Nearby Coast Guard Beach Among Nation’s Top 10

Applause, applause for nearby Coast Guard Beach in Cape Cod for ranking eighth Best Beach in the United States! That's a huge accolade considering all the coastline that hugs America!

The 2014 list was compiled by Dr. Beach, aka Professor Stephen Leatherman of Florida International University. Leatherman ranks beaches on 50 criteria, including the look and feel of the sand, water quality, weather, facilities and crowds.

If you're not familiar with the whereabouts of Coast Guard Beach in Eastham, on Nov. 9, 1620, a ship named Mayflower, 65 days out from Plymouth, England, made her landfall in the new world at what is now Coast Guard Beach!

Here are the top 10 beaches for 2014:

1. Duke Kahanamoku Beach, Waikiki, Oahu, Hawaii

2. Barefoot Beach, Bonita Springs, Florida

3. St. George Island State Park, Florida Panhandle

4. Waimanalo Bay Beach Park, Oahu, Hawaii

5. Hamoa Beach, Maui, Hawaii

6. Cape Hatteras, Outer Banks of North Carolina

7. Cape Florida State Park, Key Biscayne, Florida

8. COAST GUARD BEACH, Cape Cod, Massachusetts

9. Beachwalker Park, Kiawah Island, South Carolina

10. Delnor-Wiggins Pass State Park, Naples, Florida