Depending on which part of PA you are situated in there are various beach options. If you are in northeaster PA, the closest beaches may be the beaches of the New Jersey Shore. Atlantic City, New Jersey and Cape May, all within a seven-hours drive from Pittsburgh are a good choice. You should be aware though that Atlantic City and Cape May both tend to get horribly crowded and the New Jersey shore can get dirty during the peak season.
Cleaner, but still very crowded, are Ocean City, Maryland, Virginia Beach, Virginia and Myrtle Beach, South Carolina. They are the closest if you live in the south-east part of PA. Ocean City is fun if you are looking for a college type holiday as it is visited manly by students during their breaks. The drive is about seven hours. Virginia Beach is located within eight-hours drive but it also tends to get massively crowded. Myrtle Beach is perfect for a family trip, full of fun activities, and not it is not crowded, but the drive is a painful 13 hours.
Pennsylvania’s beaches are at a drive of only about three hours as well. However, they cannot be categorised as ocean beaches but the beaches of Lake Erie.
Other than those frequent tourist destinations, there is Rehoboth Beach, Delaware, seven hours away from Pittsburgh, and the Grand Banks, in North Carolina, 11 hours. Both are quiet and beautiful. But you may find yourself getting bored as there are no attractions around.
You can get very useful info related to tour spots from www.bestdealsononline.com .