1. Iconic Summer Escapes: The Hamptons, New York
Think "summer" and conjure images of that special spot for relaxing, basking in perfect weather, even indulging in an activity or two. Here are some of the classic summer escapes.
Welcome to the exclusive club that is the Hamptons. With no luxury hotels and only a handful of motels, you need a house if you want to vacation in this part of Long Island. So young wanna-be movers and shakers buy places in “shares,” where for a major chunk of change, they get the privilege of splitting a house with 20 strangers. Down the road will be the media moguls, big finance types and movie stars they’re hoping to meet when they all slather on sun screen to fight the rays on the area’s glamorous beaches. It’s still a scene right out of “Sex and the City.”
2. Iconic Summer Escapes: The Greek Isles
Whitewashed villages clinging to volcanic cliffs, the Aegean Sea glittering blue below. Yachts clogging harbors, ferries swarmed by touts offering backpackers cheap places to stay. Long evenings of drinking and dancing that, yes, sometimes end with the crash of plates breaking. Ancient ruins baking under the sun. The clichés are true when it comes to the Greek Isles, along with the biggest cliché: few places in the world come as close to paradise in June, July and August.
3. Iconic Summer Escapes: The Riviera, France
The Light! It was the fabled sunlight of the Riviera and Provence that drew painters Van Gogh, Matisse, Picasso and Chagall to this area in the south of France, and museums featuring their work adorn the region that stretches from Menton to St. Tropez. That same brilliant sunlight spotlights the topless bathers on the beaches here and graces the flawless features of the stars who make the area’s festivals so important. And let’s not forget the sun’s role in ripening the grapes, olives and vegetables that heap restaurant tables, making eating on the Riviera an unparalleled treat. Yes, it’s pricey, but the French Riviera in summer is legendary for good reason.
4. Iconic Summer Escapes: Grand Canyon, Arizona
The Griswolds took a glance at it in "National Lampoon’s Vacation," and Thelma and Louise plunged into it at the end of that movie. The Grand Canyon is the quintessential summer road-trip destination, helped by the fact that the elevation of the rim keeps temperatures out of the unbearable range, even at the peak of summer. One of the natural wonders of the world, the Grand Canyon stuns even the most jaded visitor and so remains a perennial vacation favorite.
5. Iconic Summer Escapes: Montreal
Festivals, festivals and more festivals draw the masses to the handsome, Francophone city of Montreal each summer. For music fans, few tickets are as coveted as those to Montreal’s famed summer jazz festival, which this year featured Youssou N’Dour, k.d. lang and Diana Krall. Later, the entire city gets a case of the giggles at North America’s premiere comedy fest, Just for Laughs (this year through July 31). But even without the fests, this luminous city – and its top museums, outdoor cafes and hopping clubs – would be a must in the warm weather months. Few places on Earth are as deeply pleasant.
6. Iconic Summer Escapes: Sandusky, Ohio
Summer has its ups and downs but they’re rarely as thrilling as at Sandusky's Cedar Point, home to the tallest and, most would say, most petrifying roller coasters on the planet. Dare to try the Magnum XL, Mantis or the Top Thrill Dragster? Conquering fears, and graduating from kiddie coasters to the meaner monsters, is a summer rite of passage. Along with the thrill rides are cooling water rides, silly shows and opportunities for boating, parasailing and jet-skiing on Lake Erie.
7. Iconic Summer Escapes: Alaskan Cruises
For nine months of the year, Alaskans have their state largely to themselves. But when the temperatures rise, so do visitor numbers. The hordes descend, usually on cruise ships. (As so much of the state is covered by permafrost, it’s impossible to build highways in many areas.) They come to experience unspoiled wilderness in Denali and Glacier Bay national parks, among others, and they leave happy after gazing at glaciers and grizzly bears gorging on salmon. They make their way to important Native American sites and old Russian Orthodox churches, and engage in all sorts of adventures from ziplining to dog sledding to mountain climbing.
8. Iconic Summer Escapes: Branson, Mo.
The fun in Branson is G-rated and abundant, particularly in the summer, when the city’s amusement parks are at full tilt and the mini-golf courses attract maxi crowds. But what makes this town in the Ozark Mountains the top “drive-to” destination in the country are its theaters, which put on patriotic, often religious, spectacles featuring the top country stars of yesteryear. For those who’ve had enough of the hustle and bustle, quieter natural pursuits such as canoeing, fishing and hiking are available just outside the city limits.
9. Iconic Summer Escapes: Nantucket, Mass.
Bluebloods in Nantucket Red shorts faded to an aristocratic shade of pink: Those are the colors of a vacation on the former whaling isle of Nantucket, along with the cobalt blue of the sea and the weathered gray of the houses, by local law all sided with unpainted shingles. It adds up to a "lifestyles of the rich and famous" edition of a New England vacation, with days spent playing in the waves on Jetties Beach or watching harpooning demonstrations at the Whaling Museum. In summer, Nantucket’s few hotels charge more, on average, than their counterparts in New York, Paris or London.
10. Iconic Summer Escapes: Great Smoky Mountains, Tennessee and North Carolina
When the azaleas are blooming, the birds a-twitterin’ and the rainbow trout are shooting through the rapids, there are few more idyllic places to summer. This may be why Great Smoky Mountains National Park gets more visitors than any other in the park system. Beyond the natural beauty of the place, there are loads of activities, including hiking, biking, fishing, whitewater rafting, horseback riding and sightseeing — the park has the largest collection of log structures in the U.S. It’s also an ideal spot for beating the summer heat.
11. Iconic Summer Escapes: Ibiza, Spain
Life’s an endless party on this little island off the coast of Spain, which means sleeping in until noon, baking on the Playa d'en Bossa until the sun sets, hitting a music bar as a warm-up and then partying in one of the island’s world-famous discos until the sun rises again. Ibiza boasts the globe’s largest discotheque, Privilege, and many of its most innovative. Clubs here feature extraordinary light shows, renowned DJs, ice cannons, seas of foam, multiple rooms each with their own soundtrack, and more.
12. Iconic Summer Escapes: The Jersey Shore, New Jersey
Long before Snooki had her 15 minutes of fame, families were flocking to this family-friendly beach area. The Jersey Shore, from Avalon to Asbury Park, has been a legendary summer haven for the better part of two centuries. Half of the appeal is highbrow, thanks to quaint towns of Queen Anne homes, quiet beaches, wildlife preserves and doily-laden B&B’s. And the other half? Well, if you’ve seen the MTV show, you know all about the high jinx that go on here. Belly up for carnival games, wacky themed ’50s-era motels, beer encased in paper bags, raucous groups of 20-somethings trolling the boardwalks and big hair. Lots of big, big hair.
Text by Pauline Frommer; photo editing by Connie Ricca.
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