My family can work remotely and learn (my teenagers) anywhere with good internet connection. We can pick up and drive from NY and spend 3 weeks or so. We’d like ro get away from the cold of NY for a few weeks in jan or feb. It would be nice to be somewhere warm with nearby beach for walking (not swimming). Where would you suggest we spend 3 weeks? We would rent a 2 or 3 bedroom unit/house. We have never been to NC nor SC nor GA. Where would you suggest specifically? We wont be looking for nightlife or entertainment with covid. We just want nice place to walk around with access to grocery stores where covid is not out of control. How south do we have to go for weather in the 50s and walking on the beach? The fewer hours we have to drive from NY the better. Should we consider Charleston? Savannah? Anywhere even closer to NY?
You never can tell in Jan or Feb. My friend lives on Hilton Head Island and it can be gorgeous or it can be rainy and cold. I lived in Jacksonville FL and often it was in the 60’s and often it was in the 30’s.
Daytona Beach in February is the big race, with weekends before and after very busy (also a consideration as hotels and lodging are booked up and down the coast). It is often rainy and cold.
I’d go where you want to go and hope for the best and enjoy walking on the beach even in the rain if necessary.
For low key walking on the beach, I’d look at St. Simon’s Island Georgia. It’s a great getaway and the average highs in Jan-Feb are 60-65.
St Pete Beach (FL) is farther than you like, but should have everything you are looking for except for distance. The beaches there are some of the best in the world for walking. As an addition, if you go to Ft DeSoto (a county park - no lodging there aside from camping - maybe a 10 minute drive from St Pete Beach itself), there’s a large unspoiled (no major development around) place to walk and explore - miles of beaches and a fort. It’s one of our favorite places to spend Feb. Right on the strip in St Pete Beach there’s a Publix for groceries. Shop yourself or do curbside pickup.
We currently have reservations to camp there for 10 days in Feb. Not sure if we will still go or not. It depends on the virus.
No Atlantic beaches we’ve been to (and we’ve visited a lot of them) can compare. In FL you also have beaches up at Destin and around. They’re good, but we still prefer St Pete Beach personally and the weather will be warmer.
Wilmington NC, Wrightsville Beach area is nice if you want to stay closer to NY. New Bern and Beaufort, NC are within driving distance to explore. Outer Banks NC also.
A few years ago, in April, we stayed in St Pete’s beach and had a phenomenal time. You are right about the gorgeous beach and sand. I love that Publix and fell in love with supermarket chain after that experience. It is an easy destination to fly non stop for us. We will wait to go back there once we are comfortable about flying. As for this driving trip, we want closer. Thanks for the suggestion, though.
What about Myrtle Beach area? There should be some places to rent there. Longs SC is just north of there. You might have to drive to a beach from a rental, but it’s nice.
I wonder if hotels or airbnb’s will even be open by then, honestly, and states may have more restrictions for visitors (testing before entering, quarantine, testing after 7 days etc.). Don’t mean to be a downer, just realistic. I just had to cancel travel plans for a kid I haven’t seen in a year.
GA likely wont be putting any restrictions. Both GA and FL governors have made it clear they likely wont do lockdowns SC is likely the same. only NC might. I vote for Hilton Head if you can find something affordable.
We’ve been to St Augustine, FL in January and it was nice weather for walking the beach. Not too cold. Sometimes too windy. Light jacket. There is a historic downtown area that is nice for outdoor sightseeing. We had a picnic on the lawn of the old fort one afternoon. It’s just south of Jacksonville. There were maybe 2-3 people in the pool each day, but the water was cold!
Savannah/Tybee Island gets my vote.
I might have missed this (still figuring out the new format), but what about Amelia Island- just north of Jacksonville. Lots of lodging choices, weather is likely to be in the range you want, and there is a nice little main street with shops and cafes, plus good sized grocery stores. Good beachfront condos to rent.
Living in Tampa for 8 years now and have visited the Atlantic beaches in the past. Winds off the Atlantic can make beach walking painful (there’s a reason the Wright brothers went to Kitty Hawk) regardless of the temp and hooded jacket. The Gulf beaches near St Pete are usually great in the winter (except the one day a few years ago my sister came down and wanted to go to the beach- 60ish!). Flying/driving from Wisconsin is a trip to the east coast and Gulf coast of Florida is a common trip for Midwesterners. Nice to pack your stuff and have your own car.
This winter should work for Florida. Just be careful. Lack of state restrictions but counties like Hillsborough (Tampa) and Pinellas (beaches) do have indoor mask et al orders. Consider the area’s available restaurants and stores. Publix is an excellent although more expensive than Target/Walmart grocery store for getting foods to eat. Area Gulf water temps now down to 72 last I saw on TV- 90+ in summer.
If you want warm you will need to be in Florida and South of Tampa/Orlando.