Best beach towns on the Great Lakes
Summer vacation is mostly over across the U.S., with kids already headed back to school. So now is the perfect time to start planning next year's beach vacation.
Travelers were busy this summer. On Memorial Day weekend, largely considered the unofficial start of summer, the Transportation Security Administration screened 9.8 million people, surpassing pre-pandemic levels. Trips abroad spiked in popularity as people made up for time lost during pandemic-era travel restrictions.
However, as inflation made travel more expensive, budget-conscious travelers cut costs by driving to their destinations and staying stateside. During the July 4th holiday, AAA projected 43.2 million people would travel by car, a new record.
Beach destinations are popular this year, according to a survey from vacation-rental platform Vacasa, and outdoor recreation remains a top priority. Not only are beaches a great place to unwind and create family bonding moments, but they also boost people's mental health.
So what makes a good beach town? Access to a beach, of course, but also plenty of indoor and outdoor activities to keep kids entertained, warm weather, and a long beach season (the average number of days beaches are open for swimming).
Stacker determined rankings by several factors, giving the most weight to the number of beaches within a quarter mile of a city or town and the total shoreline of those beaches. Weather patterns and the duration of each beach's swim season affect town scores. The ranking also takes into account the prevalence of beach-related businesses, unemployment rates, and median home prices.
The EPA lists more than 250 beaches on the Great Lakes, totaling more than 100 miles of beach shoreline.
Correction
A previous version of this article contained multiple errors in data analysis that skewed the overall ranking of beach towns, including incorrectly identifying the number of beaches in some towns and mischaracterizing some municipalities as beach towns. The article has been updated to correct the errors.
#50. Long Beach, Indiana
- Number of beaches: 5
- Beach length: 3.32 miles
- Average swim season length: 98 days
- Average county summer temperature: 71.7 degrees
- Median home price: $497,100
#49. Whites Landing, Ohio
- Number of beaches: 2
- Beach length: 0.05 miles
- Average swim season length: 102 days
- Average county summer temperature: 72.5 degrees
- Median home price: $152,100
#48. Winthrop Harbor, Illinois
- Number of beaches: 4
- Beach length: 1.3 miles
- Average swim season length: 90 days
- Average county summer temperature: 71.5 degrees
- Median home price: $206,900
#47. Ossineke, Michigan
- Number of beaches: 2
- Beach length: 0.85 miles
- Average swim season length: 105 days
- Average county summer temperature: 66.8 degrees
- Median home price: $135,400
#46. Port Clinton, Ohio
- Number of beaches: 1
- Beach length: 0.65 miles
- Average swim season length: 102 days
- Average county summer temperature: 73.5 degrees
- Median home price: $120,300
#45. Racine, Wisconsin
- Number of beaches: 4
- Beach length: 0.58 miles
- Average swim season length: 106 days
- Average county summer temperature: 70.5 degrees
- Median home price: $128,000
#44. Bridgman, Michigan
- Number of beaches: 2
- Beach length: 1.88 miles
- Average swim season length: 109 days
- Average county summer temperature: 71.2 degrees
- Median home price: $204,800
#43. Lakeport, Michigan
- Number of beaches: 3
- Beach length: 1.37 miles
- Average swim season length: 105 days
- Average county summer temperature: 71.6 degrees
- Median home price: $139,000
#42. Muskegon, Michigan
- Number of beaches: 3
- Beach length: 1.94 miles
- Average swim season length: 98 days
- Average county summer temperature: 69.3 degrees
- Median home price: $94,900
#41. Cheboygan, Michigan
- Number of beaches: 3
- Beach length: 0.35 miles
- Average swim season length: 103 days
