Oregon sure has a cult of personality.

My parents live in Virginia Beach, oceanside in the north end (I know, gross according to DCUM). This is what they, their neighbors and us (when we visit).

Before 10am you can take your dog on the beach as well as surf in the water in the North End (otherwise you have to go down go 5th street to surf between 10-6). Are the waves huge, no, but there are plenty of local surfers there (my son included). People will run on the beach in the morning, super peaceful.

All other times you can paddle board, kayak or wind surf (there are tons of wind surfers, where you basically strap a harness to a parachute and have your feet strapped into a small board and just surf on the water and air). I see so many men and women wind surfers (my friend who lives down there does it almost every day, big problem is only walking back from where you started). The early morning is the best time to see dolphins.

Anyone can boogie or sand board all day long.

There are two large state parks in Virginia Beach (the one on the bay and ICC and the one that divides Virginia Beach from Corolla). There is the marine museum, ice cream, the indoor sky diving place, you can charter a boat, you can go on a dolphin tour, you can fish downtown on the pier, you can go crabbing in the bay, rent jet skis, ride your bike everywhere (its bike friendly), etc.

There are plenty of things to do, including water sports. Oregon doesn't have a "lock" on being water sports people. GMAB with that. You can even find tons of sports and other activities in one of DCUM's favorite destinations to trash, Virginia Beach.

In my family we really don’t stay on the beach itself for long unless we are wearing a hat and go for a walk because we burn easily. We love swimming in the ocean though so we go out for maybe 45 minutes in the morning with sunblock on and then again around 4 PM with sunblock on once the sun has gone down. We always rent an oceanfront house so we feel like we are at the beach even though we are inside. When the sun is high, we might take that time to nap, read, go outlet shopping, go out to lunch, do a puzzle, etc. Most beaches on the East Coast have some sort of little amusement park or water slide’s or putt putt nearby.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:You can kite surf, wind surf, kayak, paddle board, jet ski, fish/crab, etc. on the bay in DE and OCMD. The ocean and the bay are literally across the street from another. What we call the bay, you call the sound in OBX. While west coasters do this stuff in the pacific, the undertow of the Atlantic is too strong. Plus, riptides (which are deadly in parts in NC).

The NJ side of the bay is pretty gross. Stagnant silty water. Not sure about DE’s side.

You mean the Delaware Bay? Yeah, not maybe people hang out on the Delaware Bay in NJ.

Many of the beach areas in NJ though are islands with smaller bays and inlets for boating & fishing.

Right I know, I’m the Cape May poster. We go to the OBX now and prefer it. I think the sand is softer and the water is warmer. Plus I like how you can rent a house right on the beach instead of across the street.

LOL, I live in North Carolina, and head up to Cape May for vacation. I much prefer Cape May where we can park our car and not need it for the week. We walk everywhere, and there is so much to do. Been going for almost 40 years.

I'll take the OP at face value that she wasn't asking as a putdown, only because I have a neighbor from Kansas and she asked me the same thing. She didn't understand what we do all day on the beach. Now that she's lived here for a few years, she said she enjoys it.

In any case, we don't sit on the beach all day. We usually go for a few hours. And we like to go in the late afternoon and stay through golden hour. What's nice is when the whole family gets together or we are with friends. We sit under the umbrellas and catch up with each other. If we are just our nuclear family, the kids build sand castles and jump the waves in the ocean. Mom usually takes a long walk and looks for shells. Dad takes a nap. We often bring kites if the wind is right. We then go back and shower and go out to dinner, walk around the boardwalk or town, depending on beach town, and get ice cream.

(In the morning, before we go to the beach, we ride bikes, take walks, sit by the pool and play games, sit on the porch and read, etc. For one or two days, a few people will do something special like go on a deep sea fishing tour or go parasailing.) Overall, it's a relaxing, fun vacation with no set agenda, no must-sees or must-dos. We just sit back and enjoy.

Anonymous wrote:Context: I’m from Oregon. I grew up going to the coast for windsurfing and boogie boarding (in a wetsuit even in August) and then for fishing and crabbing, but never once did anyone in my family lay on the beach on a towel. It’s cold and overcast most of the time. I come from a family of pretty serious watersportsmen. Some people might accuse them of being adrenaline junkies.

A lot of my kids’ friends do the beach house rental thing. I don’t want to make assumptions but from what I absorbed from pop culture growing up, you being towels, umbrellas, toys, snacks, and just lay in the sand and splash in the surf. Doesn’t that get boring after a few hours and certainly after one day? Do east coast beach towns have a bunch more activities that I’m missing?

I’m from Washington state. You forgot the part where our beaches are all rocks. Haha. East coast beaches are an adjustment but I still think it’s fun. You make your own fun! East coasters probably think our NW beaches are awful, and honestly, I would too if I didn’t grow up on them. I’ve never once been warm on the beach in Washington. I remember once as a child it being so windy I could fall back into the wind and it held me up!

Can’t we all just appreciate things for what they are??

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I’m white and don’t get why white people want to bake in the sun past age 20. It’s so uncomfortable and you have to cover up and constantly reapply sunblock. Then you still end up looking old and damaging your skin

Ever heard of hats? Tents? Umbrellas? Going back to the beach house for lunch? We don't "bake in the sun," we are under three umbrellas. Are you a time traveler from the 1980s with oil and a foil sun reflector?

You must be young, because nobody was actually doing that in the 80s--maybe in the 60s.

