About two hours southwest of Houston lies Matagorda, a small beach town for travelers seeking solitude and a break from everyday life. Unlike other beach towns in Texas, Matagorda is sleepy. You won't find crowds, buzzing bars, and traffic here; instead, you'll encounter wide-open stretches of sand, tiny mom-and-pop eateries, and not a whole lot going on except fishing, shelling, birding, kayaking, and a few other outdoor pursuits.
If you've spent any time in , you'll know why many people call it Britain's only 'desert'. Although not technically a desert, its long stretch of shingle, peppered with shipwrecks, is so spookily empty that it's often compared with barren, sandy landscapes. The uniqueness of this place is also why Time Out has named it one of the to 20 best day trips from London.
With 663 miles of beaches, Florida is rich in coastal escapes with white sand, clear blue water, and some of the best sunsets in the country. But, according to Dr. Beach (whose real name is Dr. Stephen P. Leatherman), one beach stands out above the rest. In this annual America's Best Beaches list, the scientist, author, professor, and director of the Laboratory for Coastal Research at Florida International University deemed Delnor-Wiggins Pass State Park the top beach in Florida.