- Average county summer temperature: 65.6 degrees
- Median home price: $102,300
#40. Sheboygan, Wisconsin
- Number of beaches: 8
- Beach length: 4.04 miles
- Average swim season length: 53 days
- Average county summer temperature: 68.5 degrees
- Median home price: $132,200
#39. Au Gres, Michigan
- Number of beaches: 1
- Beach length: 1.7 miles
- Average swim season length: 105 days
- Average county summer temperature: 68.8 degrees
- Median home price: $128,300
#38. Norwood, Michigan
- Number of beaches: 2
- Beach length: 8.25 miles
- Average swim season length: 71 days
- Average county summer temperature: 66.5 degrees
- Median home price: $152,500
#37. St. Joseph, Michigan
- Number of beaches: 5
- Beach length: 1.29 miles
- Average swim season length: 112 days
- Average county summer temperature: 71.2 degrees
- Median home price: $213,000
#36. Tawas City, Michigan
- Number of beaches: 2
- Beach length: 0.67 miles
- Average swim season length: 132 days
- Average county summer temperature: 67.7 degrees
- Median home price: $95,500
#35. Benton Harbor, Michigan
- Number of beaches: 2
- Beach length: 0.52 miles
- Average swim season length: 112 days
- Average county summer temperature: 71.2 degrees
- Median home price: $67,300
#34. Escanaba, Michigan
- Number of beaches: 2
- Beach length: 3.03 miles
- Average swim season length: 106 days
- Average county summer temperature: 64.3 degrees
- Median home price: $89,100
#33. Norton Shores, Michigan
- Number of beaches: 5
- Beach length: 3.39 miles
- Average swim season length: 99 days
- Average county summer temperature: 69.3 degrees
- Median home price: $168,000
#32. Beverly Shores, Indiana
- Number of beaches: 4
- Beach length: 4.58 miles
- Average swim season length: 104 days
- Average county summer temperature: 71.8 degrees
- Median home price: $466,900
#31. Waukegan, Illinois
- Number of beaches: 2
- Beach length: 1.82 miles
- Average swim season length: 130 days
- Average county summer temperature: 71.5 degrees
- Median home price: $150,200
#30. Hammond, Indiana
- Number of beaches: 4
- Beach length: 1.38 miles
- Average swim season length: 100 days
- Average county summer temperature: 71.8 degrees
- Median home price: $112,800
#29. Port Huron, Michigan
- Number of beaches: 5
- Beach length: 0.54 miles
- Average swim season length: 106 days
- Average county summer temperature: 71.6 degrees
- Median home price: $108,900
#28. Huron, Ohio
- Number of beaches: 4
- Beach length: 0.61 miles
- Average swim season length: 102 days
- Average county summer temperature: 72.5 degrees
- Median home price: $177,200
#27. Ashland, Wisconsin
- Number of beaches: 4
- Beach length: 0.7 miles
- Average swim season length: 106 days
- Average county summer temperature: 64.1 degrees
- Median home price: $123,500
#26. Crystal Downs Country Club, Michigan
- Number of beaches: 3
- Beach length: 1.35 miles
- Average swim season length: 120 days
- Average county summer temperature: 67.2 degrees
- Median home price: $199,900
#25. Milwaukee, Wisconsin
- Number of beaches: 5
- Beach length: 1.73 miles
- Average swim season length: 101 days
- Average county summer temperature: 70.7 degrees
- Median home price: $141,700
#24. Evanston, Illinois
- Number of beaches: 8
- Beach length: 1.03 miles
- Average swim season length: 130 days
- Average county summer temperature: 72.5 degrees
- Median home price: $434,200
#23. Portage, Indiana
- Number of beaches: 4
- Beach length: 3.36 miles
- Average swim season length: 98 days
- Average county summer temperature: 71.8 degrees
- Median home price: $173,100
#22. Traverse City, Michigan
- Number of beaches: 7
- Beach length: 1.2 miles
- Average swim season length: 103 days
- Average county summer temperature: 67.0 degrees
- Median home price: $292,500
#21. Munising, Michigan
- Number of beaches: 2
- Beach length: 2.18 miles
- Average swim season length: 128 days
