Jun 16, 2022 - Things to Do

Washington's favorite beaches and lakes

Paige Hopkins

Wild ponies make their way out of the water. — Wild ponies make their way out of the Assateague Channel in Chincoteague Island, Virginia. Photo: Jim Watson/AFP via Getty Images

It’s official (not really): Washingtonians are beach people, according to our unscientific beach/lake poll you all responded to earlier this week.

What you're saying: 67% of roughly 200 respondents said they prefer the beach over the lake.

OBX is the fan-favorite beach among our readers.
Respondents had varying lake preferences. “Other” was the top choice followed by Deep Creek Lake in western Maryland.

It seems that the more popular bodies of water among some of our readers are outside the D.C. region. As one respondent says, “All the beaches and lakes around D.C. suck.”

Nonetheless, for those of us in need of a nearby destination, here are some of the more underrated destinations readers suggested:

Dewey Beach, Delaware
Cape Charles, Virginia
Solomons Island, Maryland
The Chesapeake Bay and its tributaries
DC public pools (not quite what we were looking for, but not a bad suggestion)
Smith Mountain Lake, Virginia
Cambridge, Maryland
North Point State Park, Maryland
Greenbrier State Park, Maryland
Cape Charles, Virginia
Virginia Beach
Cape Henlopen, Delaware
Shady Side, Maryland
Sandy Point, Maryland
Solomons Island, Maryland
Bethany Beach, Delaware
Rocky Gap State Park, Maryland
Lake Accotink, Virginia
Sandbridge Beach, Virginia
Yorktown Beach, Virginia
Jersey Shore

Add Axios on Google

Washington's favorite beaches and lakes

More Washington D.C. stories