Yorktown Beach
Yorktown, VA
Yorktown Beach curves along the York River below the town's Revolutionary War battlefields, a strip of sand that shares its waterfront with Riverwalk Landing's shops and restaurants. It's as much a stroll through history as it is a beach day, with the Coleman Bridge and passing ships filling the view out over the water.
The history and downtown walkability set it apart from a typical river beach, though the sand itself is narrow and the water can run murky after a rain.
How we score beachesPark at the Riverwalk Landing terrace and ride the free trolley if the walk back from the far end of the beach sounds like too much after a day in the sun.
The Riverwalk Landing terrace offers 270 spaces, free street parking lines Water Street, and a free trolley connects both to the beach.
Flat, paved paths connect the parking terrace and Water Street to the beach with no stairs involved.
River water here runs warmer and calmer than the open bay by midsummer, with the historic sites downtown making this an easy add-on to a beach afternoon.
More Atlantic Coast beaches
Coast Guard Beach
Eastham, MA · Atlantic Coast
A National Seashore beach backed by grassy dunes and a tidal marsh, with clean Atlantic surf and one of the Cape's most scenic approaches on foot from the parking area.
Surfside Beach
Nantucket, MA · Atlantic Coast
Open Atlantic swell and a wide sandy shoreline about three miles from Nantucket town, popular with locals for its bodysurfing waves and quieter, less commercial feel.
Jones Beach State Park
Wantagh, NY · Atlantic Coast
A classic Long Island beach with six and a half miles of shoreline, a landmark water tower, boardwalk, and a large outdoor amphitheater that hosts concerts through the summer.