insulated cooler with good ice retention earns its weight when you’re two miles from the nearest shop.
🎣 Fishing Gear Bag — Surf fishing is a way of life on Hatteras Island. A beach fishing rod holder and tackle bag lets you set poles and still have both hands free for a beer.
👟 Water Shoes — The OBX shoreline mixes sand with shells and the occasional rocky stretch near piers. A pair of mesh water shoes protects your feet without slowing you down.
Disclosure: This post contains Amazon affiliate links. If you purchase through these links, we may earn a small commission at no extra cost to you.
5. Ocean City, Maryland
Ocean City, Maryland has a 10-mile boardwalk — one of the longest on the East Coast — lined with the kind of boardwalk staples that are either charming or overwhelming depending on your threshold for funnel cake and arcade noise. What separates Ocean City from the more polished resort towns is its unashamed commitment to being exactly what it is: a good-time, affordable, family- and college-crowd beach destination that has been delivering on that promise since the 1870s. The beaches are wide, the surf is consistent, and the Assateague Island National Seashore sits just four miles south if you need to decompress from the boardwalk scene in a hurry.
What to Pack for Ocean City, Maryland
☂️ Pop-Up Beach Tent — Ocean City’s beaches are open and sunny with very little natural shade, and a pop-up beach sun shelter tent gives the whole family a shaded base camp that goes up in under two minutes.
🧴 After-Sun Lotion — Late May sun in Maryland is stronger than most people expect. A cooling after-sun aloe gel or lotion takes the sting out of the day by evening.
🎒 Insulated Beach Backpack Cooler — Hauling a cooler down the boardwalk is a logistical headache. An insulated backpack cooler keeps hands free and drinks cold simultaneously.
🏄 Boogie Board — Ocean City has some of the most consistent shore break on the mid-Atlantic coast. A foam bodyboard / boogie board with a wrist leash is the cheapest fun you’ll have all weekend.
6. Rehoboth Beach, Delaware
Rehoboth Beach has been drawing visitors from Washington, D.C. and Baltimore for well over a century, and its combination of a walkable one-mile boardwalk, tax-free shopping, and a genuinely welcoming community has made it one of the most reliable beach towns on the mid-Atlantic coast. The water here stays cooler than the Carolinas in late May, but the beach is wide and fine-grained, and the town itself packs more good restaurants per square block than a place this size has any right to. Dewey Beach, just two miles south, runs younger and louder if that’s the direction you want to go; Delaware Seashore State Park three miles further offers the untouched opposite end of the spectrum.
What to Pack for Rehoboth Beach
👒 Wide-Brim Sun Hat — Rehoboth’s boardwalk and beach both demand serious sun coverage for a full day. A wide-brim UPF 50 sun hat that survives an ocean breeze is worth the investment.
🏖️ Beach Chair with Canopy — If you’re planning a full beach day with kids or just a long afternoon, a beach chair with attached sun canopy creates personal shade without fumbling with a separate umbrella.
🧴 SPF Lip Balm — Easily overlooked, embarrassingly necessary. A SPF 30+ lip balm pack costs almost nothing and prevents the one sunburn that keeps hurting for four days.
🎒 Waterproof Dry Bag — For anyone heading to Delaware Seashore State Park to kayak or paddleboard after the beach, a 10L waterproof dry bag keeps your phone, keys, and wallet genuinely dry.
7. Amelia Island, Florida
Amelia Island is the northernmost barrier island on Florida’s Atlantic coast and the southernmost link in the Sea Islands chain that runs up through Georgia and the Carolinas — which tells you something about its character before you even arrive. The island’s 13 miles of quartz-sand beaches are cleaner and quieter than anything you’ll find in South Florida, and the historic district of Fernandina Beach — with its Victorian storefronts, oldest bar in Florida, and century-old shrimping heritage — gives you a real town to explore when you’re done on the sand. Fort Clinch State Park at the northern tip offers a 19th-century Civil War fort, six miles of trails, and some of the most secluded Atlantic shoreline in the entire state, all within a short bike ride of downtown.
What to Pack for Amelia Island
🚲 Bike Helmet and Cycling Gloves — Amelia Island has a 6.2-mile paved trail connecting the beaches, and renting bikes is the default way to get around. A lightweight cycling helmet is required at state parks and just smart everywhere else.
