You Can't Make This Stuff Up!

[Lee Stewart]

Malibu's Point Dume State Beach is easily one of the most beautiful beaches in America … and one of its most cinematic. Not only does the gorgeous rock bluff at the end of the beach make a great spot for whale watching; it was the filming location for the 1968 classic "Planet of the Apes" and its famous scale replica of the Statue of Liberty buried in the sand.

[Lee Stewart]

Most beaches in Hawaii are extremely welcoming to outsiders. The beaches of Niihau are a different story. Known as "The Forbidden Isle," the state's westernmost island is a remote, privately owned enclave that has been closed to tourism for much of its history to protect the history and customs of its native peoples. In recent years, however, tourism has been allowed in limited numbers.

[Lee Stewart]

If you thought native fire dancing was a thing of the past, you clearly haven't been to Marco Island. The popular Florida family vacation destination is world-renowned for its white sand beaches and gorgeous sunsets off the Gulf Coast, but the sand outside the JW Marriott Marco Island Beach Resort is also where you can find nightly fire shows performed on the beach by hotel entertainers.

[Lee Stewart]

In a county as in love with the automobile as America, it is perhaps unsurprising that you can drive a car on many of its beaches. Hard-partying Daytona Beach is likely its most famous example, but auto access is also allowed on a number of additional beaches from South Padre Island, Texas, to the Outer Banks, North Carolina. Just be sure to gas up first.

[Lee Stewart]

There are 30 states with coastline, with 23 bordering the ocean and eight bordering the Great Lakes. With the Atlantic Ocean on one side and Lake Ontario on the other, New York is the only state with beaches that line both. While the state is home to a number of famous ocean beaches in places such as The Hamptons and Fire Island, the lake side of the state boasts summer staples such as Ontario Beach.

[Lee Stewart]

Tucked along the St. Lawrence River in New York's Thousand Island Chain near the Canadian border, Hub Island is believed to be the smallest island in the U.S. at around 3,300 square feet. Also known as Just Enough Room Island, the island consists of a private home that takes up most of the island as well as a small beach outside the front door.

[Lee Stewart]

Beaches are a large driver of the U.S. economy, with research in 2008 that around 180 million Americans making an estimated 2 billion trips to the beach each year. It is estimated that coastal states bring in around 85% of U.S. tourism revenue, contributing more than $320 billion to the annual economy. By comparison, this is more than 25 times the revenue brought in by U.S. national parks with twice the visitation to U.S. beaches versus national parks.

[Lee Stewart]

Fort Lauderdale is tied for the most bike rental facilities per capita and ranks third nationwide in terms of the highest share of homes with a swimming pool. Plus, the local beaches are some of the best in the country.

[Lee Stewart]

Huntsville, Alabama

[Lee Stewart]

Bentley Mulliner Bacalar in promo "Skittles" paint job.