Budget-friendly destinations that have it all: clean sand and water, activities galore, and healthy food.
Whether you have a week or a weekend to get away this summer, we know your vacation time is precious. You want to land where you can truly relax, breathe fresh air, get in some exercise, and eat well. And you want to do it all without breaking the bank. That’s why we teamed up with a panel of travel and health experts to help us find the healthiest of the nation’s most popular beach and lake towns.
They evaluated air and water quality, the abundance of parks, the cost of a hotel room, and more to zero in on the top-10-healthiest getaways, where rejuvenation and fun are practically guaranteed. When you’re ready for that much-deserved vacay, you won’t go wrong with one of these 10 shore bets.
Bonita Springs, Florida
Calling all beachcombers! Our judges rated this town, which is midway between Naples and Fort Myers, as having the best sand anywhere. “It’s like talcum powder,” Howes says. “Your feet feel like they’re getting a spa treatment when you walk on it. I could go for miles and miles.” The powder-soft white sand at the beach in Bonita Springs also boasts fome of the best seashell hunting around. Perfect got keeping the kids busy while you chill.
If you have kids with you, stick around for high tide in the afternoon, when seashells—a foot thick in some places—wash ashore. Our judges also loved that families could take a guided canoe excursion, swim in the calm, warm Gulf waters, or explore the area’s parks (1,500 acres of them). You have to look a little harder for healthy-food options here, though, because fast and fried are readily available.
A bonus:
Because the most popular time to visit Bonita is January through April, you can get good summer rates.