DP. People definitely used oil in the 80s. Maybe not foil reflector though.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I’m white and don’t get why white people want to bake in the sun past age 20. It’s so uncomfortable and you have to cover up and constantly reapply sunblock. Then you still end up looking old and damaging your skin

Ever heard of hats? Tents? Umbrellas? Going back to the beach house for lunch? We don't "bake in the sun," we are under three umbrellas. Are you a time traveler from the 1980s with oil and a foil sun reflector?

You must be young, because nobody was actually doing that in the 80s--maybe in the 60s.

Anonymous wrote:I spend four hours sitting under an umbrella while my kids dig in the sand, make sand castles, body surf in the waves, throw footballs and frisbees, walk down the beaches to scout crabs, shells, neat castles and sand sculptures, etc. then we pack up, go back to the house , and the kids fall asleep after two bites of dinner, and are out for the night. I stay up watching movies, sipping wine on the porch, or maybe playing cards or games with the adults.
That’s an east coast beach vacation.

This is what we do as well, except we rent a beachfront house so we can break up the day a little more. Surf fishing first thing in the morning, then shower and walk into town to pick up breakfast and coffee. Later we go down to the beach and the kids play in the water, make sandcastles, etc. while I read a fluffy beach book. Back into town for lunch, and maybe a little shopping, playground, or mini golf. After that hang out at the house for a while if the kids need some downtime, otherwise head back to the beach for a couple more hours. Order in for dinner then head out again for stuff like ice cream, boardwalk arcade, bonfire, live music, whatever is happening that night. Drinks and a movie or games with the other adults after kids are in bed, like PP says. For us, it’s just a nice, chill vacation.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I spend four hours sitting under an umbrella while my kids dig in the sand, make sand castles, body surf in the waves, throw footballs and frisbees, walk down the beaches to scout crabs, shells, neat castles and sand sculptures, etc. then we pack up, go back to the house , and the kids fall asleep after two bites of dinner, and are out for the night. I stay up watching movies, sipping wine on the porch, or maybe playing cards or games with the adults.
That’s an east coast beach vacation.

You do that every day for 7 days, unless it rains then you sit inside and watch TV. Boring.

Nope we also go tubing, rent jet skis, take ATVs out on the sand dunes, hit the ropes course, mini golf, etc.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:You can kite surf, wind surf, kayak, paddle board, jet ski, fish/crab, etc. on the bay in DE and OCMD. The ocean and the bay are literally across the street from another. What we call the bay, you call the sound in OBX. While west coasters do this stuff in the pacific, the undertow of the Atlantic is too strong. Plus, riptides (which are deadly in parts in NC).

The NJ side of the bay is pretty gross. Stagnant silty water. Not sure about DE’s side.

You mean the Delaware Bay? Yeah, not maybe people hang out on the Delaware Bay in NJ.

Many of the beach areas in NJ though are islands with smaller bays and inlets for boating & fishing.

Right I know, I’m the Cape May poster. We go to the OBX now and prefer it. I think the sand is softer and the water is warmer. Plus I like how you can rent a house right on the beach instead of across the street.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I’m white and don’t get why white people want to bake in the sun past age 20. It’s so uncomfortable and you have to cover up and constantly reapply sunblock. Then you still end up looking old and damaging your skin

Ever heard of hats? Tents? Umbrellas? Going back to the beach house for lunch? We don't "bake in the sun," we are under three umbrellas. Are you a time traveler from the 1980s with oil and a foil sun reflector?

This.

We tend to hit the beach shortly before 9, sometimes with coffee and muffins/donuts. We’re usually off for a lunchtime break and other activities. We return at dusk to fly kites, fish, play, etc.

Anonymous wrote:I’m white and don’t get why white people want to bake in the sun past age 20. It’s so uncomfortable and you have to cover up and constantly reapply sunblock. Then you still end up looking old and damaging your skin

Ever heard of hats? Tents? Umbrellas? Going back to the beach house for lunch? We don't "bake in the sun," we are under three umbrellas. Are you a time traveler from the 1980s with oil and a foil sun reflector?

Anonymous wrote:I’m from the east coast and I hate beach vacations on any coast unless it’s just hikes and cool gray weather.

Thanks for weighing in, Morrissey.

Anonymous wrote:I’m white and don’t get why white people want to bake in the sun past age 20. It’s so uncomfortable and you have to cover up and constantly reapply sunblock. Then you still end up looking old and damaging your skin

Jen Aniston would disagree.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Um, people leave the dc heat and humidity behind by heading to nearby lakes, beaches, mountains, etc.

People also hop on planes or set out on road trips each summer.

Overall, I like having 4 real seasons.

And in some cities, you don't have to have a beach house or fly somewhere to be able to enjoy year-round outdoor activities. That's the point. DC may have a lot to recommend it, but access to great outdoor opportunities year-round is not really it. I do appreciate that we have a long temperate season from Feb - June. But the summer is just unbearable.

And also to just explain more - for people in a truly outdoorsy culture/place, it's not about going on a week-long road trip in the summer, or driving to an equally crowded and humid lake spot in August. It's being in a place where you can hike, bike, or swim after work every day if you want.

In the before time, I had coworkers and saw tons of other people running and biking as I commuted to/from the burbs/dc. I also saw runners during lunch.

I know people who row in DC (it’s a morning thing).

I know people who swim daily; they do it indoors when the weather is cold.

I know we aren’t San Diego, but the weather isn’t that bad and most people are active.

I’m white and don’t get why white people want to bake in the sun past age 20. It’s so uncomfortable and you have to cover up and constantly reapply sunblock. Then you still end up looking old and damaging your skin