- Average county summer temperature: 63.2 degrees
- Median home price: $116,700
#20. Vermilion, Ohio
- Number of beaches: 4
- Beach length: 0.97 miles
- Average swim season length: 107 days
- Average county summer temperature: 72.5 degrees
- Median home price: $135,900
#19. Northport, Michigan
- Number of beaches: 8
- Beach length: 0.48 miles
- Average swim season length: 105 days
- Average county summer temperature: 67.0 degrees
- Median home price: $225,000
#18. Cleveland, Ohio
- Number of beaches: 3
- Beach length: 0.99 miles
- Average swim season length: 108 days
- Average county summer temperature: 72.2 degrees
- Median home price: $87,000
#17. Kenosha, Wisconsin
- Number of beaches: 5
- Beach length: 2.17 miles
- Average swim season length: 106 days
- Average county summer temperature: 70.8 degrees
- Median home price: $173,500
#16. Marquette, Michigan
- Number of beaches: 5
- Beach length: 1.56 miles
- Average swim season length: 111 days
- Average county summer temperature: 63.9 degrees
- Median home price: $194,900
#15. Superior, Wisconsin
- Number of beaches: 15
- Beach length: 7.69 miles
- Average swim season length: 49 days
- Average county summer temperature: 65.1 degrees
- Median home price: $137,800
#14. Two Rivers, Wisconsin
- Number of beaches: 4
- Beach length: 7.07 miles
- Average swim season length: 106 days
- Average county summer temperature: 67.6 degrees
- Median home price: $98,500
#13. Mackinaw City, Michigan
- Number of beaches: 5
- Beach length: 0.49 miles
- Average swim season length: 105 days
- Average county summer temperature: 65.3 degrees
- Median home price: $145,800
#12. Copper Harbor, Michigan
- Number of beaches: 4
- Beach length: 1.94 miles
- Average swim season length: 105 days
- Average county summer temperature: 62.9 degrees
- Median home price: $124,100
#11. Alpena, Michigan
- Number of beaches: 6
- Beach length: 2.11 miles
- Average swim season length: 103 days
- Average county summer temperature: 66.8 degrees
- Median home price: $78,800
#10. Michigan City, Indiana
- Number of beaches: 5
- Beach length: 3.43 miles
- Average swim season length: 98 days
- Average county summer temperature: 71.7 degrees
- Median home price: $107,900
#9. Euclid, Ohio
- Number of beaches: 9
- Beach length: 0.99 miles
- Average swim season length: 100 days
- Average county summer temperature: 72.2 degrees
- Median home price: $92,500
#8. Duluth, Minnesota
- Number of beaches: 31
- Beach length: 17.39 miles
- Average swim season length: 19 days
- Average county summer temperature: 63.4 degrees
- Median home price: $174,400
#7. St. Ignace, Michigan
- Number of beaches: 6
- Beach length: 2.24 miles
- Average swim season length: 104 days
- Average county summer temperature: 63.3 degrees
- Median home price: $117,400
#6. Grand Marais, Michigan
- Number of beaches: 3
- Beach length: 10.73 miles
- Average swim season length: 105 days
- Average county summer temperature: 63.2 degrees
- Median home price: $146,400
#5. Gary, Indiana
- Number of beaches: 6
- Beach length: 4.2 miles
- Average swim season length: 98 days
- Average county summer temperature: 71.8 degrees
- Median home price: $84,900
#4. Zion, Illinois
- Number of beaches: 5
- Beach length: 3.05 miles
- Average swim season length: 111 days
- Average county summer temperature: 71.5 degrees
- Median home price: $139,300
#3. Presque Isle Harbor, Michigan
- Number of beaches: 4
- Beach length: 10.59 miles
- Average swim season length: 105 days
- Average county summer temperature: 66.0 degrees
- Median home price: $144,700
#2. Sandusky, Ohio
- Number of beaches: 4
- Beach length: 4.79 miles
- Average swim season length: 102 days
- Average county summer temperature: 72.5 degrees
- Median home price: $86,800
#1. Chicago, Illinois
- Number of beaches: 25
- Beach length: 5.63 miles
- Average swim season length: 125 days
- Average county summer temperature: 72.4 degrees
- Median home price: $295,400
