Come summertime, there’s no place like the East Coast. The sun-filled months of June through August remind us why we voluntarily endure our beloved home’s long and harsh winters: to bike past cape-style cottages and hydrangeas down to the beach, where lighthouses and fishing boats dot the coastline; to indulge in salty oysters and buttered lobster rolls; to shop our way through quaint, historic downtowns.
For those chasing a New England summer (far from endless and always too short), a few seaside destinations will come to mind: Nantucket, Martha’s Vineyard, the Hamptons, Newport, the Cape—places where to summer is a verb. But as with many of the world’s most sought-after places, seasonal tourists can push availability, and cost, out of reach for many travelers.
This summer will be no different. Hyannis, Massachusetts, (home to Cape Cod’s main airport) was ranked the number one trending domestic destination in Hopper’s summer travel forecast, with Bar Harbor, Maine, (the gateway to Acadia National Park) not far behind at number three. According to data from Kayak, the average hotel room in Nantucket this summer will cost you $769 a night, and in the Hamptons, $621 a night. Even if you can swing it, that small town peace and quiet is often spoiled if a busload of people from the same place you’re trying to escape arrive along with you.
None of this means you can’t still plan the classically coastal getaway of your dreams. Lesser-known towns and islands—dare we say hidden gems—offer a chance for an authentic East Coast summer sans the crowds and sticker shock. The catch? You just need to know where to look. So, we tapped local experts and Condé Nast Traveler editors for their favorite under-the-radar northeast summer destinations, from New York up to Maine.
All listings featured on Condé Nast Traveler are independently selected by our editors. If you book something through our links, we may earn an affiliate commission.
