If you’re looking for the closest beaches near New Orleans then you’ve come to the right place!
Maybe you were checking out the haunted hotels in New Orleans, or simply just enjoying a food tour of the best places for breakfast in New Orleans, either way, a good detour out of the city is always necessary when there is a beach involved!
Does New Orleans Have Beaches?
Of course the first question you probably thought of while selecting this topic was, “does New Orleans even have beaches?,” and the answer is.. technically, no. New Orleans does not have beaches, but don’t worry, there are numerous beaches close enough to New Orleans to take quick day trips without the hassle of taking a whole extra trip to get there!
What Is The Closest Beach To New Orleans?
The closest beach to New Orleans is actually a lake beach, Lake Pontchartrain Beach! This New Orleans beach is only 30 minutes away from the center of New Orleans. From here, you can easily go back and forth between the heart of New Orleans and the beach.
12 Closest Beaches Near New Orleans You Must Visit
Holly Beach
Holly Beach is one of the beaches close to New Orleans that residents and tourists alike head toward to spend some time in the sand and soaking up the sun!
This beach is a little over 4 and a half hours away from the heart of New Orleans. While it may seem like a bit of a stretch, once you arrive, it will all be worth it!
This beach is a great spot if you love crabbing, but is even better if you just want to pack for the day and spend some time lounging around. You can bring a book, your towels, all the necessities for water fun, and enjoy the quietness of the beach life.
Holly Beach has a great view of the Gulf of Mexico, and has a lot of history surrounding it. There is a community of cabins, some of which have been in the process of rebuilding since the hurricanes destroyed a large portion of the area over the years.
Despite the rebuilding, Holly Beach is one of the must visit beaches near NOLA!
This is one of our favorite things to and you should add it to your Weekend In New Orleans Itinerary.
Grand Isle
The Grand Isle is one of the New Orleans beaches that is within perfect view of the Gulf of Mexico and offers everything a seafood lover may need!
The Grand Isle is just over a 2 hour drive away from the center of New Orleans, and is a perfect oasis outside of the city!
This is one of the beaches around New Orleans that provides a dream location for visitors that love to fish! There are over 280 fish species that reside in the area, and people come from all over to fish at the Grand Isle!
You can fish from the beach, from a pier, or you can even hire a boat to take you out to fish in deeper waters! If you have a boat that you brought with you to New Orleans, you can bring that, too! No matter which way you’d like to fish, there’s an option for you!
If you enjoy eating seafood rather than catching it, the Grand Isle is still for you! There are numerous dining options on this New Orleans beach, but even more, there are so many seafood shops that you just might want to bring an extra cooler to bring everything back home with you so you can cook it yourself!
We know that you’ll love this beach!
Biloxi Beach
Biloxi Beach is one of the coolest Mississippi beaches near New Orleans that will have wanting to come back often!
Biloxi Beach is just shy of an hour and a half drive from New Orleans, and is the perfect day trip away! There are so many amazing restaurants in Biloxi that you should check out too!
This beach is great for that white-sandy beach getaway. Beyond lounging in the water, you can also rent a jet-ski and catch some speed on the water! You can also just enjoy walking along the boardwalk and taking in the view!
While at Biloxi Beach, you must go see the Biloxi Lighthouse! This lighthouse is from the 19th century, and is a popular attraction for not only visitors, but locals, too! This lighthouse was the first cast-iron lighthouse in the south, and comes with a lot of history that you just won’t want to miss out on!
Biloxi is also home to some of the best Resorts In Mississippi, including beachfront ones!
This is one of the coolest beaches near New Orleans that you will want at the top of your list! Don’t forget to check out our list of the best things to do in Biloxi while you are at it!
Fontainebleau State Park
Fontainebleau State Park is one of the coolest beaches near New Orleans for the history this location holds as well as what the beach has to offer visitors!
Here, you’ll find the ruins of a sugar mill from 1829, so you know right at the start that this area has more history than you can expect with a day trip out of New Orleans!
This beach is less than an hours drive from the center of New Orleans, and it definitely a must-visit when you are in NOLA!
Other than experience the history of this beach, you can also participate in a lot of fun activities! You can select between biking, paddling, swimming, biking, or even camping! Depending on the amount of time you have, you can do all of the activities and have an adventure outside of New Orleans for a day (or night)!
If you plan on camping, make sure to check ahead and prepare, this area is pretty populated and spaces can go quickly!
With the close proximity to New Orleans, it’s no wonder why so many people come here to spend some time during their trips!
Olimpic Beach
This is one of the beaches near NOLA that is `easily accessible and offers visitors a lot of activities to do!
This beach is roughly an hour and a half from the heart of New Orleans, giving you plenty of time to head there and spend a good amount of time without worrying about spending most of your time traveling to and from!
One of the coolest things you can do at this New Orleans beach is spending time boating, swimming, fishing, or even golfing! There is a popular golf course nearby that visitors head to for a nice round of golf between enjoying the beach waves!
Olimpic Beach is also a great place for families to gather and hangout! This popular beach has plenty of family-friendly activities if you happen to be traveling in a group! Besides the swimming, fishing, and boating, there is also a bowling alley next to the beach that is popular if you want a break from the water!
With the easy access to this beach, there’s no reason you shouldn’t visit during your trip to New Orleans!
