On The Water Escapes

Summer of 2026. The NBA Playoffs. FIFA World Cup. Noteworthy July 4th celebrations. A myriad of music festivals. Dozens of exciting restaurant openings. A new Steven Spielberg movie. Despite all the other fun things to do, I want to sit by the water and dip my feet.

Here’s a quick look at six places you can do just that, whether you have tons of money or just a little to spare.

SUPSUPClub group touring Amsterdam’s canals. Photo c. SUPSUPClub.com

Although Amsterdam is crisscrossed by canals full of houseboats, most visitors don’t think about actually going in. It’s not that the water is dirty, it’s just busy. Did you know at least 12,000 abandoned bicycles are fished from the canals annually? However, bikes haven’t stopped an active stand up paddleboarding (SUP) scene from blossoming in the city.

We just stayed at the Avani Museum Quarter Amsterdam Hotel, right on the Hobbemakade Canal. Families like the spacious rooms that overlook the canal or gardens, the well-stocked honor pantry, and the tech-savvy fitness room. As part of their Avani Experiences program, guests can rent bikes or SUP boards to explore Amsterdam by land or sea. The Netherlands’ SUPSUP Club also has several locations of self-service lockers filled with rental gear. Beginners are welcome to try, or you can call them to discuss lessons at +31 851309686.

Pool butler at the St. Regis Longboat Key. Photo c. Magrino PR for St. Regis Resorts

Longboat Key, a barrier island between Florida’s Sarasota Bay and the Gulf of Mexico, used to be a secret among locals. No more. To see how far it’s come, let’s shine a light on the St. Regis Longboat Key Resort’s over-the-top July 4th shindig. You beach-goers will decide if it’s where you want to be after we share details.

The resort has unveiled “The Gilded Gulf” package, an homage to the brand’s founding in turn of the 20th-century New York by John Jacob Astor IV. Book their five-night America semiquicentennial package for just $177,600. Your stay in the customized (read: your name in gold everywhere) Presidential Suite spans Independence Day and includes personalized fireworks (featuring your name in the sky, maybe in gold), private dining events, unlimited caviar-topped hot dogs, and a ‘patriotic’ spa treatment. (The Stars & Stripes wellness concoction is a 250-minute immersive treatment incorporating red light therapy, a white quartz facial massage, and a blue algae body wrap.) Another package perk is a gold leather handbag with an eagle rhinestone clasp, a collab with designer Gretchen Bauer of BSWANKY. Of course, you’ll take advantage of the hotel’s Reef Rangers Children’s Club and saltwater lagoon snorkel tours. Toss in several rooftop parties, lots of mixology and custom car transport around town and maybe, just maybe, you will justify the rate. Many would say Longboat Key’s prized white sand beaches and calm Gulf waters are priceless.

View of Canada and the American Falls from the New York state park trail.

With this summer’s addition of two hiking trails and 150 more acres, Niagara Falls State Park boasts more places than ever for a summer soak. The upstate New York park expansion links Niagara Falls to Whirlpool State Park and Devil’s Hole State Park. While it’s created nearly five miles of scenic overlooks and hiking routes along the river, swimming is definitely not allowed and totally unsafe.

Instead, embark on a bucket list tour aboard the high-speed Whirlpool Jet Boat or the classic Maid of the Mist, the defining sightseeing cruise since 1846. A new staircase along the American Falls provides another chance to feel the spray as you exit Maid of the Mist elevators. Did we say spray? The powerful cataract delivers a flow of six million cubic feet per minute that makes it feel more like a full body scrub.

A Riverview A-frame at Camp Fimfo, Texas Hill Country. Photo c. Campfimfo.com

Schlitterbahn, the award-winning water park that debuted along the Comal River in the Texas Hill Country in 1979, put this town on the map. The constant flow of travelers and rich German heritage -- there’s a 10-day Wurstfest each October --turned New Braunfels into a major attraction. Aquaseekers! This summer, bypass the crowded water park and its resort hotel to book yourself a cabin at riverfront Camp Fimfo.

June happens to be National Camping Month, but we like this place because it fits with trends called out by the latest KOA Camping & Outdoor Hospitality Report. They credit “The Rise of Analog Camping” for making the timeless summer pastime hip again. According to KOA, nearly 60% say traditional campfire activities motivate their trips, 50% want to recreate childhood camping memories, and 81% of Gen Z campers are interested in learning bushcraft skills. If floating down the Guadalupe River in inner tubes or trying the four waterslides is bushcraft, sign me up. Camp Fimfo also has two swimming pools -- including one with the swim-up bar of my childhood memories. This place is a bargain when you rent gear from REI because tent sites start at $57 and RV parking at $66. Splurge on a tiny Riverview A-frame for two, with hot tub, for $106.

Aerial view of Plitvice Lakes National Park waterfalls. Photo c. CroisiEurope

Picture the towering trees, dangling ferns, and weirdly lush blooms of Pandora, the garden moon featured in the original “Avatar” movie. That look was inspired by Plitvice Lakes National Park, Croatia’s UNESCO World Heritage Site known for its unique biome. When you join a CroisiEurope Splendors of the Northern Adriatic family river cruise you can hang out by the top deck pool to prepare for the daytrip to the park.

Tour Plitvice’s 16 crystal-clear lakes to choose your favorite. A dozen Upper Lakes are set in impermeable dolomite stone, while the four Lower Lakes have carved deep into limestone cliffs for an even more dramatic setting. In between, discover some of the park’s 90 waterfalls.

Settle in for eight days exploring the Adriatic, with cultural programs and delicious, all-inclusive meals for just $2,311 per adult. On each Croatia CroisiFamily Club cruise, kids 16 years and under sail at 30% off and are guaranteed a cabin close to their parents.

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There’s nothing more Cleveland than mixing food and fun, especially on the water. Visit in mid-July for the annual Taste of Black Cleveland Festival. Feast on food July 16 in the Cavaliers’ Rocket Stadium, where 20 local Black chefs share samples in a competition to be the city’s best.

Rise early the next morning and grab your paddles. The weekend Blazing Paddles Riverfest returns July 17-18 with a lighted boat parade, waterfront programming and urban paddlefest. Here’s your chance to compete or join a leisurely 10-mile paddle by kayak, canoe, SUP or just picnic along the scenic and historic Cuyahoga River. That name may sound familiar because the severely polluted Cuyahoga River burst into flames in 1969. That incident inspired “Burn On,” the 1972 Randy Newman song that became an early anthem of the environmental movement.

Whether it’s Croatia or Cleveland, be sure to get your feet wet!