Boating Vacations On The East Coast You Need To Know About
Memorial Day on the east coast signifies the official start of summer. That includes getting the boat back in the water. To coincide with this celebratory vibe, USA Today’s 10BEST recently highlighted the best boating vacations for 2024.
“People go boating because the community is tight-knit, and fellow travelers hop aboard to forge a new friendship or are open to lending a hand with a repair,” 10BEST says.
However, a boating vacation can mean a bunch of different things, and all of them are perfectly acceptable. There’s those long fishing excursions out to sea. Or perhaps your preference is to take the boat out on the lake and get some extreme sports time in. Waterskiing, wakeboarding, tubing, and water surfing are thrilling activities. Lastly, there’s nothing wrong with packing up some food and a cooler and just cranking your favorite music on the boat while you simply cruise around.
Many boating communities hold social gatherings throughout the next few months right at there at the docks as well. Some of the locations USA Today’s 10BEST detailed specialize in one of these boating adventures, while other spots allow you to do them all.
Best Boating Vacations To Have On Your Radar
Portland, Maine, is certainly well-known for its seafood and how welcoming it is to summer tourists. The city’s charm allows it to be a great place to walk around and grab a fresh lobster roll in the sunshine. In many ways, it’s the postcard New England summer spot. 10BEST points out it’s also a great boating destination.
“More than a dozen public marinas exist along Portland’s coast, so there are plenty of options for boats of different sizes or travelers with specific docking needs,” they say.
Charleston, South Carolina, is another popular summer boating area. In addition to water taxis that can take you around the harbor, and their many marinas allow visitors to charter yachts. There are many hotels that are within walking distance of the harbor as well.
Somewhere in between Maine and South Carolina, you will find Ocean City, Maryland. Their legendary 3-mile boardwalk gets much of the summer attraction attention, but boating in the area is also a blast. In fact, there are both bayside and oceanfront options. Bayside boat rentals in Ocean City also offer jet ski rentals.
If you’re summer vacation time (and budget allows), why not start in either Portland or Charleston and make your way south or north for a week full of the best boating destinations along the East Coast?