Shell Beach
This New Orleans beach is less than an hours drive from New Orleans, making it one of the closest beaches near NOLA!
Shell Beach offers a ton of things to do to have fun and stay entertained during your day trip out of New Orleans! You can take a swim or just lounge in the sun on the beach. You can also enjoy taking a boat out or maybe some paddling. If you feel like fishing, there’s tons of fishing happening around this area!
You can even stay at one of the nearby campgrounds, either in a tent or an RV. Just make sure that you plan ahead so you can make reservations! This is a hot-spot area, so spaces tend to go quickly!
While you can head to this area whenever, the summer season is known to bring the best weather, and the most exciting time to go for a swim!
This beach near New Orleans is a great place to make an escape from the city!
Navarre Beach
Navarre Beach is one of the coolest Florida beaches near New Orleans!
This beach is just about a 3 and a half hour drive from New Orleans, so it’s close enough to make a day trip, but far enough that you may want to plan ahead so that you have enough time for traveling to and from!
If you’re looking for a beach with crystal-clear waters, this is the perfect place for you! Navarre Beach is known for and is extremely popular for the clarity of the water here! The water creates a picturesque scene for photographers and beach-goers alike.
The water is obviously a perfect place for swimming and fishing, and an exciting place for boaters. There are also numerous walking and hiking trails near the beach if you want to catch the views rather than the waves!
Navarre Beach is one of the beaches near New Orleans that you must make a trip to!
White Sands Lake Day Beach
White Sands Lake Day Beach is one of the best Louisiana beaches near New Orleans that is great for family fun and lots of sun!
This beach is just over an hours drive from New Orleans and has a lot of fun family activities for everyone to enjoy!
Here, you can enjoy the inflatable waterslides, swim, play on the trampoline, or enjoy their blob bags in the water! You can also check out one of the cabanas and have fun on the grill! This area is meant for large groups, so family reunions or business group parties are popular here!
This beach is not open all year, so make sure that if you want to check out White Sands Lake Day Beach that you plan ahead and go at the right time, otherwise you might just miss out on the fun offered here!
Pack up your family and take a day trip to White Sands Lake Beach!
Coconut Beach
Coconut Beach is one of the coolest beaches near New Orleans for volleyball players or lovers of the sport!
This beach is man-made, and is made up as a volleyball complex. It’s roughly a 30 minute drive from New Orleans and serves many volleyball leagues in the area.
Not only does is house volleyball teams and their fans, there are also bars and food here for you to enjoy!
Coconut Beach has numerous games and tournaments going on during the season, and is also the largest sports complex in the United States! So you know this area is always packed!
If you aren’t hyped about all of the volleyball, don’t worry, Lake Pontchartrain is right there for your enjoyment!
If you love volleyball, either playing or watching, than this beach near New Orleans is perfect for you!
Pensacola Beach
Pensacola Beach is one of coolest Florida beaches near New Orleans!
This Florida beach is about a 3 hour and 15 minute drive from New Orleans and is easily one of the most popular beaches!
This beach gives you a perfect view of the Gulf of Mexico, and even offers a large area to explore along the coast! There are is no limit to the activities that you can do during your trip here!
To start, you can swim and fish along the shoreline. You can even rent a boat to head out deeper for an even more thrilling fishing experience! If you don’t want to fish, you can enjoy the view from the pier or set up chairs along the sand!
If you’re feeling wild, they also offer dolphin tours at this beach near New Orleans!
It might seem like a drive, but this beach is worth every second!
Bogue Chitto State Park
Bogue Chitto State Park is one of the coolest man-made beaches near New Orleans!
This is a great place to go if you want more than just a beach day, and the best part is that it’s just an hour and a half drive from the center of New Orleans making it the perfect day trip!
This man-made beach offers a ton of area to swim and enjoy the water, so you can rest knowing that there is plenty of beach area to go around during your trip! But one of the coolest things about this beach is the area surrounding the beach!
Bogue Chitto State Park offers camping, either in an RV or more traditionally in a tent. Locals tend to bring their mountain bikes and travel along the trails in this area! The trails are a perfect for all skill levels so if you want to bring a bike, the answer is yes!
This beach near New Orleans is a great place to bring a group and enjoy the numerous activities offered here!
Dauphin Island
Dauphin Island is one of the best beaches near New Orleans because of the gorgeous views you get from the beach!
This Alabama beach is just over a 2 hour drive from New Orleans and is known as the Sunset Capital of Alabama! That sounds like the perfect reason to head out there for a nice day visit! Especially during sunset hours!
At Dauphin Beach, you’ll be able to enjoy white, sandy beaches and explore all of the trails they have in the area! Here, there are walking trails or biking trails. So no matter which way you want to explore the area, there’s a perfect way for you to do it!
You can also enjoy the numerous dining and shopping places here! Though Dauphin Beach prides itself on being free of population congestion, this is an extremely popular location. With the views of the Gulf of Mexico, it’s hard to imagine not making a stop here!
A trip to New Orleans is fun alone, but it would be way more fun with a day trip to a one of the coolest beaches near New Orleans as well!
Each of these beaches brought something unique to add a little something extra to your trip. Whether is was an awesome sunset, a perfect view of the Gulf of Mexico, or even a quick trip to Florida for a dolphin tour, we know you’ll love any of the beaches you visit!
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