Top East Coast vacation destinations can be found from Florida all the way north to Maine. There are wonderful beaches all along this coastline that stretches for more than 1,700 miles. Finding the best East Coast beach vacation is a matter of budget and the kind of experience you are seeking. You can look for the best New England vacation spots by driving through beautiful countryside in Vermont during the autumn foliage season or find the best party hotel for your spring break in Florida.

The best East Coast beach vacation can be found on many of the beaches all along the Atlantic Seaboard. There are some notable places along the southern coast south of Pennsylvania and Delaware, which is usually referred to as the Southeast. Most prominent among these are the Georgia and South Carolina beaches, including exclusive Sea Island, Kiawah Island, and Seabrook Island. The cities of Baltimore and Washington DC also are in this group. In Florida, the best East Coast beach vacation for spring break partying can be found from Daytona Beach to all the way south to Fort Lauderdale.

However, most people looking for the top East Coast vacation destinations look to the Northeast. New Jersey boasts miles of beautiful beaches and the seaside city of Atlantic City with its glitzy casinos and long strip of high-rise resorts and hotels.

For a destination of a different sort, you may look to New York City, which is one of the undisputed top East Coast vacation destinations for sophisticated and cosmopolitan experiences. Here are some of the finest restaurants and classiest hotels in the world, Broadway shows representing the best in music and stage, iconic skyscrapers and monuments, and the finest shopping found anywhere. In between eating, shopping, and being entertained, you can visit the historic Statue of Liberty and Ellis Island, ascend to the observation deck of the Empire State Building for breathtaking views, and pay your respects at the World Trade Center Site.

Moving north, another of the best New England vacation spots for a cosmopolitan experience is the city of Boston. This city boasts many historic sites that are part of the beginnings of the United States as an independent country. Here is Bunker Hill, site of the first major battle in the Revolutionary War, the seventeenth-century Paul Revere House whose famous ride from Boston’s North End to Lexington alerted colonists that the British were coming. Boston also has many fine museums—from the Isabella Gardner Museum and the Museum of Fine Arts to the respected Boston Science Museum and the USS Constitution, the frigate called “Old Ironsides” that was launched in 1797 and served in various wars until she was retired at the end of the nineteenth century and then became a floating museum.

Just south of Boston is Cape Cod with the town of Marthas Vineyard and beautiful Nantucket Island, central to the whaling history of the region. More of the best New England vacation spots are found north of Boston. Marblehead is a charming town that has been a center for international sailing and boat making since the seventeenth century. Nearby is the historic town of Salem, site of the famous House of the Seven Gables and the infamous Witch Trials. North of Massachusetts are the states of New Hampshire and Maine. While New Hampshire has only a small stretch of coastline, you can find the resort area of Hampton Beach here. Then there is the long and rugged coastline of Maine, where you can enjoy a traditional clam and lobster bake, tour historic lighthouses, or simply enjoy the scenery.