🧴 SPF 50 Reef-Safe Sunscreen — Amelia’s coastal ecosystems are genuinely protected and the island takes it seriously. A reef-safe mineral SPF 50 sunscreen is the right call here environmentally and practically.
🎒 Waterproof Dry Bag — Between kayaking the salt marshes, walking the tidal flats, and the occasional afternoon rain shower that Florida delivers without warning, a waterproof dry bag 10L keeps your phone, wallet, and keys genuinely safe.
🐚 Shell and Shark Tooth Collecting Bag — Fort Clinch’s shoreline is one of the better spots on the Atlantic coast for finding shark teeth and shells. A mesh beach collecting bag with shoulder strap lets you carry the haul without filling your pockets.
8. Cape Cod, Massachusetts
Cape Cod is the one destination on this list where the landscape actively does the work — the light on those dunes in late May is the reason painters have been making the drive up Route 6 for a hundred years. Cape Cod National Seashore protects 40 miles of Atlantic-facing shoreline including Coast Guard Beach, which is consistently ranked among the best beaches in the country and remains free to access once you get past the parking situation. The water is cold — there is no softer way to put it — but the bay side runs warmer and calmer, and towns like Chatham, Provincetown, and Wellfleet each carry enough personality to keep a weekend interesting even if the ocean temperature disagrees with you.
What to Pack for Cape Cod
🧥 Packable Windbreaker — Cape Cod’s weather in late May has its own opinions about Memorial Day weekend, and a lightweight packable windbreaker jacket that stuffs into its own pocket is the most-used item in any experienced visitor’s bag.
🔭 Compact Binoculars — Grey seals haul out on the outer Cape beaches and whale watching boats operate out of Provincetown. A compact waterproof binocular set opens up a whole second layer of the Cape experience.
🏖️ Sand-Free Beach Blanket — You’ll be picnicking on dunes and in meadows, not just sand. A sand-free outdoor beach picnic blanket with corner stakes handles both environments and doesn’t blow away on the Atlantic breeze.
☕ Insulated Travel Mug — Early mornings on Cape Cod are best experienced with coffee and no phone. An insulated stainless steel travel mug that keeps coffee hot for six hours is the move.
9. Tybee Island, Georgia
Tybee Island sits about 20 minutes east of Savannah and serves as its beach town — which means the food scene, the architecture, the history, and the Spanish moss are all a short drive away when you’re done with the sand. The island itself is small (three miles long, half a mile wide) and deliberately low-key, with a fishing pier, a renovated lighthouse complex, and a surf scene that draws a consistent local crowd without ever getting overwhelming. The combination of Tybee beach days and Savannah evening walks through the historic squares is the kind of paired itinerary that makes long weekends feel genuinely relaxing rather than frantically packed.
What to Pack for Tybee Island
🪑 Beach Chair with Cup Holder — Tybee’s beaches are leisurely by design. A padded reclining beach chair with cup holder and storage matches the unhurried pace of the island perfectly.
🧴 Reef-Safe Sunscreen Stick — Tybee sits near sensitive coastal ecosystems, and reef-safe mineral sunscreen sticks are easy to apply without getting lotion all over everything you touch.
🧺 Insulated Picnic Beach Bag — Tybee is the kind of place where you pack a proper lunch and stay all day. An insulated picnic tote with shoulder strap doubles as a cooler and a food bag in one.
📸 Waterproof Action Camera — Between the pier fishing, the kayaking, and the lighthouse climb, Tybee Island generates more photo opportunities than most beaches twice its size. A waterproof action camera for beach and water won’t make you nervous about a splash.
Disclosure: This post contains Amazon affiliate links. If you purchase through these links, we may earn a small commission at no extra cost to you.
10. Assateague Island, Maryland & Virginia
Assateague Island is the one East Coast beach on this list where you share the sand with wild ponies — a herd of free-roaming horses that have lived on the barrier island for centuries and are not even slightly interested in your beach umbrella unless it smells like food. The island is a protected national seashore, which means no hotels, no boardwalk, no shops: just 37 miles of undeveloped Atlantic shoreline, some of the best surf fishing in the mid-Atlantic, and some of the darkest night skies near a major metro on the East Coast. The Maryland side has a campground that fills up months in advance for Memorial Day; the Virginia side requires a ferry and offers a quieter experience for visitors willing to plan ahead.
