Chincoteague Island Makes America's Best Beach Towns

As the summer season starts, finding the perfect beach for sunbathing and splashing in the surf becomes a national pastime, even obsession. But what happens off the sand is just as important. While we all hope that the sun will shine every day of our vacation, it's good to know there are options if the skies open up. These ten towns are classic Americana and are packed with museums, shops, and other rainy-day diversions, plus lots of fun festivals and outdoor activities if you want to do something more active then turning the pages of the latest chick-lit release (did someone say mini-golf?). So come along and tour America's best beach towns from the California Coast to the tip of Cape Cod. Just remember to pack the sunscreen.

10. Huntington Beach, California

9. Kennebunkport, Maine

8. Traverse City, Michigan

7. Cape May, New Jersey

6. Boca Grande, Florida

5. Cannon Beach, Oregon

4. Pismo Beach, California

3. Provincetown, Massachusetts

2. Rockport, Texas

1. Chincoteague Island, Virginia

This tranquil landfall off Virginia's coast is famed for the feral Chincoteague ponies that roam nearby Assateague Island. Every July since 1925, the Pony Penning and auction floods the town with tourists there to watch the ponies gallop down Main Street. This area is a nature-lover's nirvana all year round, though, with Chincoteague National Wildlife Refuge and the

Assateague Island National Seashore, home to herons, bald eagles, and woodpeckers. If the weather is keeping you from visiting the birds' natural habitat, the Refuge Waterfowl Museum exhibits extensive wildlife murals, skipjack boat models, and wildfowl woodcarvings by renowned decoy crafters like carver-in-residence Delbert "Cigar" Daisy. Victorian inns and ice cream parlors, clam shacks serving Chincoteague oysters, and beachfront BBQs complete the Norman Rockwell picture.

Tip: Watch rocket launches at the NASA Visitor Center at the Wallops Flight Facility where Science on a Sphere Theatre projects 3-D effects on a suspended six-foot-diameter globe, depicting the moon, Jupiter storms, and Earth as seen by astronauts.

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