Good Places to Vacation in August

• The Oregon coast sees some of its warmest weather in August. oregon coast image by pearlguy from Fotolia.com

  The United States' western and eastern coasts offer good vacation opportunities during the month of August. The Pacific Northwest and the northern half of the east coast, in particular, are places to check out during the late summer. Both the Pacific and Atlantic coastal regions experience cold, rain and wind from late fall through early spring, but in August the weather is typically warm and the vacation possibilities are many.

Oregon Coast

• From Astoria at the north end to Brookings on the edge of the California border, the Oregon coast stretches for 363 miles, with sandy beaches and rocky cliffs alongside the Pacific Ocean. Oregon's coast is known for being wet, cold and windy for much of the year, but during August average temperatures sit just below 70 degrees during the day throughout much of the coastal region, and precipitation levels remain under 1.5 inches. The Oregon coast is dotted with small towns that offer shops, galleries and restaurants, as well as an array of outdoor activities, such as beachcombing, hiking, fishing and boating. Lincoln City, on the northern Oregon coast, is known as a kite-flying paradise, with winds from the equator and the North Pole colliding here to provide ideal conditions for kites. Bandon, a small town on the southern Oregon coast, features a collection of golf courses, including four courses at the Bandon Dunes Golf Resort.

New York City

• August means outdoor opportunities in New York City, with average temperatures ranging between 66 and 81, and precipitation levels reaching 4.05 inches. The second half of the month is generally drier, but if you pack an umbrella, you'll find plenty of warm, dry days throughout the month. Among the big summer draws in New York City is the 843-acre Central Park, which sits in the middle of Manhattan and offers enough outdoor opportunities to fill up the entire month of August. The park has 26 ballfields, 6.1 miles of paved bicycle paths, 21 playgrounds, 36 bridges and arches and a large collection of fountains, monuments and sculptures. Central Park has 250 acres of lawns and fields, 150 acres of lakes and streams, with opportunities for fishing, kayaking and paddle-boating, and 130 acres of wooded area, with hiking and horseback riding trails. Also within the park boundaries is the Central Park Zoo and more than 50 eateries, including food carts and the Loeb Boathouse Restaurant, which sits on the bank of a lake in the middle of the park.

Long Beach, Washington

• The Long Beach Peninsula is a 28-mile-long stretch of southern Washington that includes the towns of Long Beach, Ocean Park and Oysterville. The Peninsula is bordered by Willapa Bay to the east, the Pacific Ocean to the west and the mouth of the Columbia River --- which separates Washington from Oregon --- to the south. August is among the warmest and driest times of year for Long Beach, with temperatures that reach daytime averages of 67 and rainfall averages of 1.79 inches for the month. The peninsula offers a wide range of outdoor recreational opportunities, including clam-digging, fishing, boating, swimming and beachcombing. The beach itself is designated a Washington State Highway, meaning you're free to drive vehicles on the sand next to the ocean, provided you obey the 25-mph speed limit. Long Beach is home to more than a dozen hotels, as well as state parks at each end of the peninsula --- Cape Disappointment State Park at the south end and Leadbetter Point State Park to the north --- that offer RV camping sites.