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I haven't been to the beach in North Carolina, but I pretty much assume Texas has the worst beaches of any state. The only good thing is that we do have warm water that is more comfortable for swimming than other places in the continental US.
There has also been an insane amount of erosion on the Texas coastline. I used to enjoy Mustang Island a lot but there was barely any beach the last time I went.
Personally, I'm not a fan of either's beaches but North Carolina wins here just based on being photogenic.
I was actually very bummed out that I couldn't swim in the Outer Banks the entire time I was there though (apparently the beaches have strong currents). Apparently NC's beaches are for "beautiful sunrises" but swimming is a big no no. And outside the Outer Banks is just swampland and estuaries.
Texas's beaches are even worse and extremely underwhelming. Have been to both South Padre and Galveston and both felt very run-down and the beaches themselves were bland.
So I don't consider either one a destination for beach travel. I much prefer Delaware, New Jersey and Florida for that. Ironically, my go-to beach is Virginia Beach, which somehow is great for swimming yet it's only slightly above the NC State Line.
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I mean there's more beaches than just the outer banks. Not one time could I not swim in Fort Fisher, Kure, Wrightsville, Topsail, Carolina, Holden, etc.
Granted location wise for you VA Beach makes more sense to get to vs driving further out.
Last edited by drrckmtthws; 06-19-2021 at 11:58 PM..
Certainly below Hatteras is calmer (and warmer), but thousands of people swim the beaches in the OB every week. Red flags do fly when there is a storm in the vicinity, but otherwise swimming the OB is similar to ocean swimming elsewhere, There is also a sound like 200 yards away where you basically treated to lakefront beach and is popular with families with small kids.
But yes, NC beaches are more than the OB, and on top of those places mentioned are also Emerald Isle and Atlantic Beach.
I do wonder though why TX beaches are so bad and if anything can be done about it in terms of terraforming…
Galveston has put millions into renovating their beaches. I say they have done a great job doing so, but If its the brown water, there's really nothing that can be done since it's the sediment from the Mississippi River that's causing the water in Galveston to be the way it is. While some people will avoid getting in it's no different than getting in water that's clear.
Quote:
Originally Posted by whereiend
I haven't been to the beach in North Carolina, but I pretty much assume Texas has the worst beaches of any state. The only good thing is that we do have warm water that is more comfortable for swimming than other places in the continental US.
There has also been an insane amount of erosion on the Texas coastline. I used to enjoy Mustang Island a lot but there was barely any beach the last time I went.
I say Louisiana has far worst looking beaches. Can't swim in alligator infested waters.
I say Louisiana has far worst looking beaches. Can't swim in alligator infested waters.
True, I thought that after I posted. Louisiana is the one state with clearly worse beaches. I suppose that the beaches in the PNW are rather useless as well, though beautiful to look at. I'd still probably take that over the Texas beach overall, though.
I'm was raised inNC but live in TX (now been in TX for majority of my life). Please don't ever disrespect NC like this again by placing its beaches in a comparison with Texas. It's not even remotely close. NC is blowing TX out of the water. TX has South Padre but it's so far from most of us that Texans just drive/fly to Florida if we want to go to a beach.
I'm was raised inNC but live in TX (now been in TX for majority of my life). Please don't ever disrespect NC like this again by placing its beaches in a comparison with Texas. It's not even remotely close. NC is blowing TX out of the water. TX has South Padre but it's so far from most of us that Texans just drive/fly to Florida if we want to go to a beach.
The Yucatan Peninsula for me! Cheap 2 hour flight. I agree on Padre. It's nice enough but not worth an 8 hour drive unless you have 5 kids or something. It's much easier to just pay for a flight somewhere better.
I'm not s fan of beaches or ocean views. That said, beaches are good for 2 things. Beaches are there to cross to get on a long cruise ship journey and where good seafood caught is brought to shore. Texas wind for me by those uses.
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