The 6 Best (Secret!) Beaches in the US and the World

A couple years ago, I planned a trip to Mexico with some friends. The group was evenly split in their preferred destination. Half wanted to visit a colonial city; the other half voted to relax at a beach resort. 

This confirms something I’ve believed for a long time: there are essentially two kinds of vacationers — those who like to spend their days relaxing and those who prefer to sightsee in order to learn about the culture and civilization of a place.

I also think there are (at least) two kinds of beachgoers. There are those who like to soak up rays and swim in temperate waters, and there are those who want to mix things up with a bit more adventure. 

The following list has a little something for everyone, ensuring even the busiest entrepreneurs can enjoy their next beach vacation.

Agate Beach, Grand Marais, Michigan: Best for Rockhounding

The shores of Lake Superior are notorious for containing gemstones, including Lake Superior agates, amethyst, unakite, fluorescent yooperlites, and jasper. I felt like a kid in a candy store the first time I encountered the beautiful beaches of Pictured Rocks National Lakeshore, which abound with gorgeous polished stones of every size, shape, and color. 

While it’s against park regulations to collect these stones, you can head over to nearby Agate Beach in Grand Marais and snag the exact same bounty. Aptly named, this public beach is one of the best places to find Lake Superior agates, but even if you are an unskilled collector like myself, you’ll go crazy filling your pockets with beautiful, albeit worthless, treasures. 

Once you’re done beachcombing, you can hike one and a half miles up the shoreline to where Sable Creek empties into Lake Superior and climb the wooden stairs to catch a glimpse of Sable Falls, one of the main attractions of Pictured Rocks National Lakeshore. 

Sand Beach in Stonington, Maine: Best for Stunning Views

This beach really is a hidden treasure, and I feel kind of guilty telling you about it. But if you are visiting Acadia and want to escape the crowds for a day, head an hour south to the Blue Hill Peninsula and drive all the way to the end of Route 15, where you will find the picturesque town of Stonington. This fishing village pulls more lobster than anywhere else in North America and is definitely worth a stroll. You can get a lobster roll from the takeaway on the main drag or have a seafood feast at Stonecutter’s Kitchen, a down-to-earth eatery with lots of outdoor seating right on the harbor. 

Once you are satiated, drive through town on the main street, past the Opera House — it will seem wrong, but it’s not — and after two or three miles, you’ll see a parking area on the left side of the road. This is Sand Beach, a place mostly known by locals and summer residents.

What makes it remarkable, aside from the fact that it’s a swimmable beach with real sand — a rarity in this part of Maine — is the tremendous natural beauty. I’ve been to a lot of places, and this location makes it into my top five. You can meander over sun-baked granite outcroppings, sun yourself at a hidden cove, take in the fabulous ocean views, and gain inspiration from the unique color palette to plan a hygge remodel for your office space.

It might not be empty — though I’ve been there plenty of times when it was — but it won’t be crowded, either. 

Queen’s Caye, Belize: Best for Snorkeling

When I visited Belize in 1996, a local in Placencia charged my partner and I a nominal fee to take us 25 miles out by motorboat to the largest of these three uninhabited islands protected by the barrier reef and now part of a marine reserve. He dropped us off for three days with our camping equipment and a giant papaya, and we set up our tent right on the beach that skirts the island.

Until the kayakers showed up, it was just us, an elderly Norwegian couple, and some local fishermen who free dove 70 feet down, using spears to catch fish. They sold us about a kilo of red snapper, and it was the best fish I’ve ever eaten. At night, the sky was so dark that Venus cast a bright reflection in the water. 

As if all of that wasn’t great enough, the snorkeling was unbelievable. On our swim out to the reef, we saw six-foot barracudas and a giant manta ray cruising the ocean floor. The reef itself contained dozens of varieties of fish and coral, an underwater garden with endless variety. It was simply amazing.   

Times have changed since then, and you now need an official guide if you plan to camp or snorkel on these islands. But I bet it’s still a fabulous experience.    

Bahia de Los Angeles, Mexico: Best for Seeing Whales and Other Marine Life

Years ago, I rented a car with a friend and we drove halfway down the Baja Peninsula to Guererro Negro, where gray whales gather yearly to give birth and nurse their young. I am afraid of whales, so I opted not to get in a small fishing boat and visit them up close. We did see several whales through binoculars, but those brave enough to get in the boat actually touched whales, one of whom brought her calf to the surface so that it could see the strange land creatures. 

But the beach I have chosen to feature here is hundreds of miles from that marine sanctuary. On the east coast of the Baja Peninsula, Bahia de Los Angeles is a small village that, when I was there, still had electricity powered by generators. You ate seafood at a hole-in-the-wall place with three or four tables and watched Mexican soap operas with the family who ran the place. At night, you could camp right on the beach, listening to coyotes howling and waves crashing on the shore. 

The next morning, while we were walking the beach, a whale breached in the bay — right before our eyes. It had taken sanctuary in the shallow waters overnight and was leaving for the open water of the Gulf of California. We also saw sea lions and sea turtles, and we had the entire bay to ourselves.

Ameland Beach, the Netherlands: Best for Walking on the Bottom of the Sea

There are at least a couple places I know where you can walk long distances out on tidal mudflats. One is near my grandparents’ birthplace in Bass River, Nova Scotia. When I was a kid, I would sneak out of my aunt’s house and walk out into the Bay of Fundy until the houses on the shore were tiny dots, enjoying the eerie sensation of being somewhere normally covered by water. 

I had to sneak out because walking the mudflats is dangerous — it’s easy to get trapped by the fast-moving currents of the incoming tide, which can be fatal.

Another place where it’s possible to walk the mudflats is across the Wadden Sea, a narrow stretch of water between the northern dikes of the Netherlands and the Wadden Islands. During low tide, this entire stretch is mudflats, and a guide will take you wadlopen, or “mud walking,” a popular Dutch pastime. Although most people do this in the summer, you can go any time of the year and even make the trek by the light of the full moon. 

Conditions vary, and apparently sometimes you are carrying your pack on your head while trekking through neck-deep water, but the day I made my journey to the Island of Ameland there was nothing but mucky sand embedded with shell shards standing between us and the safety of solid land. 

Once you get to Ameland (it is also possible to go wadlopen to other islands as well as in-between islands), you pass through a nature reserve and climb the Oerdblinkert, a high dune. At last, you arrive at Ameland Beach, a beautiful stretch of sand that dominates the northern coast of the island.   

Bahia Honda State Park, the Florida Keys: Best Overall Beach Experience

I haven’t personally been to this island paradise, and I doubt that it is truly secret, but the entire island sounds fantastic, so let me tell you what I learned. 

Bahia Honda has what everyone wants from a tropical location — white sands, palm-lined beaches, balmy breezes, and crystal clear shallow water that is perfect for bathing. You not only have the ability to camp there, but Bahia Honda State Park has 19 boat slips in a protected basin that you can rent in order to sleep in your own vessel.

The island is a great place for bird watching, kayaking and snorkeling. One thing I like about this state park: it’s a first-come, first-served experience, and once the park reaches maximum capacity, no one else is allowed to enter. So while it’s not exactly private, at least you won’t be experiencing hordes of people as you sit back and enjoy the beautiful sunsets. 

Final Thoughts

Even the busiest entrepreneur needs to step back and unwind. A mental break and a reconnection with nature will inspire your creativity, recharge your batteries, and ready you for the challenges that lie ahead. Whether you are looking to soak up the sun or are feeling a bit more adventurous, we hope you’ll enjoy these “secret” locales for your next beach getaway.