Where's a good beach?

I live 10 mins from a great string of beaches and all your other criteria apply (except mountains) but you don't want to come here at this time of year.

Sorry, that doesn't help much. 

I would suggest "Groupon Getaways".

But Galveston wouldn't be bad. Farther toward Florida you go the nicer it gets, just skip over Louisana coast tho unless you're wanting to go fishing...which is not a bad little getaway itself, and they got some good fishing.

30A

great place, low key, easygoing, friendly to cyclists/runners.

/thread

Hmmm...never heard of that place but sounds fun!

Agreed, however I must expand. Mexico Beach, FL. Then, cruise over the The Red Bar at Grayton Beach, FL for crab cakes.

EDIT: If you're there for an extended period of time...Apalachicola, FL for oysters.

http://www.discover30a.com/about-discover-30a/community-map/

30 A is where it's at.

awsome cycling.

seaside and rosemary are my favorites.

Do you actually want to get in the water?

If not, almost all of coastal Oregon is nice, and mountains are close

 That's a little further south (Searose Beach), but I really like the area from Lincoln City to Waldport.

Panama City Beach in FL home of IMFL great cycling, gorgeous beach not too touristy comparatively.

Vote for Orange Beach, Alabama here. And not just because my parents have a condo for rent there.... but... ya know... I could hook you up. I spend a good bit of time down there and most of the major roads have a bike lane and running lane, there's a long nature trail (speed limit is 10mph but you can run on it) and there's a gator on the trail named Lefty, I've touched his tail, tell him hi for me if you go.  

Anyway, clean, beautiful white beaches, clear water and oh so many good places to eat. Oh, and most of the condos are literally either across the street from, or walking distance to grocery stores, restaurants, liquor stores and souvenir shops. 

If you go down there let me know when you will be going, if I'm down there maybe we can meet up for a bike ride and lunch or something.  A good website to check out is www.vrbo.com and just peruse the listings for beach locations there. 

Since you mentioned South TX, I'll recommend Port Aransas for beaches and local food. Plenty of room to run on the beach from there to Mustang Island, but I doubt I'd ride around there except on a cruiser w/a beercan-holder. If driving to Port A from NM I'd stop for riding/running in Central TX. Great roads around Austin and SA, and even better mtb trails. Plus more good, local restaurants than you can stand. Seriously.

BTW I live 30min from the Galveston beaches and we go there often. We love it here. Plenty of room to ride and run and more good restaurants than you can fathom. But we still go to Port A or Mustang Island every year. If I was driving all the way from NM I wouldn't settle for G-town.

Oh...that 30-A! Cool, I'm actually goin down to Sandestin in a few weeks myself and had heard it was fairly cycling friendly. Now, I'm pretty sure that I'll be takin the bike with me.

I thought Panama City was tourist central. Is that only during Spring Break?

Tiff, I've been to Orange Beach. It's on my list of possibilities, but I'd likely fly to Pensacola and rent a car.

CK, why Galveston? Isn't that all cityfied?

I may try Naples, FL, but mostly because I have family there.

I just found out about half an hour ago that this trip is now going to be delayed until at least June. I wanted to leave in two weeks, but that's not happening. I guess I'll appreciate the time away even more!

I recommend St. Pete Beach, FL. It's a 45 minute drive from the airport to the Gulf. If you want nightlife, pop over to downtown St Petersburg (you can catch a Rays baseball game, too).

You can either stay on the strip, with plenty of condos or hotels, or you could stay 10 minutes away on Tierra Verde in nice condos, which is on the way to this beach at Fort DeSoto:

Whether you want restaurants or seclusion, this area offers both. Fort Desoto State Park is host to a number of triathlons; great area for OWS, biking and running. Time trials are held in this park, also.

Be careful about walking too far north on Ft Desoto Beach. The nudists like to hang out in this area and it ain't pretty.

The natives call it the Redneck Riviera.

I put Galveston in for perspective: I live 30min from G-town but still go to Port A or Mustang Island every year, as it's that much better down there.

Sorry your trip got delayed. If it's June, I recommend Florida, the more south the better. It'll be really hot here.