4. Beaches along the coasts and Great Lakes enticed hundreds of thousands of visitors
Despite the sniffing of moralists over what they regarded as amoral clothing and behavior, visiting shorelines became a popular pastime in 1921. A tourist in Florida, along the Gulf Coast, and on the West Coast frequently combined camping and beachcombing for their annual vacations. Along Florida’s undeveloped beaches, Americans camped within a stone’s throw of the shore, often in their cars. Further north, in locations such as Virginia Beach and Cape May, resort hotels appeared. Virginia Beach proved so popular in the 1920s, that by the middle of the decade a luxury resort hotel, the Cavalier, opened with its own train station, with non-stop luxury service direct from Chicago.
California’s Bruce’s Beach, near Manhattan Beach in Southern California, became popular in 1920-21, as one of the few in the country practicing full integration. In other resort areas along the Gulf Coast and the South Atlantic coast, most beaches were segregated. Even Cape May, New Jersey, offered segregated beaches, as well as restaurants and hotels in 1921. That did not deter Americans from all races from traveling to the seashore in 1921, during which changes to swimwear often drew scandalized comments. Although most swimsuits were made of wool or cotton fabrics, they became racier in terms of the amount of skin exposed, as well as in the snugger fit which grew ever more snug as the 1920s went on.