Cannon Beach, Oregon
Newport, Rhode Island
A quiet post-Labor Day calm envelops Newport after the families that crowd Easton's Beach return to the daily grind and couples arrive in town for romantic New England getaways. Just above the beach, you can walk hand-in-hand along the 3.5-mile Cliff Walk, where opulent mansions are set among mature trees turning brilliant shades.
Gulf Shores, Alabama
In fall, Gulf Shores visitors still linger on miles of sugar-sand beaches and play in the clear, turquoise Gulf of Mexico waters. The town's marinas, home to one of the world's largest fleets of charter fishing boats, offer anglers one last hurrah before the weather turns.
Nantucket, Massachusetts
Vice President Joe Biden, for one, skips Nantucket's high-season crowds and visits in the fall, when the Gulf Stream ushers in an Indian summer and the ocean is the warmest it's been all year.
Saugatuck, Michigan
This popular Lake Michigan beach town 140 miles from Chicago—with its cottages, Victorian-style B&Bs, ice cream counters, and fudge shops—settles down in fall. Oval Beach and the towering sand dunes in the adjacent Saugatuck Harbor Natural Area become desolate places for autumn walks.
Nags Head, Outer Banks, North Carolina
Skip the Outer Banks' notorious standstill bridge traffic, with long lines of summer vacationers inching their cars along the one-lane road. Visit in fall, when you can drive happily and have beaches and lighthouses to yourself.
Cannon Beach, Oregon
For the come-what-may type of traveler, the little town of Cannon Beach is a delightful mixed bag in autumn. You never know if Mother Nature will enshroud the famous Haystack Rock monolith in rain, a dreamlike fog, or a bath of brilliant sunshine.
Virginia Beach, Virginia
As summer ends, the sounds of crowded beaches and nightly concerts begin to fade in Virginia Beach. You can ride a bike on the boardwalk without dodging too many tourists, or kayak through Back Bay National Wildlife Refuge in solitude and admire the fall colors.
Galveston, Texas
Aside from the thinning of beach crowds, not much in Galveston indicates the onset of fall. With 80-degree days in September that drop only into the mid-70s in October, autumn on Galveston Island feels like an endless summer. For those in denial about the shift of seasons, summer's free Saturday-night outdoor movie and concert series continues through October.
The Wildwoods, New Jersey
In the Wildwoods, the period from Labor Day weekend through the end of November—with its warm fall breezes, lower hotel rates, and relaxed pace—is known as the "Second Season." Hotel rates drop, but you can still catch events every weekend.
Pismo Beach, California
On central California's coast, warm weather lingers after summer has gone, so you're afforded last chances to dig for clams, ride dune buggies, and watch sunsets from the fishing pier without having to bundle up. In autumn at Pismo Beach, the ocean is rarely foggy, and nearby vineyards cloaked in fall colors are breathtaking.
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