What to Pack for Assateague Island
🏕️ Beach Camping Gear Set — Assateague is one of the few places on the East Coast where you can camp directly on a national seashore beach. A lightweight beach camping tent with good ventilation and a rain fly covers the variable late-May weather.
🦟 Bug Spray / Insect Repellent — Assateague’s marshes produce mosquitoes and biting flies that are genuinely legendary among regular visitors. A DEET-based insect repellent spray is not optional here — it is the single most important item in your bag.
🧊 Hard-Sided Bear-Resistant Food Container — The Assateague ponies have broken into coolers and can open zippered bags. A hard-sided food storage container or a locked hard cooler is required for anything that smells edible.
⭐ Night Sky Stargazing Mat — The dark skies over Assateague on a clear May night are genuinely spectacular. A padded outdoor stargazing blanket or mat turns a post-sunset hour into one of the better things you’ll do all weekend.
11. Folly Beach, South Carolina
Folly Beach sits ten miles from downtown Charleston and has maintained a surfer-town identity that most South Carolina beach destinations have traded away for resort development. The Folly Beach County Park on the western tip offers some of the best sunset views on the Carolina coast and is far calmer than the main beach strip, while the Edwin S. Taylor Fishing Pier stretches 1,045 feet into the Atlantic and gives you an angle on the surf scene from above. The Atlantic Ocean water temperature at Folly Beach hits the mid-70s by Memorial Day, which puts it comfortably ahead of everything north of the Carolinas and makes it one of the more genuinely swimmable East Coast options for the holiday weekend.
What to Pack for Folly Beach
🏄 Surfboard or Foam Soft-Top Board — Folly Beach has some of the most consistent beginner-friendly surf on the East Coast and several rental shops if you prefer not to bring your own. If you have space, a foam soft-top surfboard 7ft is worth the haul for a full weekend session.
☀️ SPF 50 Tinted Sunscreen — Folly’s beach-to-Charleston town combo means you’ll be moving between environments all day. A tinted SPF 50 face sunscreen pulls double duty as sun protection and a light base so you’re not starting from scratch before dinner.
🎒 Surf and Beach Backpack — A waterproof surf backpack with wet/dry compartment keeps your wet gear separated from your phone, wallet, and car keys without the drama.
🍺 Portable Soft Cooler with Strap — Folly Beach has beach bars, but the stretch near the pier is a long walk from anything. A 12-can soft cooler with shoulder strap covers the gap between the parking lot and your chair.
12. Kiawah Island, South Carolina
Kiawah Island sits 21 miles south of Charleston and protects 10 miles of some of the most pristine shoreline on the entire Atlantic coast — the kind of wide, uncrowded beach where the biggest decision you’ll make all morning is whether to walk left or right. The island has intentionally preserved over 2,000 acres of maritime forests, salt marshes, and sand dunes, which means the backdrop behind you looks like the Lowcountry is supposed to look rather than a parking structure, and loggerhead sea turtles begin coming ashore to nest in mid-May so Memorial Day weekend puts you right in the middle of that window. For golfers, the Ocean Course here hosted both the 1991 Ryder Cup and the 2021 PGA Championship; for everyone else, 30-plus miles of paved biking trails wind through the maritime forest and give you the whole island without a car.
What to Pack for Kiawah Island
🚲 Bike Lock and Repair Kit — Biking is the primary mode of transportation on Kiawah and rentals are available, but a portable lightweight bike lock gives you the freedom to park anywhere on the trail without stressing.
🐢 Polarized Sunglasses — Whether you’re scanning the shoreline for nesting turtle tracks at sunrise or watching dolphins from the beach in the afternoon, a pair of polarized UV400 sunglasses cuts the glare off the water and makes wildlife spotting significantly easier.
🧴 Broad-Spectrum SPF 50 Sunscreen — Kiawah’s beaches are wide and exposed, and the South Carolina sun in late May is at full strength. A broad-spectrum SPF 50 sport sunscreen that stays on through a bike ride and a beach session is the practical choice.
🦟 Insect Repellent — The salt marshes that make Kiawah so beautiful also produce mosquitoes around dusk. A DEET-free insect repellent spray for skin is worth packing if you’re planning any evening walks through the forest trails.
