Philippines #39; Most Famous Beaches: It #39;s More Fun in the Philippines
Philippines #39; Most Famous Beaches: It #39;s More Fun in the Philippines.

By: Luigi F!

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Philippines' Most Famous Beaches: It's More Fun in the Philippines - Video

Bako National Park Borneo | Giant Ants | Beaches | Jungle | Proboscis Monkeys
Bako National Park in Borneo a video compilation of different areas in Bako. To get to Bako National Park we booked our tickets in Kuching Tourist centre and...

By: My Travel Shots

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Bako National Park Borneo | Giant Ants | Beaches | Jungle | Proboscis Monkeys - Video

HSBC brings Rugby to the favelas and beaches of Brazil
To launch their new international rugby festivals programme working with legend of the game, Waisale Serevi, HSBC hosted two special rugby coaching clinics i...

By: HSBC

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HSBC brings Rugby to the favelas and beaches of Brazil - Video

Avett Brothers "If Its the Beaches" Peabody Opera House, St. Louis, MO 02.20.14
Show Opener.

By: DCRANGERFAN

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Avett Brothers "If Its the Beaches" Peabody Opera House, St. Louis, MO 02.20.14 - Video

When I lived in New Orleans, I loved a getaway to the beach. If I just had a day, I'd make do with Mississippi's Gulf Coast, an hour's drive away, or Gulf Shores, Ala., a two-hour drive. If I wanted to make a weekend of it, I'd head to the Florida Panhandle.

I spent a lot of time on these beaches, and one thing I never got used to was the nickname given to this gorgeous strip of sand: "the Redneck Riviera." The term even has its own listing in the online Urban Dictionary. Along with having "the most beautiful beaches in the world," the listing says, "it also has tattoo parlors, beer joints, crab shacks, burger barns, T-shirt boutiques, and more beach trinkets than you can imagine."

I had my own redneck experience (sort of), once being present at the iconic Flora-Bama Lounge (on the Florida-Alabama line in Perdido Key) when a bar fight set to a Jimmy Buffet tune on the jukebox broke out between tipsy LSU and Alabama students. Despite this, I always thought the nickname was a disservice to the region.

A public relations genius apparently agreed with me. Seemingly overnight, the "Redneck Riviera" became the "Emerald Coast." You'll still find plenty of T-shirt shops and tattoo parlors, but you'll also find the creamiest white sand lapped by the bluest-green water anywhere.

My most recent trek to the Gulf Coast took me to the beaches of South Walton, a stretch of surf and sand along Florida's U.S. 98 east of Destin that takes in 16 communities from Miramar Beach at the western end to Inlet Beach to the east.

In the 1950s and '60s, this was a place where working-class families could rent inexpensive beach cottages in charmingly named communities: Seascape, Seagrove, Seacrest. They could be fairly certain that from their modest bungalow, they would have an uninterrupted view of the gulf.

On many parts of the beach, cottages have given way to condos, and the gulf view remains only until it is blocked by the construction of another, larger condo.

Still, those in search of what this part of Florida looked like 50 years ago are in luck. There are four state parks in Walton County. Those parks and Point Washington State Forest make up 40 percent of the county's acreage.

Topsail, considered the most pristine piece of coastline in Florida, is famous for a land- and seascape that includes bald cypress swamps and 25-foot sand dunes.

Grayton Beach has trails winding through pine woods and around freshwater ponds, making it an ideal habitat for wading and water birds; closer to the beach, gulls and terns hang out.

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Florida's Panhandle has outgrown its lowbrow reputation

TRENTON New Jersey lawmakers are considering a bill that would ban smoking at all public beaches and parks in the state.

A state Assembly committee advanced the proposal at a hearing Thursday morning. It now goes to the full Assembly, where a final vote has not been scheduled.

The bill is designed to eliminate exposure to secondhand smoke at beaches and parks, cut down on litter and improve fire safety in those public areas. Smoking still would be allowed in parking lots near beaches and parks.

Violators would get fined $250 for a first offense, $500 for a second offense and $1,000 for subsequent ones.

When you look at our public parks and beaches, we do not want people to experience secondhand smoke, or increase the litter of cigarette butts, said Assemblywoman Valerie Vainieri-Huttle, one of the bills sponsors. This enhances our beaches. I think it promotes more tourism.

Karen Blumenfeld, executive director of Global Advisors on Smokefree Policy, said more than a third of New Jerseys municipalities have laws on the books that restrict smoking in parks and recreational areas.

We all know that theres no safe level of secondhand smoke at all, she said. Secondhand smoke outdoors does affect people.

Blumenfeld said some beach towns already have banned smoking on their sands, including Seaside Park, Long Branch, and Sunset Beach in Cape May Point.

Jeff Tittel, director of the New Jersey Sierra Club, said litter from smoking is a major problem on the states beaches. During annual spring and fall beach cleanups done by volunteer groups, cigarette butts are among the most frequently found items of debris.

We pick up tens of thousands of cigarette butts, he said. Quite frankly, if you have a dirty beach filled with cigarette butts, its not a place you want to come back to.

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NJ may ban smoking at beaches