15 U.S. Labor Day Beach Photos for the Last Long Weekend of Summer

U.S. Labor Day 2026 falls on Monday, 7 September — the last long weekend of summer for most American beaches. These 15 licensed photos cover Cape Cod, the Mid-Atlantic, the Gulf, California, Oregon, and the Great Lakes. Credit sits under each photo.

1. White Crest Beach, Cape Cod

Atlantic dunes at Wellfleet. Cape Cod is the Labor Day search that still means New England summer.

Photo: Matt H. Wade / Wikimedia Commons / CC BY-SA 3.0

2. Montauk Point Light

The lighthouse at the east end of Long Island. A classic last-weekend drive from the city.

Photo: Hayden Soloviev / Wikimedia Commons / CC BY 4.0

3. Cape May from the water

Victorian roofs behind the Jersey Shore. Cape May books out for Labor Day the way Cape Cod does.

Photo: Smallbones / Wikimedia Commons / CC0

4. Assateague Island

Barrier island between Maryland and Virginia. Wild horses and a long empty strand for the holiday weekend.

Photo: Susanne Bledsoe, U.S. Army Corps of Engineers / Wikimedia Commons / Public domain

5. Cape Hatteras Lighthouse

Black-and-white stripes on the Outer Banks. The most searched U.S. lighthouse for late-summer road trips.

Photo: Henryhartley / Wikimedia Commons / CC BY-SA 3.0

6. Cape Lookout Lighthouse

Diamond pattern, boat-access only. The quieter Outer Banks photo after Hatteras.

Photo: Jarek Tuszyński / Wikimedia Commons / CC BY 3.0

7. Tybee Island, Georgia

Savannah’s beach. A short drive from the historic district for a Gulf-adjacent Labor Day.

Photo: BakedintheHole / Wikimedia Commons / CC BY 4.0

8. Siesta Key, Florida

Quartz sand and the red lifeguard stand. Southwest Florida stays in Labor Day beach roundups every year.

Photo: Mickey Luigi Logitmark / Wikimedia Commons / CC0

9. Clearwater Beach

Pier, Gulf water, and a wide public strand. Tampa Bay’s Labor Day beach.

Photo: ajay_suresh / Wikimedia Commons / CC BY 2.0

10. Gulf Shores, Alabama

White sand on the Alabama Gulf. Often cheaper than Florida for the same weekend.

Photo: DiscoverWithDima / Wikimedia Commons / CC BY-SA 4.0

11. Santa Monica State Beach

Pier and wide sand on the Pacific. Southern California’s default Labor Day frame.

Photo: Andrija12345678 / Wikimedia Commons / CC BY-SA 4.0

12. Huntington Beach

Surf City USA. Lifeguard towers and a long strand south of Los Angeles.

Photo: Toksave / Wikimedia Commons / CC BY-SA 3.0

13. La Jolla Shores

San Diego’s cove-and-cliffs coast. A calmer Pacific photo than the LA beaches.

Photo: Dirk Hansen / Wikimedia Commons / CC BY-SA 3.0

14. Haystack Rock, Cannon Beach

Oregon’s sea stack at low tide. The West Coast Labor Day trip that is not Southern California.

Photo: Dima Sergiyenko / Wikimedia Commons / CC BY-SA 4.0

15. Sleeping Bear Dunes

Lake Michigan sand and fog from Platte Point. Midwest Labor Day when the ocean is too far.

Photo: NPS Photo / Wikimedia Commons / Public domain

All 15 photos are from Wikimedia Commons. If you republish, keep the photographer credit and license link under each image.